Car Accident Yesterday

[PepperElf]

Quoth Der Cute

Part of me wants to argue that I'm ok everything's fine just neck, but you're right. I'll go. But the ER? I feel bad taking a seat there when I'm not dying/bleeding/gunshot wound.

Remember, they'll do triage anyway - meaning they'll sort out who needs attention NOW and who can wait a little longer. So someone who is "dying/bleeding/gunshot wound" is going to get seen first anyway.


Besides, if there's internal bleeding you'll want to know before it gets bad, right? They can tell.


And with airbags they can also damage you too. Yes they cushion you but sometimes at the cost of other parts of your body. Guy on my first ship lost his eye to one.

[Seshat]

Quoth PepperElf

Remember, they'll do triage anyway - meaning they'll sort out who needs attention NOW and who can wait a little longer. So someone who is "dying/bleeding/gunshot wound" is going to get seen first anyway.

Der Cute - and anyone else -

Talk to any of our nurses; or read the sticky threads in this forum.

I drafted the sticky threads about the uses of the various types of medical resource; but the nurses, pharmacists, and other medical experts who hang around here corrected my draft.

But PepperElf is correct: you can and should always go to the ER when something happens that might be urgent, and urgent care/your family doctor is closed or unavailable.
You should also always go to the ER, or call a paramedic, if in immediate danger of losing life, body parts, or one of your senses. (EG: eye injury, or you tried to cut off a finger with a chainsaw, or you have arterial bleeding.)

The ER nurse will triage you, and if you ask, may (depending on legal/hospital policies) be able to tell you whether your situation warrants waiting for an ER doc, or whether you can go home and contact your family doctor for an urgent appointment.
Again: the triage nurse might not be able to tell you this; legal may have said 'the triage nurse is not actually a qualified diagnostician, will not have path results, yadda yadda, so she can't directly send people home'. So if she refuses to directly say 'you're okay, go home and see your doctor in the morning', please be polite and remember that.

BUT: rest assured, she has a specific set of criterion to follow when she makes up her queue. Losing one's life, losing a limb or other major body part/losing a sense, losing a lesser body part, at risk of developing systemic diseases, at risk of infecting other patients with something ... you can probably make some good guesses as to what goes first. It's the sensible list.

But if you're not sure where in that queue you go - well, SHE is trained to it, you aren't. So let her do her job.

That said, if you're not sure if you're an ER case, and your family doctor or an after-hours/urgent care clinic is available, try going to them. If they think you need the ER's facilities, they'll send you straight there and (unless they have Morons In Management) contact the triage nurse with the heads'-up.

[Der Cute]

Yesterday I was frustrated as all get out. I went downtown Seattle to get to a clinic (easy from the bus stop, walkable). I got lost. A lot. Walked over 2 miles to get there. As soon as I walked in and told them it was for a car accident checkup, I was told "We don't do that here. None of these (name) clinics here do that. Here's a card for you to find a doc to work with you." Oh I was PISSED. Time, effort, go. (Nurseline gave me the info, no I didn't call ahead, I just went, now I know and have learned to not go there). So I said fuck this, I've planned on getting some treatment, it was pretty bad on Thursday. So I decided to go to the ER, after calling a bunch of walk in clinics who didn't want to deal with me or were closing in 10 minutes. So, off to the ER. And I was admitted quickly and seen quickly. There weren't many patients, waiting room was empty and so were the treatment rooms. On a Friday with a full moon, no less. Did xrays and all that, no fractures at all, just inflamed tissue.
I feel better that I went, but still kind of guilty that I went to the ER and wasn't hurt badly. While I was there, there were two triage calls. And I made a point to not say the words busy or quiet. (I have a superstition that if you're in a gas station/er and you say those words, you are jinxed and will then get a stampede).
From here on out it's just heat, ice, ibuprofen and conscious relaxation techniques.

[Pagan]

Glad you're ok!

Quoth Der Cute

Oh this was ALLL on me. Lost traction spun, hit wall, spun, hit other wall, air bag, car unhappy..me unhappy.
Police report, ticket (yay)

I don't get how it was your fault or why you got a ticket?

[dalesys]

Quoth Pagan

I don't get how it was your fault or why you got a ticket?

Probably: "Driving too fast for conditions..."

[Der Cute]

Quoth dalesys

Probably: "Driving too fast for conditions..."

Yep, too fast for conditions. Trooper said "you pinballed in there". Yes, he's right. I hope the shop gets the estimate done by Monday!

[dalesys]

Quoth Der Cute

Yep, too fast for conditions. Trooper said "you pinballed in there". Yes, he's right. I hope the shop gets the estimate done by Monday!

So the trooper should be looking for the pinball wizard...

[Seshat]

Quoth Der Cute

I feel better that I went, but still kind of guilty that I went to the ER and wasn't hurt badly.

You went to the ER because you didn't know whether or not you were hurt badly.

Even the experts couldn't tell until they'd done the tests. So how can you be expected to know? Are you psychic?

[Pagan]

Quoth dalesys

Probably: "Driving too fast for conditions..."

Quoth Der Cute

Yep, too fast for conditions. Trooper said "you pinballed in there". Yes, he's right. I hope the shop gets the estimate done by Monday!

Ah, I see. We rarely, rarely, rarely ever, ever, ever get road conditions like that to begin with. And when we do, I don't go out. I've never actually really been on ice, maybe a few slick spots? Where I'm from, I don't remember there ever being icy roads anywhere.