Comment on Waiting and getting treated is better than waiting and going bankrupt
A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 20 hours ago
if you are waiting 12 hours in the ER then you are probably there for a runny nose or something silly.
you are probably there for a runny nose or something equally silly.
It’s silly to go to the ER for a runny nose if you have better options, like a family doctor with whom you can get appointments within a few days. Sadly, a lot of Americans don’t have health care coverage and have to go to the ER for “silly” things because they don’t have other options.
Very much this.
I’ve had seven heart attacks.
When I go in with heart attack symptoms, which I’ve had to do a handful of times (that it turned out not to be a heart attack, I mean) - I don’t like going in there and them getting me back quickly. It means things are potentially bad. heh.
I understand that nobody likes waiting, and i’ve waited before and it sucks. But it sucks less than needing to be taken back quickly, really.
Seven heart attacks? Youch.
Anyhow, IMO, the worst experience in the ER is when you have a bone or muscle injury. You’re triaged pretty low because it’s not getting worse so there’s no urgency to treat you quickly. OTOH you’re in a lot of discomfort, you often can’t find a way to sit so you’re not in pain. And yet, you really do have to stay in the ER. It’s not like if you have a bad cold or flu or something that will probably get better on its own, or where you might be able to leave and come back the next day if it’s really busy.
Been there, done that. Sitting for six hours in the ER with a shattered ankle was probably the worst pain I ever had to deal with.
I understand that it wouldn’t have changed anything if they treated me sooner, but for gods sake, at least give me an ice pack next time. Not cooling a fracture is probably the worst thing you can do apart from not correcting in.
Yeah, my experiences weren’t that bad. But, I remember recently sitting there for hours awkwardly trying to support my shoulder with my other arm so whatever was broken didn’t have to bear the weight of everything else. Of course, one of the first things they did after assessing me was to give me a sling… that would have helped hours earlier.
I dunno, maybe they need a “first pass treatment” triage where they hand out slings, ice packs, compression bandages, etc. The sort of things that a nurse can “prescribe” that might make things feel better, can’t really make it worse, and will tide you over until the doctor can take a better look.
Exactly my brother came in with a cut bleeding all over the ER, he needed like 12 stitches. They took him right away. All he remember from that day(he was pretty out of it) was some woman complaining that she been waiting for hour why his getting to go first.
While his blood spilling out on floor she had the gull to say that.
Same with chest pain. If you go to the ER complaining of chest pain most times they take you straight back. Happen to me was sick told my boss chest was hurting he suggested hospital cause you know heart attack. Er by house so went they wisk me straight back.
Funny not funny story about that visit. One thankfully no heart attack. But they did find a mass on my lungs ( lucky turn out to be acid reflux due to a cough I had) anyway when he sees this he says. "Might be cancer but I don’t know. " scare the shit out of me. I just replied "well if you don’t know don’t say that. "
They scheduled me a specialist but it was a 2 month wait, by time they saw me the mass was gone. That doctor figured it was the acid reflux got in there. Good news is got on meds for that and no more acid reflux for me.
I can never understand how people can be that entitled. When I’m in the ER I’m always annoyed when someone comes in who clearly needs to be seen faster, but I couldn’t imagine complaining about it or even pretending that I’m being treated unfairly.
Me neither, and when told the story got angry. But just shows that a lot people have main character syndrome even long before I heard the term.
Went for heart problems. Waited 12 hours in an empty waiting room.
Canadian here its not silly, you can wait 12+ hours for very serious conditions (as I have once, I realize this is anecdotal).
This doesn’t mean its worse than in the states. I understand on average we are doing better healthcare wise than the states (interms of cost and mortality). However for the well insured in the states I believe the care is better.
Yet another issue with being so close to the states our health care suffers because our corrupt politicians see your system and drag us closer to it. You all also attract doctors away from us.
I think wait times were better. And now they’re terrible, but what you say plays a big role. And as such, we’ve seen urgent care businesses (hate saying that) explode. There’s one every mile where I live, including pediatric urgent care. And I’m not complaining. I’ll complain maybe about costs, but the idea of this stepped-down, non-emergent care, is a great way to deal with the problem.
Now, make it free* (except I pay taxes already so just use those).
People go to ER or get a prescription here sometimes. Then complain about the wait 😭😭😭
I wish I could agree with you, but one time I sat in an emergency room for 12 hours bleeding from my throat into a bowl that was overfilling with my own blood before I got properly triaged and scheduled for emergency surgery.
Definitely not Canadian
3abas@lemmy.world 18 hours ago
I went to the ER in the US for an infected gallbladder full of stones, it was so bad I had to be hospitalized for almost a week. I was in the ER waiting room in the fetal position for literally hours after a nurse took my vitals before a doctor saw me, there were a couple other people in the waiting room. I nearly died. Over $20k bill after insurance.
I’ve also gone to the same ER with relatively mild UTI, I peed blood and fainted from the sight but otherwise didn’t really need the ER. They saw me immediately, and it was very busy.
Triage is a thing, whether they do it properly is another thing.
NABDad@lemmy.world 10 hours ago
Also, you don’t know what happened an hour before you showed up. Triage doesn’t mean a serious case doesn’t have to wait or a minor one does.