Back in the day, I scratched my eyeball pretty bad fishing a wire under my car dash with a coat hanger. A trip to the ER ensued. They bandaged *both* eyes to keep them still and prevent me from reflexively rubbing them. Then they sat me in the triage room to await my turn to be seen by the doc. I can't see squat with the bandages, so I'm sitting quietly trying to hear what's going on in the room.

Shortly thereafter, I hear two police bring in some guy who got banged up badly enough during his apprehension to require a trip to the ER. They sit this dude next to me and they start asking him if if he still feels violent. Will he sit here peacefully or do they need to restrain him? Etc.

I was not very relaxed during this experience.

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"100% of the people who confuse correlation and causation end up dying."

Hope your dad is ok.

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

The ER is super short-staffed. I’m trying to be patient but the nurses don’t know if he’s had his Parkinson’s meds because his chart hasn’t been done (whatever that means). He’s been in since this morning so likely has missed two sets of pills. Tremors and a fractured hip have to be a bad combo!

Yikes! I would be losing my mind not being able to see, having a potentially violent offender next to me would be too much!

Hope it went faster for you than it did for us. A couple months ago my wife was sent there for a fast kidney scan. 9 hours later we left.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

He’s having surgery tomorrow so has to stay overnight. Not a hip replacement but pins to fix the break. Poor guy may have to spend the night in an ER hallway as the hospital is full.

poor man. Hope the op goes smooth and the recovery smoother. What an ordeal.

I used to do a lot of ER work when I was in training. Unfortunately, you see a lot of the bad parts about people….drug use, fights, domestic violence, rape, etc…..plus a lot of boring, mundane stuff as well (ie, common cold, ear infections, etc…).

Pretty much any and all doc offices (healthcare facilities) are busting at the seams right now. My office is the same. I had my office manager put a sign in the waiting are saying “you will be here for two or more hours” because we are short staffed and the pt volumes continue to grow. That’s how it is in the ERs too.

I hope your dad gets good care and you are on your way home soon.

best wishes for your dad.

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maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD

From 1987 to 1993 I was a NYS Paramedic (AEMT-4) in the Capital District. To get certified (we were the first class so no local ALS units) you had to ride with a down state unit. At 26 I had lost all respect for human kind. I had no idea what people did inside their homes. It was a holy-shit moment for me. I don't ride any longer, but in the back of my mind I know there is a good chance there are some seriously weird people in the grocery store with me. I don't envy ER staff in the slighest.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

Thank God or your lucky stars that you are not in Winnipeg ER this weekend. Their most busy hospital has 8 nurses scheduled for a day that should have 24 nurses working. Not some little rural hospital closing down for the day but the biggest hospital in Manitoba.

Canadian healthcare system is in major meltdown right now. If this is not a crisis I don't know what is.

I worked ER for the first 15 years of my general practice life. You do meet some real sad people. I remember a guy who spat in the face of a cop that was helping us restrain him. He got punched by the cop for that. He wasn't psychotic at the time just an A-hole.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Chilliwack is understaffed, and serving a big and growing area. Dad’s nurse last night almost burst into tears when she mentioned the understaffing. I feel so badly for everyone struggling to make it work.

Thank you. The surgery apparently went well. He’s been catatonic most of the time since since he came to the hospital so it’s hard to know if he’s in pain.

Getting old sucks!

Unfortunately, almost all of healthcare is like that (in the US as well). And patients (family) are not always understanding with the staffing issue either, which adds to the stress

I want to be understanding and reasonable, but I also need to advocate for my Dad. It’s hard to do both sometimes.

You have to, as no one else will. That’s not being unreasonable

It does. But the alternative sucks more. Hope your dad heals up quickly and well.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.

I have been bring cake to the ER nurses. Two of the last 4 weekends. Was talking to my ortho doc buddy a few days ago. Many days he just randomly gets half his joint replacement cases cancelled due to staff shortages.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

I keep hearing/reading people say “a healthcare crisis is coming”. Well, it’s here, and its been here. Unfortunately, until someone at the level of a senator or high level congress person, feels the pain, nothing is going to be done about it

ER wait time in Canada is a joke right now. 8 hours is "expected".

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?