......................................

[C.Ann]

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[maroo]

We had to go on Wednesday - not for the flu. And we were back on Friday getting test FOR the flu. She was much sicker on Friday than she was on Wednesday.

Go figure.

Test was negative, but since it is only 40-70% effective, we got Tamiflu anyway.

 

[C.Ann]

..................................

 

[Sparx]

i went to my doctor about a week ago and i was in and out in a few minutes.

to go to the er, i would have to be seriously injured, seriously ill, bleeding profusely, or not breathing. the er is for emergencies, in my opinion. everything else can wait till the morning when i can go see my doctor.

 

[turkeymama]

I was wondering the same thing today. I'm due to have routine lab work done and I really would like to avoid it for a few months. I only have one refill left so I've got to do something, whether it's go in for the labs or beg the doc to extend the prescription.

 

[C.Ann]

I was wondering the same thing today. I'm due to have routine lab work done and I really would like to avoid it for a few months. I only have one refill left so I've got to do something, whether it's go in for the labs or beg the doc to extend the prescription.

-----------------------------------

My doctor has been very good about extending scripts and not pushing tests or visits that aren't for issues that need immediate attention..

For me to go to the ER, it would have to be a life or death situation - or a broken bone.. I've never been one to use the ER as a substitue for a doctors office..

 

[krcit]

i went to my doctor about a week ago and i was in and out in a few minutes.

to go to the er, i would have to be seriously injured, seriously ill, bleeding profusely, or not breathing. the er is for emergencies, in my opinion. everything else can wait till the morning when i can go see my doctor.

Same here. I just had a conversation with someone yesterday about ER visits. It is a last resort for me but DH is a cop and the things he tells me people call an ambulance for are insane...toothaches for example, colds. Unreal.

 

[autumnpalm]

I have a doctor's appointment this week for a routine check up and I'm contemplating postponing it. If I do go, I will sanitize my hands, try not to touch much, stay away from others in the waiting area and get out of there as soon as I can!

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

For routine doctor appointments I'm staying away for a bit. If I was sick I would go to the office.

As far as the ER goes, I have family that work in the ER & I'm asking people to please stay home. People are rushing to the ER the first time they cough, sneeze or have a headache.
ERs are not in place of a GP.

 

[phorsenuf]

Eh, I'm not worried about it. I've been going to the Dr once a week lately and PT twice a week. In my opinion you're going to come in contact with more sick people in your everyday doings then you would at a Drs. office.

 

[Pakey]

My son was taken by ambulance to the ER earlier this week (not for flu) and it was 17 hours before he was admitted to the hospital. His fiancee, my husband and I sat in the waiting room for 7 hours before the desk personnel told us to go home. We could not see him or even get any updates (other than he was alive) until he was admitted.

The place was packed. The desk tried several times to call and get an update for us but they said the medical personnel were just too overworked and backed up to come speak with us.

 

[Sparx]

Same here. I just had a conversation with someone yesterday about ER visits. It is a last resort for me but DH is a cop and the things he tells me people call an ambulance for are insane...toothaches for example, colds. Unreal.

er is a last resort for me, but i cannot imagine calling an ambulance for anything less than a life or death situation.

 

[kellyg403]

I am one of those people where the ER is the last resort and the symptoms have to include blood, breathing difficulties or something serious. Its funny but my neighbor and I were just talking about this same thing the other day. She is a nurse. Our ER just in the last year or so set up a unit beside the ER that is almost like a urgent care type place where they are filtering cases that really aren't emergancies to free up the ER. They have seen many more cases of people without insurance coming in the ER because they can pay later. She was saying the Urgent Care had a 7 hour wait last Sunday night!

But like others, I am avoid the ER unless it is necessary...I seem to feel that anytime I leave the hospital area I am a walking sea of germs. Its not logical probably but mentally that is it. I also have resheduled a couple appts this week because my dchildren have all been ill and I don't want to take the chance I have something to pass along, even though if I have had the symptoms they have been MILD to say the least!

Kelly

 

[nrsldy]

I work in the ED. We have seen our patient numbers steadly go up because of patients with flu like symptoms. We use to swab most patient that came in with flu symptoms. Not now. We traditionally do not have our "Flu Season" until around the first of the year. It started last month.
For a lot of our patients the ED is that patients primary care phy. Many DR.'s offices send thier patients to the ED and will not even try to work them in. For me it is job security. Yes, their is abuse of the ED and that is unfortunate for the really sick paitents. I have been an ED nurse for 20yrs and have seen a steady increase in our patient numbers for other reasons besides the flu.

