Hospital emergency rooms are hell’s lobby!

[Joe Walther]

On Friday, September 7, 2012, The News Journal published a scathing report concerning the fact that our health care system wastes boatloads of money. The article was titled “Health care system squanders $750 billion a year.”

I read that article with great interest because two days prior to that I had to take my daughter—I don’t dare give her age, but she’ll not see her early 30s again—to the emergency room—and fast!

I wrote about it in this week’s blog article. She’s OK now and she will most likely leave the hospital sometime next week, perhaps Wednesday or Thursday.

I agree with that NJ report. I posted our hour-by-hour account in the emergency room and gave my reason for agreeing with the report in this week’s article. It’s been on line less than 4-hours and I’ve already received over 500 responses.

I won’t repeat it here. If you want to read it, click here.

[motherof3]

Joe I'm glad your daughter is recovering. I agree 100%that ER waiting rooms are horrible. And half the time even when you get beyond the waiting room you are placed on a gurney in the hallway, at least that has been my experience with Christiana hospital.

[Grin]

I read the blog, Joe. I'm glad your daughter's okay.
Hopefully we can, as a country, do something to make our healthcare system better.

[Bellicose]

Glad your daughters ok!

[longnecker]

Glad your daughter is ok Joe. After reading your blog and MO3's post I will appreciate our little BEBEE Hosp more.

[EpicWin]

[Beau Stockard]

[hockey]

Whenever I walk into one of the Atlantic City casino's, I think that they are Hell's Waiting Rooms. All I ever see are zombie like old people with glazed over cataracts staring at slot machines for hours and hours.... like wrinkled robots. Every so often one will move into their scooter with their oxygen tank and zoom into a bathroom. They don't ever look up or around, they don't acknowledge anyone.... they are lost. Maybe that's purgatory then? Casino's = purgatory?

I'm glad your daughter is okay, Joe.

[Pramick]

I am really sorry that you and your daughter went thru all of that. My sister went to dinner on a Friday nite about a month ago & started to feel bad later that nite. Her temp jumped up and she started slurring her words and not finishing sentences. She has a history of heart issues so they took her to the same hosp you did. The tested her for many things, included EKG and scheduled a colonoscopy since there was blood in her stool. They suspected food poinson. She spent 3 days in the hosp for tests and observation coming home on a Tues. On Sat, we go out for icecream as she says she is feeling fine. That nite it started again. Back to the Hosp. This time her doctor is on call and is at the hosp. He determines that she needs to have her gall bladder out and schedules the operation on an emergency basis. Out of hospital 2 days later and she is fine. What a mess. Why was her MD able to figure it out with no further tests? And why did she have to have all of the unnecessary tests the week before - none on them would have ever found the GB problem. Sometime, I think it is better to wait and go to the dr or have them meet you at the hosp. Cannot immagine how much the stay the week before cost. Thank God she has really good insurance!

[EpicWin]

Whenever I walk into one of the Atlantic City casino's, I think that they are Hell's Waiting Rooms. All I ever see are zombie like old people with glazed over cataracts staring at slot machines for hours and hours.... like wrinkled robots. Every so often one will move into their scooter with their oxygen tank and zoom into a bathroom. They don't ever look up or around, they don't acknowledge anyone.... they are lost. Maybe that's purgatory then? Casino's = purgatory?

I'm glad your daughter is okay, Joe.

Florida is where most old people go to die.

[Joe Walther]

Florida is where most old people go to die.

This is why people refer to it as "God's" waiting room.

[Crabby]

Pram, the reason the heart tests are done because she had a history and because early heart attack signs and symptoms can be very similar to several other things, including gall bladder. A missed gall bladder diagnosis for a short time isn't serious, but a missed heart diagnosis can be fatal. Some times it really can take as long as three days to pin it down.
We tend to treat first for the worst thing and then be glad if it isn't. Besides, that's why it's called the practice of medicine...they don't know it all yet.
The fact that the heart blood tests were normal also helped rule out heart attack, and the ice cream is a wonderful gall bladder clue . For some people bacon,real eggs,ice cream, oysters butter, or any high fat, high cholesterol food can set off an attack.
I had one poor fellow on the ambulance one time long ago that I thought I had pegged..50's, overweight, with a big beer belly, heavy central chest pressure, cold and clammy and bullets of sweat, rather cyanotic. Classic heart attack right? He was swished off for blood tests, etc....Normal....It was gall bladder...on to emergency surgery. Hopefully she could have the "button hole" surgery? Much more humane than the old style.