Late Night at the Emergency Room

Serenity said:

I go to the doctor 24 hours later. He glances. GLANCES at the x-ray.

"Oh, I see you broke your ankle too."

Click to expand...

Get this one:

My bro goes to the doc complaining of severe abdominal pain on one side, which worsens at the touch. He's limping when he walks in, and has a history of ankle problems, so the doc is all about his ankle...not the abdominal pain. Makes a passing comment about it, saying it's probably nothing, gives him an ankle brace and sends him on his way.

Three days later, still hurts. I told him he NEEDS to get a CAT scan (if *I* am telling someone to go to the doctor, you know I'm concerned about it!!!). The doc refuses to sign the referral, saying it's not necessary. Finally, my bro badgers him into it and gets the referral signed. He goes for the scan.

The surgeon walks into his room with the results and is saying "I still don't know why we bothered to do this, it's probably nothing..." Then he pulls it out of the envelope and says..."You're having surgery NOW."

And hour and a half later, they removed his appendix...which was JUST about to burst and had partially wrapped around his intestine.

SAME hospital, 4 months earlier:

My dad goes to the ER with abdominal pain and vomiting. MY family has cast iron stomachs; if we're vomiting something is very, very wrong. VERY WRONG. Doc says he can't figure out what's wrong, so he calls it constipation and sends my dad home. I'm sorry, you don't just send someone home with abdominal pain and vomiting because you can't figure out what's wrong!!! Especially not a dia-freaking-betic!!!

Three hours later, he went back to the ER in an ambulance. He was admitted, and the next day they removed his gallbladder. His dead, gangrenous gallbladder.

Since my family doesn't generally believe in lawsuits, my dad didn't sue...he joined the board of directors. LOL

Last time I went to the ER, I had thrown my back out (seriously threw it out, not a little 24 hour rcovery thing) for the 2nd time on top of having a 104.2 fever. I was really sick and hallucinating a little, very dizzy, and on top of it all, i was in so much pain that I thought I was going to die. They left me on a stretcher for 4 and half hours, where I couldn't so much as move my ehad, with no medication, no bathroom breaks, nothing. When I finally went in to see someone, they gave me painkillers and took 2 xrays, which took about 30 minutes. Yeah. I went back to the ER 2 weeks after (when I could walk again) and slashed the doctor's tires.

Thank God I don't have any personal horror stories. Although a few years ago, I did hurt my wrist and wait three days (you know, until it was swollen, stiff and I couldn't move my fingers) before going to the emergency clinic. That's the one thing I like about Virginia: Emergency Medical Centers in almost every large town. I waited for maybe twenty minutes. A doctor listened to how I hurt it, declared it was probably a sprain but I should get an x-ray just to be sure.

She wrapped it and gave me a sling. Being alone, I had to drive one-handed to the hospital fifteen minutes down the road. About an hour to wait, get them done, and take the results back to the Clinic. No breaks, just a sprain. I got a script for my first ever pain meds, took way too many the second day (accidentally!), and was pretty stoned at work.


On the flip side, about a month and a half ago my grandmother fell at home (she has Huntington's, which limits her mobility anyway, and she's fallen before). But the left side of her face was droopy and she couldn't move her leg. Grandfather calls an ambulance. They go to the hospital. We're all thinking stroke, right?

The doctor says it's probably nothing, sends her home to wait and see.



The droopiness seems to be gone by morning, and she has more mobility. They have an appointment in the afternoon with their family doctor (the one who's been treating her for her Huntington's). By afternoon, her face is drooping, she can't use her left hand, and can't walk. Back to the ER.

She's had a stroke.

No-freaking-duh!!!!!

She was in the hospital for three weeks. Her Huntington's medication was thrown way out of whack, so she was just not herself for almost a full week after it happened (anyone who's known someone with advanced HD knows how bad it gets). They finally got that under control. Had physical therapy every day. She's been home for a few weeks now. She has use of her left leg back.

She still can't use her left hand. And she can't walk without a walker because of the HD. What's the phrase? Up shit creek without a paddle?

So what happened?


Hope he feels better soon. And it was a nice story.

Wow..sounds like you went through the ringer... Hope your son is all better though...

I absolutely hate going to the ER myself...you spend countless hours for sometimes nothing... then again you never know.