ER People

ER people can be so diverse. Some have patient care skills, some don't. Some have human compassion, some don't. In all my years in the medical profession, from working ER as a direct care aide to paramedic to quality assurance, risk management, and administration, what amazes me most is how management allows care-giver burnout with no remedy or consequences. Especially since what a patient remembers most is the unfriendly care provided by the staff who is burnt-out even if a dozen other staff are wonderful. Being treated poorly when one is that vulnerable has a way of cutting deep. And the IV was put in poorly, so if I moved it stopped and the bathroom was needed at least five times, so they almost had to put in a new IV. They got away with re-taping it (ouch) twice. It would have had to be changed if I was admitted.

Anyway, one really good ER doctor and nurse took blood (which was my primary request, creatine level please) and an IV was started (which was my second primary request... it is a shame that to get these two simple medical tests and procedures, one must pay through the nose and deal with an ER in our modern medical assembly-line industry). The results finally came back, the doctor was concerned, but did not ask me to sign a refusal (AMA) form when I said I did not want to be admitted. I knew admission would be a few day event, even though he said just overnight, and I knew I did not need that much hospitalization or expense.

So I headed out relieved that the creatine was good, the urine started flowing again, and the Dx was a really bad infection somewhere in my renal system It is challenging to say without a CT scan or MRI and nobody was offering that, luckily, since I probably would have said yes in spite of it being pretty moot and again, way too expensive.

Ipicked up the medication and headed to bed. Mostly.

Narf :)