I've been in hospital for 5 days and they don't know what to do
Starting on the morning of the 17th I got what I thought were hives - all over. Went to the ER, they treated it like an allergic reaction, and it didn't help. I did get admitted on the 18th, they decided my "hives" are not acting like hives and believe it's urticarial vasculitis. They don't subside and move like hives. They stay in the sane place and at most get larger. The do itch, but they mostly burn and are painful - including to the touch. I live in a small rural area. My local ER does not have dermatology or rheumatology. They have me on steroids and antihistamines - but the rash (as I'll refer to it) persisted from the 18th thru to yesterday morning it started to subside. Almost all my labs are send outs and they said it could take days. They kept saying on the 19th they wanted a biopsy but didn't have the supplies, on the 21st a resident got a surgical resident friend to do a biopsy. But they were concerned about the time frame - because the rash was well over 24 hours old and no longer fresh. My d-dimmer is 23.46 mg/L FEU (Critical) - my d-dimmer has been normal even when I got the clot up until now, my CRP is 73.30 mg/L (High). They say from inflammation. I do have an unprovoked clot in my leg from April - but nothings moved and no evidence of new clots. (They did 2 chest CT with contrast the 19th and today). The doc said he thinks it's APS or Lupus or both or another autoimmune... but that he doesn't have a derm or a rheum to look at me or consult. He said he's ordered the labs but it may take days to a week for those or three biopsy to come back. He home this morning about me leaving (checking out) to go to a different hospital that has those on site. I don't know what to do. My whole body hurts. The rash is improving on steroids but he said he doesn't know what dose to send me out on. They have me on. Pain medication and I can't leave with that either. I don't even know what I should do or if I should try my PCP for a referral out instead - but I go to the VA and I can't get ahold of my PCP. I am thinking of leaving and toughing it out tonight and showing up to the VA first thing to try to see my PCP. Any advice at all would be great.- - - change part way - VA called and said even with a referral or would be several weeks and maybe I should go to another ER. But I've already been 5 days here and now I have to start somewhere else. I'm at my wits end sobbing in my hospital room.
Still in the hospital, never got an update yesterday and the nurse couldn't get ahold of the doc before shift change last night. So it's day 6 now? I'm so tired. Everything hurts, my whole body is sore. And I don't have any answers. Send out labs are all still pending.