In your opinion, what situations might require an emergency room visit?

In all seriousness the last time I went to the ER I had hit my head super hard. No bump. Bruise, dent, tender. I drove up north, six hours away with a killer headache. It is the only time I fell asleep driving about 12 times. I didn't feel tired but my eyes would open and I was heading for the ditch. Two days later I couldn't open my eyes in any light. I was throwing up etc. My mom took me in. I was taken from registration to a dark room. They thought I had a migraine. I showed the Dr my head and he knew it was a concussion, cat scan, yeah whole works. Many shots later the Dr came in. I saw him for the first time. I thought he was older than what he actually looked like. He gave me another round of Shots and I was out of there an hour later. I still think I would have made it without the visit but I am thankful for his assistance I was given getting back to mysekf.

neci and the sacrificial goats said:

what's the most random thing you've ever seen up someone's ass?

it's an interesting thread. i try to respect the emergency room for actual emergencies. if the dr isn't available, there is a day clinic (now 24 hr clinics in bigger cities) where you walk in and it's first com/first serve. real emergencies are referred to the ER. i have seen people overreact and run for everything to the ER. it's not my body, but i have wondered.

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I can't claim this one, but a friend of mine "drew" the patient with a still running dildo up their ass. Trying to explain to the radiologist why there was motion on the abdomen image had her damn near in tears.

Bidin~Time said:

I can't claim this one, but a friend of mine "drew" the patient with a still running dildo up their ass. Trying to explain to the radiologist why there was motion on the abdomen image had her damn near in tears.

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PETA is rejoicing it wasn't a hamster.

Ishmael

jezzilee said:

In all seriousness the last time I went to the ER I had hit my head super hard. No bump. Bruise, dent, tender. I drove up north, six hours away with a killer headache. It is the only time I fell asleep driving about 12 times. I didn't feel tired but my eyes would open and I was heading for the ditch. Two days later I couldn't open my eyes in any light. I was throwing up etc. My mom took me in. I was taken from registration to a dark room. They thought I had a migraine. I showed the Dr my head and he knew it was a concussion, cat scan, yeah whole works. Many shots later the Dr came in. I saw him for the first time. I thought he was older than what he actually looked like. He gave me another round of Shots and I was out of there an hour later. I still think I would have made it without the visit but I am thankful for his assistance I was given getting back to mysekf.

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That is scary. I'm glad your mom took things over

Ishmael said:

PETA is rejoicing it wasn't a hamster.

Ishmael

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Local weather dude had to have a gerbil removed. But that was quite a few years before I came along on the job




edited to say: poor lil gerbil who thinks this stuff up? I mean a fewfriends are sittin around and someone says, "you know what would be totally AWESOME??? a gerbil up your ass!!? and then the rest agree?! I mean WTF?

Bidin~Time said:

That is scary. I'm glad your mom took things over

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Yeah but ask her what she said when I called an ambulance because she had a stroke? Said she would never talk to me again!!! She was kind of out of her mind..

Yeah, ya really can't pay attention to stroke patients. Just do what needs done. I'm sure she is glad you were there now.

Bidin~Time said:

Local weather dude had to have a gerbil removed. But that was quite a few years before I came along on the job




edited to say: poor lil gerbil who thinks this stuff up? I mean a fewfriends are sittin around and someone says, "you know what would be totally AWESOME??? a gerbil up your ass!!? and then the rest agree?! I mean WTF?

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One would like to hope that at least there was a BIG bet involved. But there never is, is there?

"Hey Jim, I dare ya to stick this cherry bomb up your ass and light it."

"Oh ya, after 5 years in the big house my ass can take anything."

A scene you'll never see on broadcast TV.

Ishmael

Bidin~Time said:

Yeah, ya really can't pay attention to stroke patients. Just do what needs done. I'm sure she is glad you were there now.

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She is. The funny part.... driving to the hospital she looked quizzically at me and said she was glad she was going. She saw a man ( no one was there) walking a huge snake down the street. The brain is our most amazing component

Ishmael said:

One would like to hope that at least there was a BIG bet involved. But there never is, is there?

"Hey Jim, I dare ya to stick this cherry bomb up your ass and light it."

"Oh ya, after 5 years in the big house my ass can take anything."

A scene you'll never see on broadcast TV.

Ishmael

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We have had numerous conversations at work around the "who THINKS this shit up!" topic.

Then, being as you can't work in healthcare and not develop a sick sense of humor, we try to make up the scenarios where some of this crazy shit is proposed.

jezzilee said:

She is. The funny part.... driving to the hospital she looked quizzically at me and said she was glad she was going. She saw a man ( no one was there) walking a huge snake down the street. The brain is our most amazing component

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I think a vision such as that would make anyone glad to go to the hospital.

holy moly

Bidin~Time said:

We have had numerous conversations at work around the "who THINKS this shit up!" topic.

Then, being as you can't work in healthcare and not develop a sick sense of humor, we try to make up the scenarios where some of this crazy shit is proposed.

