Our very first Emergency Room visit happened yesterday.
We learned a lot.
Bet you didn't know....
-That having the sniffles is a perfectly good reason to load up your entire family and go to the ER.
-That pajamas are the norm when heading to the ER.
-That "sick" toddlers will be crawling all over everyone in sight - laughing, rolling on the floor, playing, and not acting "sick at all" while his mother and grandmother play on their iPads.
-That when an ER says patients will be seen based on the severity of their injuries, snotty noses go ahead of broken arms. When you question this, you are treated poorly and told "There ain't nuttin' we can do. It ain't my call. It's based on how sick you are. Not when you get here." Ok, I get it. You hate your job. But I hate that my son is in pain. So expect to see my face again. And see if I care if you act annoyed.
-That personal space goes out the window.
-That after being there for only 30 minutes you begin to dislike people in general.
-That some people use the ER has their personal physician.
-That falling below the poverty line means you get free healthcare, and yet can somehow find a way to have the latest smart phones, tablets, and buffets worth of fast food to eat while you wait - because they brought all of it with them to the ER. (I'm thinking ER visits for these people are a pretty regular occurrence.) Guess not having to pay for your ER visits means you have all kinds of extra money! Who knew!
Sunday afternoon/evening was just the worst.
We were at that stinkin' ER forever. Seriously, for.ev.er.
There's nothing quite like seeing your child in serious pain. Not a stomach bug, not a scraped up knee or bruised leg...terrible pain. It was awful. So I went Mama Bear. I stayed polite, but let it be known that I don't mind annoying you. I don't care if you're sick of me asking questions or wanting updates. That's pretty much what you get paid to do.
JJ did great.
For those of you not on Facebook - he fell off his bed while watching a movie yesterday afternoon. We knew immediately something wasn't right and were in the car on the way to the ER within 10 minutes of it happening. We walk in and my heart sank. Every idiot was there, with all their kids, their mamas, boyfriends - party at the hospital, ya'll! It was every state-aid stereotype in the same room all insisting to be seen for stuffy noses, coughs that won't go away. I saw 2 other children in there that looked truly sick. The other kids waiting to be seen were rolling all over the floor, playing, yelling, laughing, eating....while their lazy parents and grandparents just yelled from where they were sitting. Nothing like having people YELLING across the room at misbehaving brats when you're sick.
One woman called an ambulance because her daughter had a fever.
Then couldn't understand why she wasn't taken immediately to a bed. She assumed using an ambulance was a sure-fire way to skip ahead in the line. Didn't work out for her. But they had no problem yelling about it while they waited.
Once we were taken to a bed, the doctors and nurses were great. Waiting to get to that point was like dealing with the people from the DMV or Lost Baggage Claim. Only worse.
JJ was x-rayed and examined.
He's got a hairline fracture, basically.
To be more specific, an "occult supracondylar fracture of the right humerus.
He's in a splint and sling. We go see an orthopedic surgeon on the 21st. They'll re-xray him and proceed from there. More than likely, he'll be fit for a cast that will stay on for 4-6weeks. They wait a week to let the swelling go down.
Mom and Dad were here this weekend. I am so thankful.
I would have ended up calling them anyway and asking them what on earth I should do, so this was even better.
My tough little guy is on pain meds, playing on the floor like nothing happened...although he's not a fan of the sling. He keeps moving it so it won't interfere too much with his playing - which means he's wearing it wrong and we keep having fights about how he's supposed to be wearing it.
But is hasn't slowed him down.
In fact, I caught him JUMPING on his bed this afternoon.
And put an end to that real quick.
2 comments:
I had to take Katie to the ER on a Sunday evening and she thought it would be empty because it was Sunday - I just laughed. Everyone who had been sick all weekend and now needed a doctor's note to get out of work or school on Monday was in the ER of course.
And the other time we were there, it seemed like the complaint du jour was boils - certainly life threatening - and the young adults with the boils sat there and talked about them, comparing them actually. I was half expecting them to disrobe and show each other.
And - if you have a sick infant and another older child who obviously is not sick - why is grandma and auntie with you in the ER ignoring the kiddos - couldn't they be at home with the non-sick child so he can be in bed at 10 pm instead of climbing all over the furniture and yelling.
:-)
Oh, I could tell you some stories about ERs. Johnny could tell you even more. Believe me when I say you would not believe what he seen with him being a paramedic. You are right people, people use it as their personal physician's office and not what is truly needed for - an emergency!! Hope he is feeling better!!
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