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"No, there is no one who can help me right now, this is an emergency! It's 2:23 am and I need an ambulance to get me to the hospital and get help!" Sara nearly cried into her telephone. She was frustrated and scared at the same time.
"Are you sure it is that severe?" the man at the emergency center asked arrogantly.
"What the...? Do you think this is a joke? Do you think I call an ambulance for fun? Get the fuck over here and pick me up!"
She shouted crying
"okay, an ambulance will be with you shortly." the guy said ennerved and hung up the phone.
"fuck" Sara started crying silently. She really needed to get to the door and try to open it for the paramedics, if she didn't want them to crack the door. This happened to be harder than she thought.
She got up from the couch and stood there. She knew she had to move slowly, so she put her right foot in front of the other. The second she started walking towards the door and her brain sensed movement, Sara completely lost control of her entire body.
First thing she noticed was a strange vertigo that made her tilt her head further down, second thing she realized was that she could not keep her body straight and walking anymore, her legs gave in and she crashed to the floor, breathing a silent 'help' through the air. Not that anyone could hear her anyway. She panicked, but giving up was not an option. She belly crawled to the door, her ragging breath was loud in her own ears and when she arrived at the door, she was not able to even sit up anymore. Sara was relieved, that she made it to the door and that there was help on the way. Little did she know, that her nightmare just started.
A few days ago she felt nausea crawling up to her, her vertigo became stronger and she felt like she had a stomach bug or something, so Sara went to her doctor, who prescribed some medication which contained Vomex A, Pantoprazol and Perenterol, things Sara was acquainted with.
So far so good. He told Sara that she might have a stomach bug and that she needed to get rest and drink as much water as she can.
Don't get her wrong, she tried, she really did, but getting an infection is challenging for a healthy body, not to think about what happens when you have Relapsing- Remitting Multiple Sclerosis which drives your immune system to be insufficient.
The days went on and Sara was not able to keep her food nor drinks down. She dehydrated quickly. This would not have been a reason to call an ambulance for if you were able to get to the hospital by yourself, but Sara was way beyond that point. Her vertigo got the better of her and the same kind of asshole there was on the phone a few minutes ago, the same kind of assholes came to her apartment to pick her up.
"Miss Lance, what is wrong?" one of the paramedics knelt down in front of her, looking at her ennerved.
"I feel nauseous, I can't walk, I can't sit, I can't stand. I told the guy on the phone that I have MS and that I think it would be better to get me to the clinic with a neurologist." Sara could not stop her loud ragged breathing and the paramedic eyed her arrogantly" you're hyperventilating, you have to breathe much slower. By the way, that clinic is on the other side of the city, we have to take you to the hospital nearby. Get up, we won't carry you down." the paramedic watched his silent colleague and got to his feet.
"I can't" Sara mumbled.
"Oh, I bet you can." The paramedic smiled disgustingly and pulled Sara to her feet. He thought he proved his point when it happened. He did not continue to hold Sara up on her feet and that was the chance for Sara's body to give in again. Her body folded itself like a jacknife and before anyone could react she fell to the floor again. There was no apology. Instead, the man puffed up and rose to full size. He started shouting. "you need to collect yourself, everyone gets stomach bugs. There is no need to practice acting for an Oscar. This is insane, this is psychosomatic! Not get up or I have to pull you down the stairs!"
"you loathsome motherfucker!" Sara was so weak she did not even have the strength to answer, so she just mumbled.
Both men pulled her up again and held her close. Those steps were the longest ones Sara has ever seen, or at least they just felt like the longest one. She could not she where she was stepping because the vertigo mixed up colors and textures and she had to trust the paramedics to lead the way.
Next thing she knew was a doctor giving Sara some pills. She lay on that cot waiting and when she swallowed the pills and lay back down, she felt it coming right back at her. Good thing she got a barf bag before, she sat up as bad as she could and started puking violently.
"wow, what was that?" the doctor asked.
"I told you this might not be a stomach bug. I have severe vertigo, it feels like my first episode, please, get me an MRI scan." Sara nearly begged. She could not take the vertigo and nausea anymore and just wanted it to stop.
"No, way miss lance. this is a simple stomach bug and not an episode." The doctor looked at her.
"So you are a MRI system or a neurologist now?" Sara vomited again and the doctor was just pissed. This banter went on and on for hours until, 10 hours later the doctor decided to keep Sara at the hospital because she was not able to walk anymore. After the doctor tested her for COVID and MRSA a young nurse transfered her to her room.
The days went by and the nurses were very nice to Sara. She was grateful that those people were keeping an eye on her and provided help, whenever she needed some, though the doctors were a completely different story. She needed to beg them to call Dr hunter, Sara's neurologist and to get her an MrI scan. One week in Sara's mum visited her and threw a complete tantrum, that if her daughter wouldn't get that scan, because of their stubbornness, she would take everyone to court if her daughter had to carry away with more disabilities because of the doctors' passiveness.
One day later, after doctor hunter examined her and she had that MRI scan, she felt a huge setback. Doctor hunter showed Sara the images of her brain and she was shocked, her whole brain lit up like a Christmas tree, which means that there are many new lesions and that in fact, Sara has been right all the time, this was a new episode and they would start the treatment immediately.