Did anyone see last week's ER?

[susiestar]

LAst week 's episode of ER was titled "Parental Guidance" and it really struck a nerve for me.

One of the cases was a 13yo girl who fell off a concrete ledge. She was a gymnast. Her mom and little sister (12yo) came in. As they were putting the 13yo to sleep she said that "She pushed me.". Of course the docs talked to the mom and called social services. As they were talking to the mom, the 13yo went into resp. distress. The younger sis was int he room and has turned the O2 down. Then, later the younger sis did something else.

The new head of the ER had a talk with the 12yo girl and she fell apart, screaming she wouldn't stay in the hospital. this was after the docs figured out the younger sis was hurting the older one.

At the end the mom was talking with the head doctor, and asked if her daughter was going to be OK, be a "normal girl". The ER doctor didn't lie, she just said, "I don't know." The mom fell apart, saying the doctor had to do better, that "I don't know" just wasn't good enough.

I know how that mom felt. I think many of us do. We just want to think, at least for a while, that our kids will outgrow all of this and have normal lives, be happy and normal. I really wish the docs COULD honestly tell us it would all be OK.

But they can't. And we end up feeling so lost and alone.

Did anyone else see this? IMDB still has it up, problem will for a week or two.. They keep episodes of ER posted for a couple of weeks. Here is the link to it, if anyone wants to see it. http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi761987097/

I would be interested to see your takes on the way this was handled.

 

[flutterbee]

I saw it.

I think they portrayed it in a realistic light. So many times Hollywood glosses over these issues. They showed the mother's denial and then her agony, her desperate need for answers and a doctor saying, "I don't know." In these cases, no one can say they know. I hope that it was enlightening for people that are unaware of these issues.

I thought it was handled very, very well and I was glad to see this type of issue addressed in such a real life way.

 

[susiestar]

I think ER usually does a pretty good job of handling this type of issue. I was quite ahppy with the realistic light they showed it in. I know there ahve been times docs questioned my kids about abuse. First time was with Jessie when she had her 3rd dislocated elbow - she used to just suddenly sit down if she didn't watn to go somewhere - while you were holding her hand! It would pop the elbow out of socket. After the first time, when they showed me how to put it back in, I would try it ONCE, then we headed to the ER. The ER called the pediatrician the third time (each visit about 5 weeks apart) and asked if they saw any signs of abuse. The doctor oncall was MY pediatrician, and knew me very very well. He laughed at them, said NO, and we were fixed up and sent home with no call to social services.

The second time was when Wiz was abusing Jess. To get HEr the best help we had to go through the pediatrician (who knew about most of the problems). Because it WAS child abuse, the doctor HAD to report it. I actually had called social services, but they refused to take a report from me, or from my mom. It HAD to be the doctor, and it HAD to be done to protect ALL of us, including Wiz. So I know how hard it is for docs, and for the parents too.

I liked that the doctor didn't give any false hope, but did let the parent blow off some steam at her.