Urgent Care Tales

[Cooper]

This reminded me. Once a year, I tend to have to visit urgent care. That's because both my parents smoke, and though I should be in my own, non-smoking apartment by Friday (yaaaay), it apparently won't fully be out of my system for a few years. (boo.) I get chronic bronchitis.

I've had it for at least 6 years, though I've only had it diagnosed for the past 4.

The first year, I had it for four months. Second year, same deal. Third year, my parents freaked out on me, and told me I couldn't be as sick as I was 'pretending' to be, and told me if I was that sick, I should see a doctor.

So I did. They've been pretty quiet about my bronchitis since then, and usually push me to urgent care before I'm sure my cold has moved to bronchitis.

Seriously, go to the ER

A woman came in, was helped into a wheelchair, and spent the next 20 minutes arguing with the woman at the desk over how soon she could be seen, because she was pretty sure her leg was broken.

Eventually she was convinced to go to the ER.

Nurse Lecture

A nurse, on my way out, gave me a very long lecture about how I really should let my infection play out before going to get antibiotics. I explained that I hardly even took Tylenol, and I got Bronchitis every year, and rarely got over it within a reasonable amount of time without help.

She didn't believe me.

Anyone got any better stories?

[Catwoman2965]

No, but I had a BF with the same issue. He was a smoker, and would get bronchitis once or twice a year. he KNEW from experience if he didn't start antibiotics ASAP it would linger forever. i can't tell you how many times he had to argue with various docs who had the "let's wait and see' attitude. he usually got his way though; at 6"4' he was a tad imposing, and while always polite, after a while, they'd realize he wasn't going to give up.

[starsinthesky]

Mu husband had a cough, he was given antibiotics, didn't take them right and it came back. So he went to urgent care and explained what happened. The doctor said he must have athletically induced asthma and prescribed an inhaler. Then my husband got his man pride on and refused to see a doctor about it for years. Every year it came back, every year I told him to go see the doctor (not the timey whimey one), he finally did two years ago, and it hasn't came back.

[LillFilly]

My dad had a rash that started on his foot and lower leg. Then he started not feeling well. He let it go for about a week; it seemed like the flue. But this rash got bigger and began edging up the inside of his leg up to his thigh. FINALLY we nearly had to wrestle him into the car to see his doctor. Who sent us immediately to the ER, because it turned-out that dad had a strep infection that apparently entered through the cracked skin on his feet (due to athlete's foot) and was working its way up the bloodstream to the heart! He was in the hospital for a few days on antibiotics, then sent home and put on bed rest with the leg elevated. Which he never wanted to do. Or put the skin cream on. Mom would distract him and I'd put it on when he wasn't paying attention. He never wanted to admit that it was 'a big deal' but I think secretly he was scared. He got better about going to the doctor for problems after that. What a wake-up call! At least the hospital we always went to was on the ball.

[smileyeagle1021]

This reminded me.

Anyone got any better stories?

Yay, I inspired someone else's post

The only story I can add (that wasn't from my most recent trip) was the time I was about 12 and the urgent care I went to shared a waiting room with a GP... and this GP happened to have a contract to provide the regular testing for Mustang Ranch... which, for those who aren't familiar with it, let's just say, there aren't any horses there
Oh yeah, that was very interesting wait... all I could think of to say to my mother "is that what you don't want me to see on the blocked channels?"

[Mr. Anubite]

I once went to the ER for an issue stemming from depression, and was treated like a criminal the entire time. The nurses and doctors were extremely rude to me, and demanded that I be tested for drugs. I know that this is often a standard procedure, but it was clear from the way they spoke to me that they thought I was just looking for pills. Once the drug test came back negative, they told me to leave without treating me. I guess their idea of "treating" depressed people is, "Let's replace their suicidal ideation with anger toward us, and then the ideation will go away."

