Why do you always take your child the the ER? And why must you post it on Facebook.

[Anonymous]

I have come in quite a few times and bypassed the line because I actually have a serious health condition. They absolutely do prioritize people who are very sick.

The one time I had to wait a few minutes for a room, the chatty old lady with gout was still waiting when I got out! Had been hours but she was clearly a regular and not on the radar on that busy night.

[Anonymous]

I have a kid with anaphylactic food and insect allergies.

If you have just epi'd your kid you bypass the line and get in very quickly. Same for severe asthma attacks.

Broken bones on the other hand? We waited for hours for both me and my kid. (2 separate visits). My poor 8 year old kid had broken a bone completely in half (obviously broken from just looking at it) and he got triaged way down the line and had to wait at least two hours.

We go to one of the military hospitals and there are lots of older retired people using the ER for primary care. It is very difficult to get same day or next day appointments in the military system so I guess they just come to the ER if they can't get an appointment. Lots of people bring in their kids for strep because when you call in for a sick appt peds is often booked weeks out. I was so happy when they started doing rapid strep swabs in the triage room. It makes a difference in the wait times.

My biggest pet peeve if people who park in the ER lot when they are not there for ER services.

[Anonymous]

I work in an ER. People think the ER is like on TV shows. Nonstop codes and blood and guts. Nope. Just a lot of bullshit.
Kind of like the guy took an ambulance to bring him to the ER for a suboxone refill.

most annoying patients are the ones that have chronic conditions or just basic body functions and they are rushing the staff like they are in cardiac arrest and we are just looking at them. I had a lady come into the ED complaining that she had was having her period. Not heavier than usual or more painful, just that it was continuing one day longer than normal. She was requesting a D&C.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who uses the ER over regular doctors or urgent care because her insurance is through her husband, who is a fed, and she wants the higher bills to get her deductible each year. Once she hits that deductible, everything is paid for. It's how she's gotten two elective surgeries in the past three years. Elective as in she didn't really need it, but she found a doc who would do it, not elective as in plastic surgery.

Seems like every other week she's doing a check-in and obligatory picture post of her daughter's hospital wristband. The last 4 ER trips on her timeline took place from 9/21 to now... DD slid down the stairs and her butt hurts, DD stabbed herself with her mechanical pencil and is pretty sure there's lead stuck in her, DD shut her finger in her locker, and DD fell playing basketball and may need stitches (spoiler alert - she just got steri-strips because it was a goddamn skinned knee!).

I'm having lunch with this friend next week and I can't wait to find out what surgery she's gearing up for this year. Usually she's posting for prayers and "People who have had ____ done, talk to me about recovery" messages around this time of year.

It always amazes me how self centered people like this have any friends at all.

OMG, Perfect representation of what sucks about Social Media!

That doesn't make any sense at all, the pp's friend. She's paying the same deductible whether it's all in one shot for unnecessary treatments or spread out over the year for things she actually needs.

Because in her mind she equates hitting the deductible as the goal and falling short of it as being a waste. Like, why pay X dollars in a year and get nothing else "free" out of it when I could strive to hit the goal and get x, y, and z covered for "free." She's also the type of person who will buy a $10 scracher ticket, win $5 and be excited she won even though she technically lost $5.

What started her "habit" was a few years ago she was having foot pain. Her primary told her it was her plantar fascia inflamed from years of heels and flip flops. She hated his suggestions of more supportive shoes and foot exercises and wanted a quick fix. She went to a specialist who saw she'd met her deductible that year (her kid actually was really sick that year and had several hospital admissions) and told her she was lucky because he'd do surgery and it'd cost her nothing.

Second surgery she got a bladder sling for "free" because she'd met her deductible. Her insurance has no co-insurance that she needs to pay after meeting whatever amount it is. I'd love to know that amount. It has to be sky-high. I feel bad for her DH who has to foot that high insurance.

Those are terrible surgeries to have. You made it sound like she was getting elective boob jobs and brow lifts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Luckily ERs are not stupid, they do triage patients.
I was there 5 times recently, unlucky me. Since each time I came by ambulance, I didn't see the walk-ins or the waiting-room, but I guarantee they don't make the serious cases wait.

