Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: This summer, I was traveling and needed healthcare.My illness began in upstate NY, my husband had a bad cold and unfortunately shared.We both tested negative for COVID so I thought I had a self-limiting viral infection that would clear up in a few days.My purpose for traveling was to attend the Rural Nurse Organization (RNO), International Rural Nursing Conference being held in Johnson City, TN.I was cochair of the conference planning committee and certainly did not want to miss the conference; which by the way was excellent.I went down a few days early to visit relatives and was in my old home stomping grounds of Southeaster KY in the Appalachia Mountains.As an added benefit I was able to provide transportation to big city of Lexington so that my family member could get a health service that would not allow her to drive immediately after the procedure.The plan was that I would spend a few days in KY and then head to the conference.My body had other plans.I began to have pretty bad respiratory symptoms while in Lexington but was able to drive my relative and myself back to her home, 3 hours away.That night, I began having asthmatic symptoms, a first for me, and felt I could not catch my breath.I was taking over the counter medications to manage cold symptoms, they were not helping and may have exasperated some symptoms.My relative was sleeping off the twilight anesthesia she had gotten during the day.I knew the local clinic was not open after 5 pm, and actually closed earlier on Fridays.I also knew the only hospital in the county was 45 minutes away, and I was in no shape to drive.I was hesitant to call an ambulance, thinking did I really need that, I would probably be better by the time they arrived, and it would be costly.To
Author: Pamela Stewart Fahs
Institution: Binghamton University
Language: English
Subfield: Emergency Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4390487886