They also somehow mixed up my insurance information or something. I'm on my parents' plan, so I authorized the billing department to speak to my father, but they still called me every week for two months demanding $400 for my experience. Every week I explained how I signed their form so they could call my father, since he's the plan beneficiary, and they would just say, "We'll, we need our payment," without acknowledging that their billing department had agreed to get the information from my father. Eventually they called him, he gave them what they needed, and it worked out.

[smileyeagle1021]

"Let's replace their suicidal ideation with anger toward us, and then the ideation will go away."

Better than what most people told me I should do to deal with my depression... which is to take pills and not even address what was making me depressed... yeah, because being so high that you don't care will work out well in the long run (I'd still have self image problems, but at least I wouldn't care )

[gerund]

Anyone got any better stories?

I got cluster headaches.

This was last century, and there was not the information on the Web there is now, but I found a description with a Google search when my Doctor took no action about them. (Well he did give me a script for migraine pills, but they just made me sick and didn't cure the headache)

I started taking Mersyndol and Panadol Forte, but you can only take so many of those in 48 hours and the headaches would continue. I read about how people with cluster headaches that didn't stop within 5 years all committed suicide. That scared me. I hated the pain. I would sit in my chair in the lounge and I couldn't watch TV, I couldn't read, I couldn't talk to anyone. All I could do is sit and rock my head from side to side to try to stop the pain.

So I found a treatment. I had the drooping eyelid before an onset. I read where, if you knew it was coming and you could get to an oxygen set quickly you could stop it happening.

I went to my Doctor. Showed him the page I had printed out. Told him how bad it was. Spent 5 to 10 minutes going over the symptoms and telling him how those strongest painkillers I could buy only worked for 4 hours at a time and after that 4 hours I would have another 4 hours of pain before I could take another.

At the end of that rant, he said, "I can't help you with any of the drugs on this page as most of them are not used in Australia. I think you should just take a Panadol and lie down in a dark room.

I wanted to jump his desk and strangle him. Somehow I restrained myself and asked about an oxygen bottle and mask. He shrugged and said in an offhand way, "OK, but I don't think it will help."

I used the oxygen twice, and both times I got to the onset of the headache before it actually started. The attacks became somewhat less after that. Then I changed Doctors.

The new Doctor changed one of my blood pressure pills. He said it was old fashioned and not used any more.

It is now over 13 years and I have not had one headache, cluster or otherwise.

I hate that first Doctor.

[Cooper]

I'm very, very thankful for my experience with my GP when I came in for depression. I had studied psychology extensively, so I knew I had depression, but of course, I couldn't see everything, and it turned out anxiety was the bigger issue. She also realized the chronic pains I had in my leg, and some of the pains I had in my chin since surgery were stress-related.

She had immediately suggested therapy, though I was in such a state that medicine (in moderation, not like smiley eagle was saying) did help a bit. It dramatically decreased my attacks anyway.

Reminds me of when I was asked at the urgent care center what medication I was on.

Me: Oh, allergy meds, vicodin...
Them: Oh, you're so young. Why are you on vicodin?
Me: That must mean the swelling has gone down. I had jaw surgery x months ago.

[smileyeagle1021]

Cooper, you may have given me hope about eventually getting medical help... I've avoided it for two reasons, first being that I don't have the money, second, every one I know who has gone on anti-depressants were simply given a large enough dose to drown out the pain and are never given any actual therapy.

[greek_jester]

Anyone got any better stories?

My mum once got a bug bite on her leg that she scratched. It went purple & swelled up, & we suggested going to the doctor. She said no.

The swelling started making its way up her leg, so we started talking about taking her to the doctor for an emergency appointment. She said no.

A red, swollen line started making its way up her leg, & she was achy & feverish. We said we were going to call the doctor out on emergency. She said no. We said tough, & called.

The doctor came out, took one look at her leg, & immediately got on the phone to the chemist who was on emergency call-out. He didn't answer. She worked her way down the list of chemists, & no-one answered. The original chemist finally called her back just as she was picking up our phone to call the cops to break into the chemist so she could get the antibiotics mum needed.

