Speaking of Stupid

[Double Barrel, SASS 34765]

Widder posted about a stupid reporter on tv and it reminded me of this;

 

My wife is a PA at a local hospital emergency room. A couple of nights ago she was working the check-in and a guy comes in complaining about headache he's had for several days. After he was logged in, she handed him a breathing mask and he asked "what's this for"? She said it was to protect him from germs. And he replied, no joke, ARE THERE SICK PEOPLE HERE?        Here's your sign.

She had to go to the back to get the end of her tongue sewn back on.

 

DB

[Alpo]

Actually that's quite understandable.

 

EMERGENCY Room is, obviously, for emergencies. HURT people.

 

SICK people should have gone to a doctor, long before they would need an ER.

 

"Breathing mask"? You mean like a surgical mask? Y'all give them out at the ER?

 

Got a room fulla Japanese Michael Jackson wannabes. 

[Tennessee Trapper Tom]

1 hour ago, Alpo said:

Actually that's quite understandable.

 

EMERGENCY Room is, obviously, for emergencies. HURT people.

 

SICK people should have gone to a doctor, long before they would need an ER.

 

"Breathing mask"? You mean like a surgical mask? Y'all give them out at the ER?

 

Got a room fulla Japanese Michael Jackson wannabes. 

Obsolutely correct. The ER is for emergencies. Meaning life threatening. Not for oh I have a cold. That’s for your doctor.  I fell on the ice on Saturday and probably broke a few ribs. I’m trying to get an appointment with my doctor. I have a friend that works at the local ER and he said that they are backed up with flu patients and the average wait time is between 4 to 6 hours. Many are going to ER without the flu and going home then getting a second health issue.  My doctors nurse initially told me to go to the ER. NOT!  Even the medical people are confused about what EMERGENCY CARE is.  I’ll just quietly suffer and wait for an appointment.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Well, if you call some doctors after hours the recording tells you when the office hours are and the yell you what to do in an emergency.

[DocWard]

Unfortunately, plenty of people at the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum use the emergency room as their primary care. Then, you also have the situations where someone is quite ill and are dehydrated and in need of quick medical attention, especially infants and toddlers, and the primary care physician will instruct them to go to the ER.

[Pat Riot]

Your "Emergency" may not be someone else's "Emergency"...

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

The FMH ("Former Missus Hardpan") was an ER nurse many years ago.  Worked the "night shift" - seems they didn't like the term "graveyard shift" in the hospital.  Anyway, she'd come home from work in the mornings full of tales - most which could not be shared here ("What?  You broke WHAT??  Are you SURE?").  

 

But one that comes to mind was the older (mid- to late 50's), heavier couple that came in one night.  Wife could barely walk, husband said she'd been totally incapacitated with serious internal pain for hours.  Said they were sure she had food poisoning.  FMH checked her in, took her to the back to be checked out... then came out about a half hour later and announced to the fella "Congratulations!  It's a BOY!"

 

Fella looked at her, kinda snorted and said "Sorry - wrong guy.  I'm the one who brought in my wife for abdominal cramps."

 

"Yeah.  Well... guess what.  That's what the abdominal cramps were."

 

Guy was understandably shocked.  "WHAT?  How can that BE?  We're OLD!  Our kids are all grown and have families of their own!  What... what are we gonna do!?"  So she gave the stunned, poor young geezer a list of needed supplies and sent him shopping.  

 

Doc Ward mentioned those who use the ER for primary care.  Even worse... the FMH would tell me tales of people - usually women - who would be brought in by ambulance (think $$) with complaints of all sorts of maladies, be thoroughly checked out (more $$) and have nothing wrong.  Since they'd had an ambulance ride in and no transportation home, the hospital was obligated to give them a cab voucher (additional $$)... which they would use after availing themselves of nearby shopping opportunities.  Sheesh.  

 

There evidently was a whole class of people she and her colleagues referred to as GOMERS - "Get Outta My Emergency Room!"  

[Finagler 6853 Life]

I avoid the hospital.  It is FULL of sick people.  Much of it is contagious.  However, I've had to take the Mrs. there from time to time with terrible migraines.  Knock on wood, it hasn't happened in a good long while.  When we would go, they would check her in, she would be dehydrated from vomiting so they would put an IV in her arm.  Then they would give her something for pain.  She is allergic to opioids so they give her some other high powered thing.  We are usually in the ER/ Urgent Care unit for 4 - 6 hours until she can motor herself out.  On one occasion, I was cooling my heels next to her bed and right next door was a woman vociferously complaining about how much pain she was in.  She just had to have some painkillers.  Unbeknownst to her, the ER doc was also the head of the area pain clinic.  He could be heard telling her that her doctor had just prescribed her enough pain meds to last her at least another 2 weeks so he could not give her anything.  He told her she would have to go see her primary physician if she wanted to get more pain meds.  She proceeded to curse like a sailor (my apologies to those that have served in the Navy) told her minion that they were getting the hell out of here.  The attending nurse had the discharge papers and asked her to sign them.  This woman ripped her up one side and down the other saying she wasn't signing any damn papers then proceeded to storm out.  Even in her pain, my wife and I had a good giggle.

[Pulp, SASS#28319]

I was in an ER for a possible broken wrist, guy next to me had been hit with a pipe, had a bunch of stitches above and below his eye.  Doc opened up a phone book, told him to close his good eye, then asked if patient could read it. After each “no” he’d move it closer, and ask again.  After about the fifth attempt the patient said “Doc, I cain’t read.  I see them little letters, but don’t know what they say.”

[Finagler 6853 Life]

3 hours ago, Pulp, SASS#28319 said:

I was in an ER for a possible broken wrist, guy next to me had been hit with a pipe, had a bunch of stitches above and below his eye.  Doc opened up a phone book, told him to close his good eye, then asked if patient could read it. After each “no” he’d move it closer, and ask again.  After about the fifth attempt the patient said “Doc, I cain’t read.  I see them little letters, but don’t know what they say.”

Patient - Doc, will I be able to read when I leave here?

Doc - Well, you should be able to read.

Patient - That's funny, I couldn't read when I came in here.

 

It was funnier when the joke was about playing a violin.

[Eyesa Horg]

I went to my Doc for a referral to Orthopedics when I tore my rotator cuff. Had to wait 7 weeks for the first surgery. When I complained about the delay, I was told I should've gone to ER and it would have been fixed immediately. By the end of the seven weeks the muscles were atrophied and didn't hold. Just started all over again last week.. Think I'll go to ER next time if even a broken nail!! Sometimes doesn't pay to be responsible and not waste ER's time. They want the extra money I'm pretty sure. And if you don't, they make ya wish ya did. JMHO

[Forty Rod SASS 3935]

I was told by an emergency room nurse that a lot of elderly people go to the ER simply because they need someone to care about them.  Alone and afraid is a sad place to be when you get to where you have no one.