Over the past 8 months, Ellie and I have been to the emergency room 3 times. All three visits were caused by Nora. The first time, Nora scratched Ellie in the retina and we had to get her eye examined. The second time, Nora fell off the couch and hit her head on the coffee table (3 stiches). And just recently, Nora was apparently trying to climb up her closet, fell down, and nearly bit through her lip (3 stiches).
As we were waiting to be seen for the most recent accident, Ellie and I concluded that emergency rooms were hell on earth. It took us five hours to get in and out, which is actually fairly good compared to horror stories others have told us. The waiting in emergency rooms is interminable, the staff often uphelpful, and the cost astronomical.
Some observations:
1. Your wait time in an emergency room has little to do with how busy it seems. We once were pleased to find an empty emergency room, only to find that we still had to wait for several hours. We’ve also been repeatedly put on the “fast track,” which still entails a wait of several hours. (The “slow track” apparently is an all day experience.)
2. Ever notice how hardly anyone else in an emergency room appears to have an emergency? When we’ve gone, Ellie either had her eye bandaged or we’ve brought in a bloody and crying child. But everyone else in the waiting room has always seemed just fine. There were in our recent visit a few people who looked tired and a guy who was limping, but other that they hardly looked like they had emergencies. I’m sure all these people problems of some sort, but they never seem that way.
3. The staff never appears to be in any hurry. I’ve seen the doctors and nurses that were “caring” for us often just sitting in their offices or chatting with colleagues in the hallway, as we twiddled our thumbs waiting to be visited.
4. The division of labor is ludicrous. The attending physician can only do certain jobs apparently. The same with the residents, nurses, and nurses aides. We waited forever to get a cotton ball anesthetic taped to Nora’s lip. When it finally came to the person who was supposed to do that job, she didn’t know what she needed to do and she had to ask the nurse who then consulted the doctor. Why couldn’t the freaking doctor have simply taped on the cotton ball? Or at least have given me the stuff and gotten out of my way! Sheez.
When people say we Americans have got the greatest health care system in the world, I just think of crap like this.
Venting over.
Bryan
1 comment:
Venting heard, venting agreed. I have seen good and bad days at ER's. You NEVER want to hit the ER or be there at shift change! Then you get to go through everything TWICE! I will refrain from getting started on my issues with insurance and prescription drugs!
As for all the people surrounding you at the ER don't LOOK sick, you probably don't want to know why they are there!!! Aside from the interesting (that might not be the best descriptive word) group of people who use the ER as their primary healthcare facility there are those who share information one would rather not hear through those thin drapery dividers.
I'm truly sorry to hear of the multiple trips to the ER. Maybe Nora can pass me up in number of stiches as a child! But I won't wish that for you or her!
And completely unrelated, Sam woke up while writing this so I had to give him medicine. He didn't buy the tasty fruit smoothie bit this morning and to distract him I asked if he wanted to see a picture of Nora (since it was feet away on the computer). Interestingly he took the rest of the medicine. Then when I promptly led him to the ultimate babysitter to watch Arther or Piggelywinks or whatever is on PBS at this hour, I got a resounding "NO WATCH TV, I SEE NORA!"
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