ER visit or book club? Decisions, decisions.

Well, Friday afternoon turned interesting in a hurry.

At about 3:45 pm the phone rang. I could see from the caller id that it was Eric calling from work. I figured he was finally returning my phone call from the morning. Instead he greets me by saying, "I think I'm going to go to the Emergency Room." Just like that. He said it as if he was going to say "I think I'm going to go to the bar for a beer." Anyway, seems he was have a "burning sensation" in his bicep. He said he had called his doctor and she said to go to the emergency room.

So, I debate what to do now. Should I go pick him up to drive him? No, that would add at least another hour to his arrival time and he says he is fine to drive. Should I meet him there? He says no, but I kind of feel that a good wife should at least offer moral support. Most importantly, should I cancel my Book Club meeting? It is at my house this month and I have been cleaning and preparing food all day.

Long story short, I decide to drive to the hospital (like any good wife would do) and cancel book club. We were home by 8:30, having paid a $150 co-pay and learned nothing. They did an EKG, bloodwork and a CT scan of his head (maybe to see if there is a working brain in there!). From the start the doctor told us that his symptoms were "unusual" and that he didn't think he would find anything. He thought that it was unlikely to be cardiac, which is Eric's paranoia since his dad died of a heart attack at 70 (could someone please tell him that heart attacks at that age are not that uncommon and do not pre-dispose a 42 year old son to heart disease!), but more likely neurologic (thus the CT scan) -- probably a pinched nerve. So, $150 and 4 hours later -- no diagnosis. Not even a prescription for pain medication. Oh right, when the nurse asked him to rate his pain on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst, he said a 4. A 4! You mean I canceled my book club meeting for a 4 on the pain scale! You must be kidding! I think he was sleeping in the chair when I was in labor with pain at 11 on that same scale! And I am sitting in the ER instead of at book club for a 4!

Anyway, I have since learned the following information:
This "burning sensation" started on Thursday morning.
He went out to lunch with the guys from work before calling the doctor's office.
He didn't call the doctor's office until 3:30 pm -- 1/2 hour before they close for the weekend.

Of course they told him to go the the ER -- they don't want to stay there late waiting for him. And lunch. What part of that brain (yes, the CT confirmed that there is one) thought that going out to lunch was a good idea while in the throws of a medical crisis like "burning sensation in the right bicep!" And why, why, why, why didn't he call the doctor Friday morning if this had been going on since Thursday morning? Timing is everything!