As expected, something unexpected happened anyway.

Around 7 this morning, I started feeling uncomfortable in my stomach, and it got progressively worse. I thought it was a stomach issue from the slightly spicy Kung Pao Chicken I had yesterday, so I went to the bathroom.
After that, I felt a little better and went downstairs. I made breakfast for my son, drank a glass of water and over 200 ml of bone broth. Then I hurried to wake my son up and took him to his summer camp class. My stomach pain kept getting worse, and I still thought it was enteritis, figuring I'd just go home later and use the bathroom again.
About seven or eight minutes after leaving the house, a sudden sharp pain shot through my right lower back. It made me break out in a cold sweat instantly, and my vision went dark. My instinct told me it was my kidney area hurting. At the same time, my stomach pain also intensified.
Enduring the intense pain, I dropped my son off at summer camp and rushed home, because I still felt a strong urge to use the bathroom. Halfway there, I was already groaning in pain. I quickly called my wife, told her something might be wrong with me, and asked her to have my insurance card ready and go to the ER with me immediately.
When I got home, I ran to the bathroom but couldn't pass anything. By then, the pain was so severe I couldn't stand. I had my wife drive me to the ER. She didn't check carefully — the first one wasn't open yet, and the second said they couldn't handle it and recommended a hospital ER. After two detours, we finally reached the hospital ER in about half an hour.
By then, I couldn't straighten my back and could barely speak. Fortunately, the ER was very efficient. While my wife was registering, a nurse already brought a wheelchair, took me to have my blood pressure and oxygen saturation checked. I didn't see the blood pressure reading, but my oxygen saturation had dropped to 92.
After that, the nurse immediately wheeled me to a doctor's room. After waiting two or three minutes, a doctor and two or three nurses came in. The doctor, perhaps thinking my English wasn't good enough, used their remote video device to find a Chinese translator to ensure accuracy. After a detailed inquiry, he said I needed blood work and an abdominal CT scan. An older male nurse of Indian descent immediately started drawing my blood right there in the exam room.
After the blood draw, I was barely conscious from the pain and kept moaning loudly. Maybe five minutes later, another nurse came and wheeled me to the CT room for an abdominal scan. After that, they moved me to a couch and told me to wait for the next step. Then came more waiting — my moaning never stopped. The pain was indescribable, and I kept sweating cold.
Another five minutes or so passed — it wasn't long, but I was in so much pain I couldn't even hold my phone. A female nurse who looked Asian with black hair and black eyes came over. She said she was my nurse for the day — I didn't catch her name — and that she was going to give me morphine to relieve the pain and start an IV with saline to replenish fluids.
Soon after, she injected morphine intravenously. Whether it was a psychological effect or it actually worked quickly, I felt the pain subside somewhat. Then they started the IV. About halfway through the bag, the pain became bearable, and my mind was almost completely clear. I even had the strength to play on my phone again.
When the first bag finished, I suddenly realized I wasn't cold anymore. Earlier, I had been shivering from the cold because I left the house without a jacket. My wife wanted to give me hers, but the nurse stopped her. My stomach pain was mostly gone too. By the time the second bag finished, I was basically back to normal.
At first, the doctor had asked for a urine sample, but I didn't feel the urge to urinate. After the nurse checked on my condition, she told us to wait in the lobby and bring the urine sample back once I felt the urge.
We sat outside for about half an hour, and then I felt the urge. I went to the bathroom, collected the sample, and handed it to the nurse. Then we waited again.
After another less than half an hour, a nurse called us back into the exam area. The first nurse who had attended me came over with my test results. She told me: My pain was likely caused by a kidney stone scraping the ureter as it passed — that's what caused the severe pain. The CT scan showed no stones left in the kidneys, ureter, or urethra, so it had probably already passed. I told her that when I urinated earlier, it did feel relatively smooth, but that since last night and this morning, I had been feeling the urge to urinate frequently but only passing a little each time.
The nurse said it seemed there were no stones left, but there were signs of suspected stones in the kidney, and the ureter was swollen and inflamed. The urine test also showed traces of blood (not visible to the naked eye). The intense pain was caused by the kidney and abdominal pain from the stone passing. She said I should be fine now, but advised me to contact my family doctor as soon as possible for a full checkup. For now, I could go home.
My wife immediately called the family doctor's office. The office — which we had always complained about being slow — was surprisingly quick today. They arranged an appointment for 3:30 PM. We checked the time; it was less than an hour away. We went out, ate something light, and headed straight there.
After talking with the family doctor, he conducted a thorough examination. I told him about my five-day fast and that I hadn't been drinking much water. He said it probably wasn't directly related, as stones develop over a long time. But the fasting might have triggered certain changes in my body's functions, causing the stone to pass on its own. The passing process is extremely painful — without passing, you wouldn't feel it. He asked if I had been having slow urination. I said yes — since the day before yesterday, I felt like I wasn't passing much each time, and there was a slight burning sensation.
Finally, the doctor said there should be no major issues — it was likely caused by prolonged sitting and not drinking enough water. But to be safe, he referred me to a urologist for a deeper examination to rule out other possibilities. I just need to wait at home for the referral.
To sum it up: This was my first time going to a hospital in the U.S. I've dealt with family doctors before, and my impression was one word: slow. Online, people also complain a lot about the U.S. healthcare system.
But today's ER experience completely changed my mind. The first ER, upon hearing my situation, immediately knew they couldn't handle it and told us where to go. The second ER, after admitting me, wasted almost no time. From the moment I walked in, everything moved quickly. The waiting periods in between were just them preparing the next steps — like arranging tests, medications, CT scans. The waits were only a few minutes; I don't think any single wait exceeded ten minutes. After registration, I stayed in the wheelchair, and nurses either pushed me around or brought medications and equipment to me. This continued until after the IV, when I had recovered well enough to move freely.
From the time I arrived at the hospital at 10 AM, moaning in pain, to when the pain was suppressed to a tolerable level, it took only about half an hour. Throughout the entire process, both doctors and nurses had great attitudes, and whenever there was a communication issue, they called in a remote video translator in real time. Surprisingly, the Chinese translator was even Black, and his translation was quite accurate. Overall, this medical experience frankly surpassed any previous experience I've had in China.
As for the bill — we didn't have to pay when we left, and I don't know how much it will be. We'll find out when it arrives in the mail. I have insurance, so it shouldn't be a big problem.
My takeaway today: It's expensive, but if the service and efficiency are always like this, then it's worth it.
Finally, I urge everyone who sits for long periods to move around more and drink plenty of water. This thing hurts like hell!!!