Transfer

 January 9, 2023


By 7 pm, as the rain begins, Gene transferred me from the small private ER in Redlands, down the road, about a mile to the big teaching hospital ER, at LLUMC. I still was not medicated well enough to make the long journey to Kaiser. Redlands did not have a Gynocology/Oncologist on their staff, and so I needed to go to a place that had that specialty. They abbreviate it as OB/GYN/ONC. 

Admission was quick, 138 people sat in the waiting room and another 38 were filling the ER exam rooms. Anyone who thinks they can take off their masks and party, needs to visit an ER and see the wreckage. Amazingly, Gene and I didn't get sick ourselves after spending 8 hours in the ER. I know this, because I am writing this on June 19th and we are both healthy. 

The OB/GYN/ONC team at LLUMC was wonderful.  I am so glad women are entering this field and, so far, every doctor I have interacted with has been a woman. Whoopee! I've been waiting a long time for the influx of women into medicine to appear as specialists. They were kind, attentive, generous with their time and understood my challenge of being really sick for the first time at 69 years old. 

Again, Natalie was my voice and brain and  challenged the team with many scenarios. At that moment, three paths were visible. Emergency surgery at LLUMC, transfer to Kaiser for emergency surgery, or MRI for more information. 

Instead, I went to ultrasound, a fourth path that hadn't been considered. It is now 1:00 am, the hospital halls are empty, but the ER is still buzzing with most chairs still occupied.  I worked at Loma Linda for over 30 years and knew the old hospital well, but this new "monster building" is all foreign. Wide hallways, high ceilings, more like a European airport-to-train station tunnel. Ultrasound is down one of these tunnels. A huge room, quiet, warm, with soft music playing, and I have the best 20 minute nap since this circus began. 


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