some ER experiences- first off let me say over the years our local ER has come up with some amazing pre admittance to ER paperwork to be signed before going in to ER. Currently the paperwork says something like- patient understands the ER does not diagnosse, only your own doctor can diagnose, and ER is only for stabiliziation of life threatening events and any underlying disease or injury is not their liability. (something like that)
First bizarre experience, husband decided to attempt working a 3rd shift job. when he finished his shift, he called me and said he was soooo tired. My husband had in the past falllen asleep driving. I told him to stay put and take a nap before heading out on the dark windy country roads home. (it was winterish and dark out) 2 hours later I got a call from police, they got my number from license plates on car, called to tell me a man was sleeping in our car in a parking lot (wwhere husband worked) I said he just started working 3rd shift and was too tired to drive home without a nap. They said Ma'am, there is a Rx bottle in the car near him. I said yes, he takes medications regularly. They did not seem tobelieve me, so I gave number to his doctor. Police made it a conference call, me, doctor and them. Then they added local ER to conference call. Police decided to break into car to check husband. That roused husband a little, and police grabbed Rx bottle, doctor agreed that was husband medications. bottle was still full. husband was only roused, not awake, (he is very difficult to wake) Becuz he did not wake, police asked ER what to do. ER said bring him in. doctor said no, he is fine. I said no he is fine. Police grabbed husband and tried to pull him out of car, husband got irritable, not awake, but flailing his arms. they billy clubbed him. broke car windsheild and nose.
doctor told police then to take husband to ER for treatment for nose. husband was now awake. and mad. doctor gave ER history by phone with me adding in more detais. husband got to ER and he was still annoyyed, worried what would happen to his car. in pain with his nose. SOOOOOO ER decided husband was unduly upset and still on conference call told me and doctor they were going to give him double ativan and double haldol by injection and restrain husband. doctor said NO, it would interfere with husband other medications, and restraining him was a bad idea due to combat PTSD. hospital ER did it anyway.
Overdosed husband.
a very close family friend and fellow nurse took her then 6 yo son to ER middle of the nite, severe stomach pain. His vitals were all messed up. ER told her it was "probably" son wanting to not have to go to school next day. refused flat out to examine child, sent her away. couple hours later she was back. she refused to leave, they had security remove her from building. Before they got far from hospital, he began to vomit. she turned around and went back. They called police to remove her from building. she headed the couple hours away to the city. She waited 6 hours at that ER, that hospital sent her away. 4 hours after returning home, more symptoms developed. (I forgot what) she took him back to our ER by ambulance. They took him in. turns out his intestine was twisted. by now it was gangrenous. emergency surgery. a day later it had still spread more, more emergency surgery. sepsis. more surgery, they removed his entire intestine. his kidneys then failed. 18 months of continuous trips in and out of hospital with multiple organ damage, the child died.
My husband was in a motorcycle accident. taken by ambulance to same ER. ER said husband was fine, take him home. I walked in room and husband was NOT fine. his head was bleeding and full of gravel. his shoulder was askew and his arm hanging oddly. road rash from head to hip. HUge contusions and gashes on his body trunk. NOTHING bandaged, nothing cleaned. I asked what xrays/ct scans had been done. None. I was in a scooter. I had our children with me. husband could not stand, could not walk, and was vomiting. ER told me again he was fine, take him home. I looked at my scooter and at my husband and said now how do you suppose I will even get him to the car, much less up the stairs and into our house? They called security and forced us to leave. I called private ambulance and had him transported to the nearest VA hospital, where he was for 3 weeks.
a different trip to VA hospital, we sat waiting to be seen in waiting area 19 hours. The man next to us slumped in a chair was also there 19 hours, he appeared to be asleep. Nope, he had died sometime during the wait.
I went to ER I have systemic lupus and was not yet diagnosis'ed with RA. I went by ambulance - I could not walk, could not get down the steps at my house to get in car, my knee had ballooned up 3 times normal size. The pain was intolerable, I was screaming, began to vomit. ER decided I had water on my knee. tried to aspirate it, refused me pain medications. got nothing during aspiration. left me 3 hours and tried to aspirate it again. got nothing. left me 3 more ours and tried again. I was screaming the whole time. vomiting from pain level. they tried a 3rd time to aspirate, then accused me of seeking drugs. tried to send me home. I refused to go, heck, I could not move, no way I could walk....how was I gonna GET home? They called security to move me from bed to wheelchair t my car.
My dtr was playing basketball on school team. she woound up somehow flying into the bleachers face first. broke her arm and her front tooth and split her face open. a paramedic mother spectator called ambulance. at ER they said they do not set broken arms, we needed to call an ortho and go to his office. they were not ven ging to o XRays becuz he would do his wn. AND THEY DO NOT GO near teeth. and becuz of the broken tooth ad the broken wrist, they were not going to stitch her face. I refused to leave. They called security. I saw the ortho in the hall and grabbed him. I called CPS and told CPS to make them do something for my dtr.
a week later we wound up at a different hospital. the way they put the cast on, it caused tendon damage to my childs wrist.
when my son poked out is eye, we took him o the ER here. They said his eye was fine. 4 days later at the follow up appointment that doctor freaked out and sent us immediately to the university hospital. But by then the damage was done. My son SHOULD have been fine- WOULD have been fine.......but the eye had NOT een ok and the damage worsened from being let untreated.
theres more, lots more, those ae just the ones I remember off the top of my head.
as my now deceased best friend always said-----I am too SICK to go to the ER.
as I say sometimes, NO I do not feel good enough to horse around with the ER.
Bummer is our school has this weird thing going......they do not always accept a docs note and demand a trip to ER for a 2nd opinion.
and recently my son got sick in the nite, husband took son to ER for strep and mono tests. hospital refused to run them (only to find out less than a week later he kids all DID have mono plus strep) but the bill came. it was almost $2,000.