Truth. I have been there three times - once with each of my children. Each time, the child was a hot mess. We were taken right away. If you don't show up for a bullshit reason, you will be seen quickly.

[Anonymous]

I've taken a child in with severe asthma attacks. We go in right away. If you don't go in for a non-ER reason, you generally don't wait long. (I say generally) I've gone in myself when the attack was bad enough my fingernails were blue-ish. Went in right away.

Any of those times, the ones there because they thought it would be faster/easier sat and waited. If you can wait for hours you probably don't need to be there.

OP, the best response to those posts is no response. I know a few like that too. "Oh look what S did.. off to the ER we go!"

I saw a little boy in the ER once with smashed fingers from a car door. He didn't wait long thankfully. It looked awful and he was in so much pain. Someone complained when he went in ahead of them.

[Anonymous]

Is Larla OK?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I cannot believe a nurse takes their kid to the ER for those things. Literally, I find this post unbelievable.

As a peds ICU nurse, I completely agree.

[Anonymous]

Last time I was in the ER it was for pinkeye caused by some dirt hitting the wrong part of my eye on the way back home and then flaring up past 10pm when most minute clinic type places are closed. My co-workers commented when I came back to work that my eye looked like a comic book villain's -- it was literally solid red with the pupil looking normal.

[Anonymous]

One of my kids once swallowed one of those little magnetic metal balls (can't think of the name of them) and waited some hours before telling me about it.

I knew that swallowing one of those little balls would probably not be a problem. But what if he had swallowed two of those little balls? Kids have died from intestinal perforations from swallowing those things. He was little and I decided that it was better to be safe than sorry.

I took him to the ER so that he could have an x-ray taken. I felt stupid being there with such an obviously well child but where else could I go on a Sunday afternoon to get the x-ray? Long story short, they took the x-ray. And it was confirmed that it was only one metal ball. Thank goodness.

[Anonymous]

Our insurance is weird about injuries. If I take one of my kids to the ER for an "accidental injury" within 72 hours of the occurrence, I pay no co-pay. Everything is covered at 100%. The entire visit is free including the doctor, the hospital, labs, X-rays, etc. If I go to urgent care I have a $50 co-pay plus I have to pay my part of the X-rays, etc. I can still take advantage of the free visit at my PCP assuming the office is open. So, there have been plenty of times when my doctors office is closed and I have headed to ER for simple stitches or X-rays just to be sure a bone isn't broken when Urgent Care would have been better. Such a stupid policy on the party of my insurance company.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've taken a child in with severe asthma attacks. We go in right away. If you don't go in for a non-ER reason, you generally don't wait long. (I say generally) I've gone in myself when the attack was bad enough my fingernails were blue-ish. Went in right away.

Any of those times, the ones there because they thought it would be faster/easier sat and waited. If you can wait for hours you probably don't need to be there.

OP, the best response to those posts is no response. I know a few like that too. "Oh look what S did.. off to the ER we go!"

I saw a little boy in the ER once with smashed fingers from a car door. He didn't wait long thankfully. It looked awful and he was in so much pain. Someone complained when he went in ahead of them.

Showing up with any stroke symptom is also a great way to get their attention! Especially if you just walk in the door, they get alarmed. (I told them it was Bell's Palsy but facial paralysis triggered the stroke code I guess.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who uses the ER over regular doctors or urgent care because her insurance is through her husband, who is a fed, and she wants the higher bills to get her deductible each year. Once she hits that deductible, everything is paid for. It's how she's gotten two elective surgeries in the past three years. Elective as in she didn't really need it, but she found a doc who would do it, not elective as in plastic surgery.

Seems like every other week she's doing a check-in and obligatory picture post of her daughter's hospital wristband. The last 4 ER trips on her timeline took place from 9/21 to now... DD slid down the stairs and her butt hurts, DD stabbed herself with her mechanical pencil and is pretty sure there's lead stuck in her, DD shut her finger in her locker, and DD fell playing basketball and may need stitches (spoiler alert - she just got steri-strips because it was a goddamn skinned knee!).

I'm having lunch with this friend next week and I can't wait to find out what surgery she's gearing up for this year. Usually she's posting for prayers and "People who have had ____ done, talk to me about recovery" messages around this time of year.

She can't be that stupid. The deductible would be the same whether satisfied via er visits or through her one or two surgeries.