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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / June 2005I went, I saw, I have no clue
Okay, I did it. I went to the ER. I brought home souveniers! I have all these sticker things still stuck on me from where they did an EKG. That was *hours* ago. No one told me the results. No one told me anything. The Tech who did the EKG left and a new shift came on. I'm sitting there. So finally I went to the desk and said, "I'm going home. Apparently I'm not going to die tonight or at least if I do it won't be on your watch. You have my number, someone can call me if I should come back tomorrow." And with that, I walked out the door. The oddest thing about this is they never once had me sign anything, never asked me if I have insurance or how I'm going to pay. They just wrote down my name, my symptoms, DOB. After about a hour a nurse checked my vitals and got a brief medical history before I was ushered back to the waiting room. Someone finally came around to do an EKG, then took me back to the waiting room and left me sitting there. Not one question about insurance or how can I pay for this? Or do I plan to pay for this? Oddly, they asked if I have an email address. What, they're gonna email me a bill? What kind of a nutty place is this, anyway? LOL I still don't feel so great but I've prescribed myself a glass or two of wine and a cuddle with a cat. Jill  SignatureI used to have a handle on life...but it broke off. That is an incredibly stramge story. > That is an incredibly stramge story. Trust me, I was there. It was an incredibly odd experience. I think there is a reason I avoid hospitals :) Jill > > That is an incredibly stramge story. > > Trust me, I was there. It was an incredibly odd experience. I think there > is a reason I avoid hospitals :) I believe you. I have had equally strange experiences in hospitals and have avoided them as best I can, too.I'll never forget the time I accidentally consumed a poisonous plants containing digoxin, and because I was on medicaid they would not give me the best remedy and instead wanted to shoot me up with magnesium sulphate IV. I refused that and barely escaped with my life, but I hate to think what would have happened with the MgSO4 treatment. > Okay, I did it. I went to the ER. I brought home souveniers! I have all > these sticker things still stuck on me from where they did an EKG. That was [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Jill Well, Jill. That's the weirdest ER story I've ever heard. Don't go back there!! It sounds like they are horribly disorganized or something. Never heard of a hosp. who didn't get your insurance card first thing. They didn't even fuss at you for leaving? I threatened to leave one time and they told me if I left AMA (against medical advice) my insurance wouldn't pay. Sherry >> Okay, I did it. I went to the ER. I brought home souveniers! I >> have all these sticker things still stuck on me from where they did [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > Sherry They sure couldn't get upset about my insurance not paying because they never asked if I had insurance! I was dumbfounded. I was ready to pay cash for my deductible (thank you John!) if they needed to check me in or something. I think I'm better off at home now and they will probably call me if I need something else. But no wonder the healthcare system in Tenneessee is so screwed up! Jill > They sure couldn't get upset about my insurance not paying because they > never asked if I had insurance! I was dumbfounded. I was ready to pay cash [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Jill That really makes me angry. Any time anyone exhibits symptoms that even *might* be cardiac-related, they are supposed to usher them in FIRST, get a bp reading, start an IV right away, give you an aspirin to chew up, oxygen and do an ekg and chest xray. With chest pain they give you nitro and morphine also. Then they draw blood for that enzyme test, Howard knows what I'm talking about, I don't know the right name for it. Don't go back there Jill. Please. Sherry > > They sure couldn't get upset about my insurance not paying because they > > never asked if I had insurance! I was dumbfounded. I was ready to pay cash [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Sherry I completely agree with Sherry. I was taken into the ER here, knowing I was only having a panic attack (I've had them since I was 16), but my employer at the time called the ambulance (I was presenting with heavy chest pain, radiating down the left side and arm). I was put on an IV of something or other, told them the medications I was on (one being motrin, so the aspirin was out), had blood draws, got hooked up to an EKG machine (blehhh). And the whole time I'm sitting there saying, guys, guys, guys, I know what's going on (hello, I've been dealing with this forever). I didn't mind all the tests, but the point to this lengthy ramble was that even a patient knowing what is going on had all that done. What is wrong with your ER? As to the non-insurance stuff. They'll just send you a bill. Did they get your mailing address, or just your email? Smokie Darling (Annie) >>> They sure couldn't get upset about my insurance not paying because >>> they never asked if I had insurance! I was dumbfounded. I was [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > > Smokie Darling (Annie) They didn't even ask for my address! I didn't fill out ANY forms! I could have told them I was June Cleaver and the receptionist was so young she wouldn't have known it was an alias LOL And this is the largest hospital in Memphis so that's scary, don't you think? Jill > >>> They sure couldn't get upset about my insurance not paying because > >>> they never asked if I had insurance! I was dumbfounded. I was [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > wouldn't have known it was an alias LOL And this is the largest hospital in > Memphis so that's scary, don't you think? Hey, Jill, I bet you could sell this story to 60 Minutes!! >>>>> They sure couldn't get upset about my insurance not paying because >>>>> they never asked if I had insurance! I was dumbfounded. I was [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > Hey, Jill, I bet you could sell this story to 60 Minutes!! If I'm seriously ill (which I should find out this afternoon) I might just do that! I have the perfect title for it, too. "The Woman Who *would* Pay!" I'm very glad I got home to my kittie and my bird and got kitty hugs and Peaches is chrrrrping~! Jill > > They sure