We are their when you need us, 24-7.

 

[Disney Doll]

Since I am a nurse, I don't really have a choice about going to the hospital....

Truthfully, I am probably an idiot, because I am not even remotely concerned about the flu for me personally. I don't have any of the risk factors that would make me more susceptible, I figure I have a ton of natural immunity to a lot of stuff, the flu vaccine that gets given out in the Fall is usually called worthless in January because "the strain of flu most prevalent this year is not one that was included in the vaccine", Swine Flu is not new...I remember it in the 70's when I was in grammar school so I am going to guess that some of the cases of "flu" over the last 30 years have been Swine and not everyone has died, despite what the media would have you believe.

I just went for my physical the other day to the MD's office and survived.

As far as going to the ER for any reason...I'd have to be pretty darn sick....like "honey I am having chest pain and think I could possibly die" sick.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Doctor's office when I cannot tell what I have or how to fix it and it is making me pretty darn miserble. Don't usually go for stomach issues though.

Urgent Care--weekends for similar issues. I've taken my daughter during regular hours though when she was dehydrated. Couldn't keep a single thing down all day and Urgent Care does IV fluids. She needed immediate attention and that is where our doctor advised us to go. In and out in 2 hours. (part of that was about 45 minutes or so for an IV bag.)

We use ER for immediate care that is otherwise unavaiable and a true emergency. All times I have gone were for legitimate reasons--but truly something we try to avoid at all costs.

Also--I've been transported twice by ambulence (one was lifeguard called when we were in Atlantic City and my foot got sliced and required stitches. Ambulance drivers played all the cool sirens for me. Other time was a collapse and pass out in a sorority house after oral surgery and issue with the medication. That really sucked b/c it was a Friday night and they treated me like a drunk floozy. I was tested for intoxication and drugs depsite the gause and blood in my mouth and the fact that I had oral surgery in that hospital that very day. Really pi$$ed me off.

I called one other time due to a problem with having trouble avoiding passing out. I was home alone with the kids. Turned out it was mastitis, but at the time I didn't know. I refused transport when I put all the puzzle pieces of symptoms together and realized.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

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My doctor has been very good about extending scripts and not pushing tests or visits that aren't for issues that need immediate attention..

For me to go to the ER, it would have to be a life or death situation - or a broken bone.. I've never been one to use the ER as a substitue for a doctors office..

I try to avoid that as well.

I went once for what turned out to be a UTI. But it was quite early in the morning, I really had to go to the bathroom and lost the ability to do so. I didn't feel I could wait the 4 hours for a doctor's office to open. I couldn't go at all on request and I had to be cath'd.

Actually my insurance at the time would not pay for such a visit (spelled out in my insurance paperwork that a UTI is not a covered ER visit), but the staff reassured me that I did the right thing. I have no idea how they wrote up my paperwork, but my insurance paid it in full.

 

[aprilgail2]

They have seen many more cases of people without insurance coming in the ER because they can pay later. Kelly

Or not pay at all which is what many of them do!

We have been to the ER more times than I want to even think about- mainly for my daughters breathing, moms heart and the last time was when on a Sat afternoon my mom got stung by a yellow jack- by 8 pm her arm was totally red hot and swollen....debated on and off about taking her or not and it turns out they almost had to admit her thats how bad it was! GLad I decided on taking her. The only thing my insurance doesn't cover with ER visits is 25.00 if they are not admited----if they admit then there is no cost at all.
I have no problem going to the Dr now anymore than I did 2 years ago. You have sick people everywhere you go- I was at the movies yesterday and the person a few rows in front of me was hacking up a lung half the darn movie!

 

[mickeyboat]

The girls and I had to take FIL there on Friday. I really wanted to make them bring a book and sit outside, but they refused.

The ER was not full at all, but there was one patient there who was convinced she had H1N1. She wore a mask and insisted she wait in a separate room so as to not expose anyone else waiting. I saw one staff member in the ER wearing a mask.

Keeping our fingers crossed we all stay healthy.

 

[AKL_Megs]

The hospital ER and an ambulance are an absolute last resort in this household. To go to the hospital ER, I would need to be almost dying, and for an ambulance, I would need to almost dying, with no other option for transportation to the ER.

We have yet to find or need a regular doctor in our area, so we use an Urgent Care facility for almost everything. If I had a broken bone, bad cut, etc., I would be going to the Urgent Care.