Tried to go to the hospital....ended not so good

ping

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Yesterday I said if I still felt bad I was going to the ER. Well this morning I woke up and felt just horrible. I still had a headache (like for the 1 1/2-2 weeks) I was also weak, shaky, feet felt like 2 sweating ice cubes, kinda lightheaded, and pukey oh and bleeding. I mean I felt bad and was scared. I did not want to load the family up for a long trip to Savannah (bigger city). So at 8:30am I loaded myself up alone and went to our local hospital. Its a small town and early morning so I figured I would be in and out with an answer in a few hours. This was not to be.

When I got there there was just a few people waiting I thought not bad. Well the triage nurse asked me a whole line of idiotic questions IMO. But the topper was "Do you think the bleeding is just your period" I contained myself enough not to bite her head off. But I did answer like this " If I thought it ws my period do you think I would be here". So anyways got through that and the paper work. And the waiting begins.

I did not get called back till 2pm. Not a typo here it took 6 hours to get called. Then a nurse asks me "do you think your pregnant." Hmmm Well I have been here twice in a month for bleeding and I have been bleeding off and on since July so no I have to say I do not think I am pregnant. Yet I still have to give (TMI) a specimen. An hour later (3pm) she comes back to get it. I am crying by this point begging to see a doctor. Well I don't know when they will get to you. So I wait another hour crying, mad, frustrated and upset. By 4pm I have still not seen a doctor or anything. I have been there 8 hours and I have had enough and I am mad.

So I get dressed walk out of the room and say loudly "Ya'll can give this room to someone else because its painfully obvious no one cares about the girl bleeding and I am leaving". So now I have a nurse following me down the hall asking me if I am leaving. I said yep and I am not saying no papers (ya know discharge papers whatever). I stop in the lobby to call hubby to tell him I have not been seen in 8hours and I will be on the way home once I stop and get some food because I have not ate anything since the night before. And there was a woman in the lobby who had been there as long as I had (she had family being seen) asked if I had seen a doctor. Told her nope been here 8 hours and never saw a doctor and I was leaving to go to Savannah to actually get some help (last part said loudly because there were people there that I wanted them to know how I was treated). Said a few not so nice things about the hospital and walked out.

Now normally I am not like this. But with all the stress and frustration and doctors treating like dirt I had had enough. And just blew a fuse in front of everyone and their brother. And there is probably a big note in my file that says bar this loony at the door.

Takes a deep breath. I needed to let that out. It was just a bad bad day all the way around for me. Heck its been a bad couple of months for me. And I was bound to blow a fuse at some point. I just kinda regret it was in public and in the middle of a hospital. I just can't wait for all this to be over with so I can go back to my calm don't rock the boat kinda person.

Thanks for listening.
 

katiemae1277

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wow, I can't believe you hadn't seen a doctor in 8 hours
that's just awful. I haven't really commented, but I have been following your story and I truly hope that you can get whatever this is figured out and some proper medical care. it is scandalous how the health care system operates in this country
 
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ping

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Oh and I somehow left this out of that long post. After I called my husband and told him about the hospital. He called the hospital. I don't know all the details of the conversation but needless to say it was not pretty. Hubby was very upset over how I was treated considering the circumstances.
 

tara g

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Sorry to hear the hospital's treatment (or lack thereof) towards you! I've luckily never been to the ER for anything *knock on wood*, so I dont know how it'd work if you tried to file a complaint against them for not treating you after an EIGHT HOUR wait! - especially if you were bleeding like that!

My dad had appendicitis, and spent 7 hours waiting in a room at the hospital before they told him "we cant treat you here, you have to be driven to the other hospital", where he proceeded to wait another 4-5 hours! They're lucky he was still fine IMO. The first hospital even sent him a bill for the 7 hour wait! (he did not pay it..)
 

carolpetunia

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Originally Posted by katiemae1277

it is scandalous how the health care system operates in this country
It surely is. This ongoing saga just sickens me.

But Ping, listen, you don't sound like you need to be driving anywhere. You're weak and lightheaded, you're angry, you're stressed beyond your limits... you really need to find someone to take you to Savannah. Please?
 
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ping

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Originally Posted by katiemae1277

wow, I can't believe you hadn't seen a doctor in 8 hours
that's just awful. I haven't really commented, but I have been following your story and I truly hope that you can get whatever this is figured out and some proper medical care. it is scandalous how the health care system operates in this country
Thanks katiemae. I hope I get some resolution to all this soon as well. I am coming apart at the seams. I feel like my whole world has been turned upside down and I have no way to right it. I guess it all boils down to I am scared and I don't know which way to turn and get help.
 
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ping

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Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

It surely is. This ongoing saga just sickens me.

But Ping, listen, you don't sound like you need to be driving anywhere. You're weak and lightheaded, you're angry, you're stressed beyond your limits... you really need to find someone to take you to Savannah. Please?
Don't worry hubby will be driving me there. I drove to our hospital myself against my husbands better judgement. But I just did not want to take the whole family up there.
 

calico2222

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Originally Posted by CarolPetunia

It surely is. This ongoing saga just sickens me.