The doctor said as she left that if we'd left it another half an hour, mum would have lost her leg or her life. Despite that, as soon as the door closed behind the doctor my mum started telling us off for "making such an unnecessary fuss".

This is also the tale we remind her of when she refuses to say anything to the doctor when something might be acting up in relation to her diabetes or failing kidneys. Some people never learn...

[wolfie]

The doctor came out, took one look at her leg, & immediately got on the phone to the chemist who was on emergency call-out. He didn't answer. She worked her way down the list of chemists, & no-one answered. The original chemist finally called her back just as she was picking up our phone to call the cops to break into the chemist so she could get the antibiotics mum needed.

That would be an unusual case - pharmacy break-in, and all that was taken were antibiotics. The "usual suspects" (i.e. anything psychoactive) left untouched.

[b2addm]

My Mom is bipolar and during one of her extreme manic episodes several years ago, I had to have her involuntarily committed. That requires me going to a magistrate and they draw up papers to have a deputy pick her up and have her evaluated by a doctor at a local hospital to determine whether or not the commitment is necessary before sending her to a mental health facility. Usually, even the doctors at a local ER are somewhat familiar with bipolar.
The doctors at the hospital they took her to that time were completely unfamiliar with bipolar and they seemed very unprofessionally fascinated by her speech and actions. At one point, I overheard the doctor and the deputy sheriff making fun of her for something she had said. I demanded that she be transferred to another facility and that she receive a different escort as well. The doctor informed me that they were only waiting for an ambulance to transport her to a mental health facility because she was clearly "insanely manic" and I'm quoting. The deputy snickered and I was rendered speechless by the insensitivity displayed by the both of them. I tried to educate them on proper professional behavior when dealing with people with mental disabilities but they didn't seem to feel there reactions were a problem. I gave up.
(I later sent letters of complaint to their superiors and my Mom received apologies and we were assured that they were disciplined.)
It was the worst experience I've ever had at an ER.

[Aethian]

We were at one place where Mom kept flat lining. So was kept in the ER so that she was being watched better. Well there was a shift change and paperwork was brought in, a lady came in and looked at her. Didn't really do anything and when I was half falling asleep Mom started to flat line again and no one seemed to be listening to the alarms going off so I went to get someone. When I would say her room number they glanced over to a chart on the wall and just smiled and shrugged. It was then I looked at that chart and noticed that where her first name had been correct it was now changed to my Grandmother's name and the DNR added behind it.

I grabbed a doctor walking by and demanded to know who put the DNR order on my Mom and why the hell was no one helping her? He gave me a blank look and stuttered that he just got in and wasn't punched in yet. A nurse called over that I was just being over reacting to my Grandmother's status... I had responded back that I couldn't care about my Grandmother's status since she had been burried years before but that my Mother *name* needed help now and do I need to call the cops to get someone to do their damn job.

I think that was the first time I saw more then one "oh shit" face and the only time Mom had a 0.00 hospital bill.

[Seshat]

Cooper, you may have given me hope about eventually getting medical help... I've avoided it for two reasons, first being that I don't have the money, second, every one I know who has gone on anti-depressants were simply given a large enough dose to drown out the pain and are never given any actual therapy.

Smiley:

Both my best friend and I are on anti-depressants AND therapy. In both of our cases, the anti-depressants are because we have screwed up neurochemistry; not to drown-the-sorrows.

With the right doctors, you can get:
* supportive medication to make you able to think/respond enough for therapy, plus therapy. And dropping the supportive medication once the therapy has got you far enough you don't need the meds.
OR
* no medication, just therapy.
OR
* medication because your neurochemistry just plain needs it (like a diabetic with a busted pancreas just plain needs insulin), and therapy if it's helpful.


Not being in the States, I have no idea how to get 'the right' type of doctors there; nor how much it's going to cost you.

But I assure you, that (and probably other arrangements) do exist - at least where I am.