Just back from ER

[Beanie]

Savannah woke up from a deep sleep crying her eyes out...when I got upstairs, she was holding her ear and saying it hurt really bad. Got us both dressed and drove up to the ER and yup, you got it...bad ear infection for her. Thankfully they gave us all her meds right then so I don't have to worry about going to get them in the morning. On the way home she said her ear felt better, so that is good news.

I wasn't even thinking when I got out of the car at the hospital and looked down to see that I was still wearing my Lime Green Mickey pajama pants!! Hospital staff got a kick out of that!

 

[dopeys biggest fan]

I'm sorry to hear that! I hope she feels better in the morning!

Thats a trip about your pants though!

 

[disney4us2002]

Hope she's feeling better soon. It seemed my boys always got sick on weekend evenings as well. Why is that I wonder?

 

[Rafikifan]

Yes, my kids always get sick on the weekends also. Hope she is much better soon! And so what about your Mickey pj's...I bet they were cute!

 

[luckywife]

Sorry to hear your DD isn't feeling well. Hope she gets better soon. Ear infections stink!

 

[mickman1962]

And this is why health care costs in the US are astronomical. Only in the US would you go to the ER for an ear infection. Not to trivialize the tykes pain but do you think she could have held out for few hours with some tylenol untiul the Dr.'s office opened?

Dr's visit $150
ER Visit $750

and health care keeps going up and up and up...

 

[Minniespal]

Hope she feels better soon.

 

[helenabear]

mickman1962, I had a sinus/ear infection that was so bad when I called the doctor, the nurse or PA (whomever I talked to) said they would make an appt for me the next day, however they said if it hurt any more go to the ER. She was saying that ear infections can lead to damaged ear drums (I think, this was about 6 years ago in college so I could be off) and they are nothing to mess with. I figure if they said that to me over the phone, then I wouldn't hesitate to take a crying girl to the ER. Damaging my hearing is not something I want to do. Fortunately for me, it subsided and by the time I went in, they figured a good anti-inflamitory and strong decongestant would be all I needed to get better. So I can't say I wouldn't have done the same thing as Beanie!

Anyway, Bean, so sorry about Savannah and her ear. I do hope she is feeling much better soon

btw, the pants... priceless

 

[Regina]

The poor baby. I hope that meds work quickly and she's all better soon.

Mickman, with all due respect, I didn't see any mention of the fees. If you have a child in severe pain, you don't take chances.

 

[Kitty 34]

Beanie, I had to do that once with my son but it was well worth the trip to get him feeling better right away. Ear Infections are not fun!! Sure hope your DD gets well soon.

 

[Beanie]

Originally posted by dvcreg
Mickman, with all due respect, I didn't see any mention of the fees. If you have a child in severe pain, you don't take chances.

Thank you Regina.

Mickman, so sorry to have made the health care costs go up even more with my crying child's ear infection. Should I have just let her cry for 4 or 5 hours last night instead?

I don't know where you are, but up here in the sticks, there are no doctors offices open on Saturday so in the end she would have had to go to the ER anyway.

 

[FroggyinArk]

Certainly agree that er asap is sometimes the best bet DD has been more than once on t he weekends, Beanie hope savanas feeling much better this am will send her some prayers and pixie dust

btw,,, did she notice mom was at hospital in her pj's???

 

[MosMom]

Sorry to hear about her ear! I hope she is feeling better very soon! Mo has had a stomach virus so we're on the same wave length when it comes to our girls and sickness.

Best wishes for a quick recovery Savannah!

 

[dizneenut]

Poor Savannah. Hope she feels better soon.
LOL at the PJ's!

 

[kejoda]

I'm glad you took her to the ER Beanie. Hopefully the meds kick in soon.

At least you had on pants. I knew someone that took their kid in and didn't.

 

[mickman1962]

Originally posted by Beanie
Thank you Regina.

Mickman, so sorry to have made the health care costs go up even more with my crying child's ear infection. Should I have just let her cry for 4 or 5 hours last night instead?

I don't know where you are, but up here in the sticks, there are no doctors offices open on Saturday so in the end she would have had to go to the ER anyway.

I'm merely trying to point out why health care costs are getting out of control. Mine have gone up over 300% in 5 years at an extremely large corporation and Disney is in danger of a strike largely in part to health care concerns of its employees. I'm not saying there was no need for you to go, maybe there was but I'm pretty sure you were never rushed to the ER for an earache. You took some Tylenol and a warm rag and called the Dr. in the morning who would call a prescription in to the pharmacy (on a side note, if your Dr. is not reachable on a Sat. you should probably find a new Dr.) instead now we run to the ER cause we're not paying for it. And DVCREG while there was no mention of prices, if you are unlucky enough to have to go the ER for something ask to see the bill they are sending to your insurance company. My neighbor’s son cut his finger and yes she rushed him to the ER (which by the way stands for emergency: A serious situation or occurrence that happens unexpectedly and demands immediate action) instead of the Dr. The cut was so massive it required 4 yes four stitches (something any Dr could have done) and the total bill was over $1300. Flame me all you want I do not see how an ear infection requires immediate attention. And yes I have kids and yes I did take one to the ER once (head trauma with seizure). Have a nice day.

 

[MosMom]

 

[RachelEllen]

You know, I've seen plenty of kids with ear infections at 3am in the ER. There's really not all that much we can do besides diagnose it and start antibiotics. Yes, I wish people would realize that that is not going to help the pain go away. In some countries, routine infections are not even treated with antibiotics, as the majority are viral.

The only thing that's going to help the pain is pain killers and relief from the pressure on the ear drum. Rupture of the ear drum is actualy not a bad thing. Think of tubes. Al that is is a semi- permanant hole in your ear drum. It allows the infection to drain so that the pain and hearing loss is decreased. In fact, rupturing the ear drum used to be a common treatment for severe infection.


All that being said, I'd never criticize any particular person who takes their kid in. Sure, you may suspect it's an ear infection, but a feverish screaming kid may have something more serious. I have to trust the parents judgement on that one.

I think primary care pediatricians do have an obligation to educate people about proper use of the ER and to be available 24 hours via phone to help people decide if they are wavering about going in. There are more downsides than just the cost in taking a kid in. As someone who doesn't know the kid or family, you have to be more aggressive in ER care, and you may be setting your kid up for more aggressive testing than the primary would think neccesary.

Just some extra food for thought,

Rachel

 

[mickman1962]

Originally posted by MosMom

MosMom definition of a troll:

Someone who does not agree with her.

I apologize to everyone on this thread as I thought this was part of the DISCUSSION boards.

 

[MosMom]

Originally posted by mickman1962
MosMom definition of a troll:

Someone who does not agree with her.

I apologize to everyone on this thread as I thought this was part of the DISCUSSION boards.

What do you get out of upsetting a mom who just got home from the ER with her daughter who woke up in pain with a bad ear infection? Perhaps if you wanted to start a debate about the rising costs of healthcare, you could have started a debate thread. That would have been far more appropriate.