The Emergency Room

So like 3 weeks ago I wrote this blog post about how I was all ready to fight the "dragons" and the universe was like "LOL really???" and I got a fever. So you know.... Irony or whatever. I got another Klebsiella infection so I had to go to the emergency room and I spent like 4 days in the hospital on big doses of different antibiotics and steroids. And Klebsiella is a really tough bug. Every time I get it it manages to throw me through the ringer. And then it was thanksgiving so it took me a while to have the energy and peace of mind to write a blog post. So here is my overdue blog post about dealing with emergency rooms.
So a couple of weeks before I ended up in the emergency room I read this really interesting article by this guy who recently had to experience the hell that is the emergency room with his wife while she suffered in pain for hours. His article was filled with scared frustration as he and his wife were basically ignored while she was feeling the most intense pain she had ever experienced. Finally after 14.5 hours of waiting she was finally taken to surgery after they discovered a mass on her abdomen. Now while the writer's article was focused on the tendency for doctors to dismiss pain from a women, I really connected with the article because of my past experiences in emergency rooms.
Emergency rooms are an unavoidable nightmare when you have a chronic health condition because if anything is wrong between the hours of 6pm to 8am or it's a weekend or a holiday, that's where you go. And while I absolutely respect any person that chooses to become a doctor or a nurse, especially someone that chooses to work in the ER, that doesn't change that the ER system if seriously flawed especially for people that can fall under the radar. If you have broken your foot, or you have a pencil stuck in your arm, or you are about to give birth then maybe the ER is easier to maneuver. Because they can easily see what's wrong, there isn't any guessing. It's just "stitches and pain killers" and they send you on your way. But for someone with a complicated medical condition it can be a really difficult situation. Because the doctors are using their knowledge to find out what's wrong with you and they have their protocols that they put in place. Meanwhile you know what's wrong. You've had multiple infections over the years and what you want is a dose of these specific antibiotics and then to be admitted. You know what they are gonna check for, you know they are all gonna comment on how healthy you look and how maybe it's just a virus.
Every time I have to go to the emergency room it's just a long process of convincing them that I do in fact know what's wrong. And even if they believe me it's still gonna take 2 hours to get you anything more than a cup of water. Which is why the emergency room can be so dangerous. Because you get there and you wanna be able to relax and put the responsibility in someone else's hands. You did your part - you got to the doctor. Now it's their job to fix you. But really this is when the most can go wrong. It did for me.
On new year's eve of 2014 I went to the hospital with the symptoms of a line infection. I felt awful and once we finally got to the hospital they followed their usual slow protocol of taking labs and waiting for the results.....and then waiting for results.........and then finally getting some fever reducer................and then finally starting some iv fluids...........................and then ordering the antibiotics. And normally that type of process is fine. Because before then I had never had any problems waiting around. Sure I had an infection, but i'd be fine as long as I got some antibiotics in me eventually. Except this time the infection was able to overwhelm my body's defenses. And while the nurse was getting frustrated that my dad was trying to rush her to get me some liquid tylenol no one realised that I wasn't really there anymore. Luckily my dad noticed that I wasn't sleeping and was no longer responding and he was able to get the attention of a doctor. And as soon as that doctor actually looked at me he knew what was happening. And then the ER doctors and nurses were able to help me. Because they knew what was wrong. So they fought to keep my heart beating and to keep my organs running and after a long recovery I was ok. But that scare made us realize how dangerous the ER mentality can be.
Ever since january my ER visits have changed a little bit. Firstly me and my parents are a lot less passive and pretty much force the doctors to get the ball moving. It has helped, but for us there will always be the concern of just because my body has been strong enough to fight the past couple times, doesn't mean it will always and so we really need to have our method of dealing with the emergency room perfect. So here are my best tips to delaying with the ER.
1. If you feel bad - don't wait! ---- If you feel bad on a wednesday afternoon, DO NOT WAIT till friday night to seek help. The ER is always crazy on the weekends - especially at night. The sooner you can be seen by someone, the better. That way you can either avoid the ER entirely or you can at least go during their lightest hours with their most rested staff.
2. Have your story ready. ----- If you have any medical history, allergies, medications you are taking, how you got hurt... any story that needs to be told, have it ready and get ready to say it like 10 times. The better you are at giving your speech the faster the doctor can understand you and be ready to help. These doctors only have like 5 minutes to get to know you so any information can be helpful.
3. Contact your regular doctors while you are enroute to the hospital. ----- This is especially important if you have any type of chronic health condition. Letting them know may not do anything, but sometimes they can give the ER a heads up you are coming.
4. Make sure people explain what they are doing - - - - If a nurse comes in a starts trying to set up an iv make sure you ask her why. Sometimes protocols are followed without anyone thinking if they are right. Sometime getting poked is necessary, but sometimes it's what they usually do. So don't let anyone do anything without making sure it makes sense.
5. Be patient.... but not too patient. ------- be nice to these overworked nurses and doctors. Remember that they work somewhere that on a regular basis has to deal with death and injury. So don't just be mean because you're tied of waiting. But just because what do is hard doesn't mean you should let them ignore you. If you are seriously worried or in pain or confused, speak up and do not let them turn you away. You are the only one that can actually explain how you feel and your pain can only be understood by you. The doctors are gonna try their best but just remember that they can't read your mind so you have to speak up for yourself.
Alright well I hope nobody ends up in the ER anytime soon but if you do I hope these tips help. If anyone has any other tips please leave them in the comments below. Thanks for reading, Celia <3
here's a link to the article I was talking about above, it's definitely worth a read: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/10/emergency-room-wait-times-sexism/410515/