But Ping, listen, you don't sound like you need to be driving anywhere. You're weak and lightheaded, you're angry, you're stressed beyond your limits... you really need to find someone to take you to Savannah. Please?
I agree! It is terrible how your hospital treated you, but I live in a small town too and it is the norm here. Please have someone drive you to the Savannah!
 

kittkatt

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I think you had every right to be upset over the incident!
That's just ridiculous to wait that long.
What if it was a life & death situation?!

I had to take my b/f to the emergency room about a year ago b/c he was bleeding internally. We were there for four hours, and my b/f finally lost his patience and was about to get up and walk out - not that I blame him!
I finally managed to calm him down and got him to stay, b/c I knew internal bleeding can be something serious. But it took his ranting & raving to get anything done. there's something seriously wrong w/ the medical care in this country now-a-days!


I hope you get to feeling better, and get the proper medical attention soon!


KittKatt
 
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ping

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Thank You everyone for the support. And thank you for not thinking (I hope) I am some raging lunatic that goes off on people for anything. Right now I still feel pretty icky. So I am gonna get off here and lay on the couch and watch Twin Peaks (on chiller channel for anyone interested) and then head to bed.
 
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ping

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Originally Posted by calico2222

Sorry, I missed that. I'm just worried about you.
Thak You calico and everyone else for the concern. I'll check the thread before I head off to bed. And hopefully I will stay out of the gummy bear bag.
 

essayons89

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I dread going to the ER and try to avoid it at all costs.

I hope that they can find out what it wrong and that you get the help you need.
 

kittywarden

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In a state of insanity :)
Ping I know what you are going thru and I feel for you.
Reading some of this is like reading my life story. The Drs look at you like you done lost your mind and are talking crazy. Then they send you home with no kind of help at all.


Right now the best advice that I can give is lay down with you feet up. Also use a blanket to keep warm and ride it out. I know that is not what you want to here. The blanket keeps you from going into shock and the laying down with feet up. This puts your legs higher than your heart and supposed to help slow things down.

Another thing is get a notebook and right down all the information about what is going on with you. This should include the date, the time, how many pads/tampons you are using, what size pads/tampons you use, blood clots and what size they are. You should include as much info as you can put in. This notebook should go to the Dr with you and make sure he sees it.

I think about the only way that you can get immediate help from these Drs is shock it out of them. If it gets bad enough call for an ambulance. Sometimes that will get you quicker service than just going to an ER.

Best of Luck to you to get this problem straighten out.
 

denice

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There have been a couple of other threads about this. I think she is one of the millions in this country without health insurance. She has tried other options but the only thing open to her seems to be an emergency room. Unfortunately that is the only care open to most people without insurance. I have been without insurance, it is a horrible experience, and I was fortunate to not have anything major happen. I could get the kids seen though which made things a lot easier.
 
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ping

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Originally Posted by esrgirl

Have you made an appointment with a doctor?
There is a thread where I called the doctor Friday and tried to get in.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=141795

Sadly I am not getting much help. It feels like no one is taking me seriously around here. I just woke up and everything is the same as yesterday.
 

siggav

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I'm really sorry to hear things aren't going well for you.

I don't really have any suggestions because over here in the UK the local health clinics always have open appointments in the mornings during the week. I.e you show up at 9am, usually have to wait 1-2 hours, maybe 3 hours if you're unlucky and you get to see a doctor. It's free although you have to pay some money for any prescriptions you get.

I know ERs are often very very busy and if you have a non life threatening condition they will make you wait because everyone with a life threatening condition will be treated before you. 8 hours seems unreasonable but I've gone in with a friend of mine who had overdosed as a suicide attempt and even then we were made to wait for an hour or so before being seen at all, and then had to wait even longer to see a doctor because they were just that busy. The ERs are often understaffed and overworked and it's especially bad on Fridays and weekends.

Another example, a friend of mine got attacked and his hand was cut up very badly, he needed plastic surgery to put it back together and it took 4 days before he got his appointment to have his hand taken care of. Everyone got really worried because his phone ran out of batteries and he didn't have a charger with him because he wasn't planning on staying at the hospital for that long so from our point of view he just disappeared without a trace for 4 days.
 

kerry'n'ben

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Originally Posted by Ping

Thank You everyone for the support. And thank you for not thinking (I hope) I am some raging lunatic that goes off on people for anything. Right now I still feel pretty icky. So I am gonna get off here and lay on the couch and watch Twin Peaks (on chiller channel for anyone interested) and then head to bed.
why would anyone think that?!
you did well to keep calm for as long as you did
i wouldn't have
hope you get everything sorted
lots of get well hugs for you
 

sweetnsassy36

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I'm finding myself wanting trying to figure out what to say. I am so sorry that you are going through all of this and not being able to find some competent Dr's to help you so that you can quit suffering and being scared and stressed out! I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. I sure hope that you will find help somewhere so that you can get back to your life.


Sending you lots of calm, get well vibes
 
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