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Is it a case of prepare for the worst and hope for the best, or as Buffet wrote, "If we couldn't laugh we'd all go insane."?

Ishmael

Ishmael said:

Is it a case of prepare for the worst and hope for the best, or as Buffet wrote, "If we couldn't laugh we'd all go insane."?

Ishmael

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For me, it mostly falls under Mr. Buffet's wisdom, because, the reality is, there are just some things you can't ever be prepared to experience.

Bidin~Time said:

For me, it mostly falls under Mr. Buffet's wisdom, because, the reality is, there are just some things you can't ever be prepared to experience.

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Agreed. It's kinda like, "Did ya ever see................?

"Nope, but I read the script once."

Ishmael

I've been to the emergency room a couple of times in the past few years.

1. Burns {first, second and third} over a large area ~ boiling water is very hot.
2. Dislocated knee ~ the coroner just wanted to see me nekkid.
3. Broken bone ~ a boxer's fracture:the only thing I "punched" was the sidewalk.

I only went to the ED twice. Once for an almost life threatening issue and the other time for something that turned out to be just my hypochondria.

In both instances I was briefly seen by a triage nurse.
In the first instance she pushed me on top of the priority list and asked the doctor to see me straight away, and in the second instance she told me that I had two choices: either wait in ED for a few hours, or go to the paid after hours urgent services, since she put me lower on the list.
I opted for no.2 because I'm a hypochondriac not a free loader.

I don't mind those who go to ED even for minor issues, as long as they genuinely believe that those are signs of something ominous. I mind the selfish ones who know that their issues aren't life threatening, yet they don't mind clogging the waiting lists and overburdening the staff.

glynndah said:

I've been to the emergency room a couple of times in the past few years.

1. Burns {first, second and third} over a large area ~ boiling water is very hot.
2. Dislocated knee ~ the coroner just wanted to see me nekkid.
3. Broken bone ~ a boxer's fracture:the only thing I "punched" was the sidewalk.

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Dodged the "domestic violence" charge huh?

Ishmael

Greypowerful said:

Ontario is only better in the smaller hospitals- too many stoopid welfare types using Emergency as a doctor's office...

The quality of care is great, but waiting one's "turn" can be trying...

REAL emergencies are addressed promptly - arrive via EMS, and one's at the front of the line.

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That's what I was trying to say.
Every time I went to the ED, the waiting room was choker with people who came to have a minor cut stitched up, just because they didn't want to go and pay their general practitioner to do it.
Plus the room reaked of booze.

For me it's something serious for example -


- possible concussion

- lots of blood that wont stop

- severe allergic reactions ie swelling, rash all over body

- chronic breathing problems

- suspected broken bones


( waited 14 hrs with my youngest in the er cos I heard a snap sound when my 18 month old was on the couch leaned down to get that bastard barney soft toy, slipped off the couch bent his wrist back and yelped.) Got told by the exhausted registrar (jnr dr here in new zealand) No break.

Took him home poor darling wouldnt even reach for a chocolate biscuit, wouldn't sleep, would cry if anything touched his wrist/hand/arm and started holding it up and away from his body like a weeduckling with a crook wing. Took him back x ray one nasty break - no one's fault. It didn't swell, apparently did not feel broken upon touch by the young dr and he wasn't crying heaps.)



- chest pains with radiating pain down arm

(my man indoors pretended there was nothing wrong with him till I threw a tantrum and then he went to the dr, referred to a cardiologist and ended up having a triple bypass within a week or so.)



From my experience I do think some people go to the er cos they're short of money but I also think some of them dont have enough common sense, experience or knowledge of what the criteria is or are uncertain what the best thing to do is in what they think is a medical situation. I think for the most part it's kind of obvious (but not always) NOW that Im in my 40s and have had kids and dealt with a lot of high temps, rashes, asthma, allergic reactions etc but when you're a young parent it's all scary.

Then you get the people who are hypochondriacs, drunks, elderly and so lonely (which breaks my heart) drug addicts, homeless etc.

I've had my share of visits. For the following, I am on standby everyday:

Everyday I have to inject myself, medication, prescribed. It is subq and occasionally I hit a vein. The result is severe pain as it travels through my body along with extremely shallow breathing that feels like it will stop altogether.

The drug warns (well, the paper that comes with the drug that if the reaction continues after 20 minutes, call an ambulance. So, I keep that in mind daily.

Also, don't forget to fill out those patient satisfaction surveys!

Bidin~Time said:

Also, don't forget to fill out those patient satisfaction surveys!

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I am quite tired of all that shit.

thør said:

I am quite tired of all that shit.

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Yes, I know, but those pesky little surveys are tied to reimbursement.

Bidin~Time said:

Also, don't forget to fill out those patient satisfaction surveys!

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Christ, I am SO GLAD that I live in the socialist workers' paradise.

Like surveys ever make a difference?

Greypowerful said:

Christ, I am SO GLAD that I live in the socialist workers' paradise.

Like surveys ever make a difference?

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We are new to socialism give us a fekkin break.

According to the ACA if the patient is happy and content medicare and medicaid will pay the more overall.