couldn't get upset about my insurance not paying because they > > never asked if I had insurance! I was dumbfounded. I was ready to pay [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > up, oxygen and do an ekg and chest xray. With chest pain they give you > nitro and morphine also. I have walked up to the triage desk of an ER and said "chest pain. Status post PTCA times two and CABG" (in English, not only did my chest hurt, I had had two angioplasties and bypass surgery, which confirms significant heart disease.) It would be fair to say that a couple of nurses tackled me and THREW me onto a gurney, and rushed me into the critical care area. Nitro definitely. There is a great debate in critical care medicine about whether morphine, which was thought not just to relieve pain but actually help the heart, actually may increase mortality. That was just countered by a researcher who, in polite medical terms, suggested: "Doofus. Has it occurred to you that the patients that have the worst disease -- and hurt the most, needing the most morphine -- are the ones that die of their disease, not the morphine?" >Then they draw blood for that enzyme test, > Howard knows what I'm talking about, CK-MB most probably, an enzyme that is principally present in heart muscle. CK is creatine kinase; MB, I think, stands for myocardial band -- these things are rarely spelled out. Some older enzyme tests occasionally might be used. Current practice now calls for measuring troponins, and possibly C-reactive proteins. These reveal other aspects of the heart. One should not assume that all chest pain is cardiac. A complete blood count, and probably a complete metabolic profile (24 automated tests) would be fairly routine. Depending on the physical, it might be appropriate to do other tests -- for example, if there was tenderness or other reasons to suspect pancreatitis, you'd want amylase and lipase measurements. I don't know the right name for > it. Don't go back there Jill. Please. > > Sherry > Okay, I did it. I went to the ER. I brought home souveniers! I have > all [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > > Jill This is utterly bizarre. Nobody can positively rule out major heart conditions just with an ECG. A physical exam with careful listening to the heart,several blood tests, and possibly a chest X-ray and/or ultrasound. Happy cat and wine! >> Okay, I did it. I went to the ER. I brought home souveniers! I >> have all [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > to the heart,several blood tests, and possibly a chest X-ray and/or > ultrasound. Aside from taking my blood pressure and temperature and that ECG or whatever it was, which took about 30 seconds, no one even listened to my heart. No one drew any blood. I was floored, to say the least. > Happy cat and wine! We had a good night :) > Okay, I did it. I went to the ER. I brought home souveniers! I have all > these sticker things still stuck on me from where they did an EKG. That was [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > Jill God, I hate ERs. Hopitus may be able to answer this, but I think your DOB and name will produce the hospital w/insurance info., or have you been to this ER before? As far as waiting for hours and shift changes. BTDT. When they realized I wasn't having a heart attack a few years back, I suddenly became less of a worthy patient. In fact, when I went back to the same ER the nurse who was weighing me had quite the attitude, so I gave her some of it right back. She told me to "sit down and shut up" and "I remember you from last time"!! Well, "last time" I was there I was in massive pain and was so out of it. But Joe was with me and told me that all I did was cry and ask for my Gastroenterologist. (I knew I wasn't having a heart attack to begin with). Anyway, this last time I went, I did what you did... I walked. See you. Bye bye for you. Ta-ta for now. I didn't have a glass of wine, but I did crawl into bed which is instant kitty magnet to 3 or 4 furbabies. I hope you're feelin' better, Jill. Just be careful, 'kay? Signature·.·´¨ ¨)) -:¦:- ¸.·´ .·´¨¨)) Laurie ((¸¸.·´ ..·´ -:¦:- ((¸¸ ·.· *~*LiveLoveLaugh*~* Aloha!!!!! "There is no remedy for love but to love more"... ~~Henry David Thoreau >> Okay, I did it. I went to the ER. I brought home souveniers! I >> have all these sticker things still stuck on me from where they did [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > your DOB and name will produce the hospital w/insurance info., or > have you been to this ER before? Nope. I haven't been to this hospital, ever. I had surgery in 1993 for an ectopic pregnancy but it was the "teaching hospital", not this one. That wouldn't get them much info since I lived in a different place and didn't even have insurance at that time. At least I have it now, fat lot of good it will do them! > As far as waiting for hours and shift changes. BTDT. When they > realized I wasn't having a heart attack a few years back, I suddenly [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > I hope you're feelin' better, Jill. Just be careful, 'kay? > I still don't feel so great but I've prescribed myself a glass or two of > wine and a cuddle with a cat. Sounds like a good remedy. Jill, I'm so behind on posts, I'd missed that you weren't feeling well. Many purrs on the way that the wine and the cat did the trick. ;o) I went and had X-rays and ultrasounds of my shoulders yesterday. Such a different experience, but then it wasn't an ER of course. So quick, nurses and docs so kind, and everything explained. And free, of course. <grin, duck and run> SignatureMarina, Frank and Miranda. In loving memory of Nikki. marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/ and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki TO HECK with that emergency room! Last time I checked, a person who had symptoms that might be construed as heart-related is on the list of "examine this patient ASAP" when the triage is done. I saw the other thread, that your doctor feels the symptoms are stress-induced. But if you need another ER trip at any point, see if there's a different hospital you can go to. IMO that hospital is VERY lucky that you weren't actually a heart patient. Their neglect could have harmed you... not to mention them, if they got sued for negligence for the way they left you sitting there. I hope that the stress-causing issues get resolved ASAP so you don't have to worry about getting any more symptoms from stress! Purrs and purr-ayers, Donna, Captain, and Stanley |
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