My trip to the ER

I wanted to post about this in more detail because I found the whole experience interesting. So when C and I pull up to the ER ( a Baylor system hospital, which are very good), there are only a couple of people sitting around. You hear stories about how crowded ER's are and while I do understand there is a big difference between an ER in suburbia and an ER in downtown, or even an ER at a county hospital, I was still shocked at the lack of people. It was around 7:45 when we arrived. There was a family sitting close to us that were there because the mother (50+) had gone to a Medi-Clinic or something like that after having an apparent heart attack. They told her they couldn't handle something like that, so she drove herself to the ER. She was there with hubby and a daughter. They didn't seem too concerned that she was just sitting there - and neither were the front desk. Within 10 to 15 minutes, some more folks showed up....a lady who was "dizzy and unsteady", with a HUGE baggie of all the medications (prescribed or not) that she was taking; an elderly guy who was there for a sleep study, but either couldn't read the forms or understand them and his wife had to tell him what to say or write; a middle aged lady complaining of stomach pains and "other issues"; and then a young boy in a scout uniform, who had a broken arm.

So based on what you told the check-in folks, the triage nurse would call you to her little side office. I was a bit surprised that everyone got called in to her before the young boy, who was in obvious pain and was crying. I would have thought they would take care of him, but as C explained, they knew what his problem was - with everyone else, they didn't really know what was going on and they need to figure that out in case it was serious. I felt really bad for the kid - the scout leader was trying to read stuff to him to get his mind off his arm, and his mother just kept going outside to make or take cell phone calls. We were in the waiting room for over an hour and within that time, she didn't say 3 sentences to him or spend more than 5 minutes at any one time with him. I wanted to tell them to take him before me, but C said they probably wouldn't, even if I told them to.

So after they take me back to a room, we sit there forever, waiting for a doctor. There were lots of nurses and orderlies, but he was the only doctor I saw around. When he told me they were going to do the MRI, I was a bit worried, only because he told us it would take a bit since the were having to call an operator in - that alarmed me, my thought being they must think they can't wait if they are bringing someone in to do it. I asked the doctor if they were doing this just for me and he said no, there was another patient that was needing one, so that made me feel a tab better.

As for the MRI, I guess I just don't understand why some people get all freaked out about being in the machine. I almost fell asleep in it (was in for about 1 hour). Then again, I don't have claustrophobia and therefore probably can't understand how enclosed spaces make those who have it feel. After waiting 30 or so minutes for them to go over the results and consult the ENT on call, they let us go. We got home a little after midnight. Never did hear what happened to the boy with the broken arm...I wanted to ask but I'm sure privacy issues would have prevented them telling me anything.