ER Waiting Room Drama
From the incredibly prolific Girlvet, an overview of the different roles played by some patients while waiting to be seen. Too funny (and absolutely true).
The Martyr
The Enforcer
Nervous Nelly/Ned
The Instigator
Disappearing Dan/Diane
Mom of the Year
The Unknown Patient
The Skipping Record
The Drama King/Queen
Emotional Exiter
The Martyr
The Enforcer
Nervous Nelly/Ned
The Instigator
Disappearing Dan/Diane
Mom of the Year
The Unknown Patient
The Skipping Record
The Drama King/Queen
Emotional Exiter
Labels: links to greatness
posted by scalpel at 7:38 AM
4 Comments:
I love this - too funny!
My favorite is disappearing Dan/Diane because it just amazed me when the nurses or sometimes doc would come to get the pt but they went to the car or are out having a smoke or whatever but not before fussing about having to wait so long and now of course they miss their turn and wait l-o-n-g-e-r.
Interesting...what do you call the patient who sits patiently waiting for their turn, doesn't complain, doesn't come up to the desk 100 times, doesn't try to cause a riot et al?
In July, my husband was home for his big whoppin' two weeks of R&R. I shouldn't complain, his last year tour in Iraq from 2003-04, he didn't get R&R at all. He probably wouldn't have gotten it this time either had they not been extended from 12 months to 15 months. My point in telling you this part is to explain why I live so far from my family. We're an Army family...for now. After 24 years of active duty service, husband is finally ready to retire (big sigh of relief here).
Anyhow, Mother knew husband was home, so when she had her accident four days before he was to return to Iraq, she made my brother and step-father SWEAR they wouldn't call and tell me. She didn't want us rushing to Alabama from the midwest and "messing up" our last few days together. As you can imagine, I was fit to be tied when I finally did hear the story...and as an ER doc, I'd love for you to tell me if this is typical treatment or not.
One evening, my 60 year old mother had fallen asleep on the couch - which is not the norm for her. She had been fighting a stomach flu for about 24 hours prior. When she woke up and realized it was midnight, she got up and turned off the TV - not realizing my step-father had turned off the small light in the living room they usually kept on. So, once the TV was off, it's completely dark.
Not seeing the dog is sleeping in the floor, she ends up falling over the dog, hitting her head on a marble table and breaking her arm bad enough for the bone to be sticking out of the skin and bleeding pretty good.
They arrived at the local decent sized city's ER in Alabama around 2 in the morning. At 11 a.m. she is FINALLY taken back to be seen by a doc. I just cannot believe they left her in the waiting room for NINE hours with an arm broken that badly and a possible head injury. The marble table is completely marble from the top, to the legs - many a broken toe on that darn thing, but my great grandfather made it at the turn of the century. So it keeps a prominent place in the family living room.
I'm afraid that had we lived close enough for me to meet her at the hospital, I would have been THE ENFORCER - demanding SOMEONE get a doctor to look at my mother. She's bleeding from the arm, has a huge goose egg on the side of her head and was out cold over a minute according to my step-father who heard the fall and found her - and couldn't get a response at first.
By the time they got her back to a cubicle to be seen, apparently they were sure she had a heart condition. Before they would do the second surgery on her arm a week later she had to see a cardiologist who said there was nothing wrong with her heart. She said she was sure her heart was acting odd because she'd been sitting in that waiting room for so long in such awful pain...
I asked her why someone didn't raise a stink about her sitting there so long and she said, "Oh we didn't want to be a bother..." Sheesh, just unbelievable. Of course, maybe not. Prior to this, she swore if she was ever sick she'd rather visit her dog's vet than the local hospital heh heh...said she'd have a better chance. Guess she might have been right :).
While I know the pain in the ass people are - well, a pain in the ass. Don't forget the folks who patiently wait their turn, make no fuss and was just glad you all were there when they finally did need you - even IF it took nine hours :).
"Interesting...what do you call the patient who sits patiently waiting for their turn, doesn't complain, doesn't come up to the desk 100 times, doesn't try to cause a riot et al?"
Next.
As in "Mrs. Jones, you're next."
Just wonder in which role you'd picture your mum.
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