Emergency drama

I would like to start off with a note of appreciation to all the medical technicians, doctors and nurses that provide life saving services across our nation. Many lives are saved each hour of each day because these people put themselves in the line of duty every day. My blog is in no way meant to say anything to discredit thier service.

My children, I have three, have been in and out of Emergency Rooms no more than the average kid. All of those trips were anywhere from 6:00 p.m. up until 3:00 a.m. and for things that range from what was later diagnosed as asthma to a fall from a playground equipment. Some of those trips were during my employment of the local hospital, so I know a little about how crazy it can be in an ER. While it is not always a dramatic as what you see on TV, it certainly does have those kind of moments. However what I can NOT understand is the use of an Emergency room in place of a doctor's office visit. If you have a cough, or sinus infection call your physician for an appointment. If you don't have one look in the phone book or check with your insurance for a covered provider list and choose one from there. I mean who really doesn't have a family doctor? Everyone should have one or at least you could go to a convenient care facility or a minor emergency clinic, key word there minor. Even when my son's nose was hit with a softball during PE I didn't take him to the ER, I took him to an convenient care facility. However he should have went due to the severity of his injury but that was my error based on his lack of patience to sit in a waiting room for hours. Which exactly what some people with emergencies end up doing when you go to the ER because too many people go there for the wrong reasons. Some people go there for the flu or stomache virus when the people that should be there are people that have been seriously injured in an accident or have an illness that has suddenly taken a turn for the worse in the middle of the night (as they sometimes do), someone that is bleeding profusely certainly belongs there. Someone that has chest pains or severe and uncontrollable pain have just cause for being in an Emergency Room. However, I didn't expereince these tramas on my most recent visit to the local ER.
My daughter was at color guard practice and during the routine when she was supposed to land on her right foot she landed on her ankle and fell to the pavement. (Yes the band practices on the parking lot) I was almost finished at work and found it odd that she was calling me just minutes before practice was scheduled to end. Another band parent was on the phone and told me Joy had taken a bad fall and I should come right over. Once I arrived band practice was ending and everyone was gather around her to see how she was, I got the gist of what had happened and we loaded her into the car. Once I had gotten a chance to remove the ACE bandage and look at her ankle myself I didn't really believe that it was a bad break but couldn't rule out a fracture, after all I don't have xray vision. I would feel better having it xrayed so I decided to take her to a minor emergency care, I could immidiately think of two. One was closed so I headed toward the other, which was located on the same side of town that we live on AND it is near the hospital. Noticing that it had transformed into a Heart and Vascular facility since I last needed it's serviced, I headed to the ER. I should have known better but I have yet another fault, I don't have the medical service provider directory memorized and didn't know the closest location of another clinic to try. I knew how to deal with a sprained ankle, I had plenty of them as a teenager but also was afraid of putting it off and having a similar reoccurance of my son's broken foot that didn't heal properly due to procastination. We entered the ER, which surprising ly now has a metal detecting entrance with security guards, to find almost twenty people sitting in the waiting room. We sat in this increasingly crowded waiting room for three full hours with people that for the most part, just needed to have a shot, or prescription. These people could have stayed at home and called thier doctor's office in the morning and made an appointment or went to a minor emergency center. Instead they are sitting in the hospital where severe medical cases and accident victims are supposed to be treated in a efficient manner. This place that is to be reserved for tramas and emergencies is now bogged down with people that admit to the only reason they come here is because they don't have the money to pay for a doctor visit. Someone explain this to me, please!
To wrap up this blog, I am glad to report that I was right, my daughter's ankle was NOT broken. She had a sprained ankle and my first reaction was indeed the best. I should have just taken her home and propped up her foot and applied ice and ibuprophen for the next 24-36 hours. Went to a medical supply store and purchased an ankle brace, let her use her brother's old crutches and treated her with the tender loving care that only a mother can provide.