Wednesday, September 29, 2010

ER

Steve is no stranger to the emergency room. He has been there many times for various reasons with varying degrees of severity. I get to tag along on these trips, so I am pretty much an expert at emergency room procedures and protocol. The way the ER works is that you are seen by a doctor according to the severity of your condition, not necessarily by time of arrival. If you are having chest pains or squirting blood, chances are you'll go right in. It's like having a fast pass at Disneyland.

When Steve goes to the ER he usually has a fast pass.

Just for the record, Steve does not enjoy his trips to the ER (or the doctor, for that matter) and he tries to resist going. He rarely thinks that whatever is wrong with him rates an ER visit. (one time he took a cleat to the head in a soccer game; huge gash in his skull, blood everywhere, and he mentions casually that he might need to go to the ER) Last night when he came home from soccer he says he's in pain and is thinking about going to the ER. If he's even thinking about it that means he really needs to go. When the kids were younger it was much harder to make a late night ER run, we either had to find someone to watch them or take them with us. They've spent several nights in the waiting room, it's not fun. Now that they're older and can hold down the fort by themselves, Steve and I get to go to the hospital alone. It's almost like a date.

We got to the hospital just as two ambulances were unloading patients, in the waiting room among all the various sick people was a guy covered in blood with gauze around his head and a toddler with a partially severed finger. Steve was there because his shoulder was separated.

No fast pass for us.

As we waited, and waited, Steve started getting impatient and I think he was missing the good old days of pulmonary embolisms and head wounds that always got him sent to the head of the line.

Albeit slowly, the healthcare system worked and Steve's separated shoulder will be just fine.

4 comments:

  1. You forgot a fun fact that made that ER experience even more memorable: They were doing construction on that wing of the hospital and turned off the power in the waiting room. All the sick & injured people got to sit in the dark with no AC for 90 min. They did have provide a security guard to hold a flashlight for you if you needed to go to the bathroom. Not joking ... Have I mentioned I hate hospitals?

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  2. Wow, no power or AC for 90 mins? That's crazy. I'm glad there wasn't a riot of sick and injured people going on.

    Glad to hear Steve's shoulder will be better soon! I hate trips to the ER as well. Such long waits...and almost always late at night! Why is that?

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  3. I guess this is what I get for not having the time to visit anyone's blog for several days, a HUGE SCARE. You really had me frightened when I read that Steve "wanted" to go to the ER, especially with his medical history. I actually had Kendrick run downstairs and get my phone so that I could call, but as he was finding it I finished reading your post. I am relived that it is only his shoulder, no offense to Steven's pain intended, but I am glad it was nothing worse.

    Could you try another venue for a date next time please?

    LOVE YOU GUYS!

    Please tell Steve I hope he gets to feeling better, and I feel his pain. I HATE hospitals too.

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  4. Thanks, I'm on the mend. It's a strange injury, one of those "'Doctor, it hurts when I do this' ... 'Then don't do that!'" deals. As long as I can catch the soccer ball I'm happy, sleeping and shoe-tieing are over-rated anyway...

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