The dreadful ER

It has been a really long time since I bragged - eh, wrote about something in this blog.

So, here goes...

Yesterday night was dramatic, and I still have not made peace with the medical emergency system in this country.
Like everyone else, I want to keep away from it as much as I can.
Rebecca woke up after midnight crying, she would not stop with all the cajoling that Dharma and I could muster.
Seemed like she was having stomachache. Therefore, we gave her prune juice, cookies (?) - Why cookies - because she wanted that. So, I gave her. We were at our wits end, so anything to stop the tears.
The crying was not stopping, so we suggested about going to the doctor.oh, she was eager to go see the doctor.
Funny how kids are -If only they knew - how do you convince them that is not so great to be so enthusiastic.
Go on, believe.
The emergency room - it is the most punishing of all places that I have been to.
It is annoying, slow, painful, and whole lot of equally disturbing emotions.
As a parent, its one of the last experiences that you want to be in when your child is in pain.
Then, this is still, and this is how it works here.
As we pulled in the entrance, it was almost 12:40, and the waiting area had two parties waiting.
Phew! What a relief I thought, maybe a late night visit is not so bad - I had no idea how wrong I was then.
I was breathing well, when we signed in at once, Rebecca was excited about her 'bracelet' - the hospital tag that they tie on the patient’s wrist.
The emergency Room is just the same night or day - you check in, and you wait - and wait - and wait some more.
You wait until your patience nears its end, you wait until you resign and admit your helplessness and hopelessness. That is what emergency rooms are to me - these are effective breaking grounds.
Therefore, we waited for a good hour and a half, although graciously we were told that we will be called anytime soon, and they are just shifting patients around.
Of course, we truly believe them - when they say it will be fast.
Enough to turn me cynical.
Mercifully, Rebecca was sleeping peacefully.
In fact, her sleep was so deep, that she did not even realize when I peeled off the stickers that she had on her cheeks. That day Evangalina had given her four stickers 2 for her cheeks, 2 for her palms. She did not want them off while have a bath. Now, I could take them off.
After us, only one other party checked in.
Then they called us in, got a bed.
The doctor comes, and checks and suggests to either have a urine test - just to confirm her diagnosis - or simply go the Motrin way- give Motrin, if it persists then your pursue else forget it.
I think this really was the best part of our visit.
It is a huge relief that nothing is wrong indeed.
Equally reassuring is the experience that doctors and the nurses give us in our interaction. Just coming across as competent, involved people dispels our fears.
We decide to get the test done so that it is out of the way.
Okay.
The chart on the wall says 30-60 minutes for a urine test result.
Does not seem like an overly busy night around here. Still, we know our wait will more closely to the 60 minutes rather than the 30 minutes.
With our luck, hmm that is more likely.
I guess I have no reason to grumble - after all nothing is wrong with Rebecca - she is sleeping well - and isn’t that a blessing and reason to be grateful about?
Stop cribbing I tell myself.
I think it was almost 30mintes past, when we hear conversations about the test being refused in the lab, and could you insist on a test nevertheless?
Was I simply being optimistic too quick, why did I think we’d get out of this place without events? Or delays?
It was almost 3am.
Oh, we cannot sleep anymore - it will be too difficult to wake up in 4 hours.
3:37am - I cannot stand this anymore - I want to know if the results have come.
As I approach one of the nurses - no, she says the result haven’t come - the doctor will come to you, if it does - she quickly dismisses me.
Of, course- what was I thinking really?
I was going to complain to Dharma, when the other nurse comes with the papers.
Thank you for your patience, she reads from it.
Indeed!
3:45 - checked out.
Maybe it’s just me - I am focusing on the negative more than the positive.
But 3 hours? Even when it wasn't a rush night?
To get ‘emergency’ care?
The only way to get fast attention is to be in graver shape I guess.
You shudder at the very thought. Can’t wish that for anyone.
Why keep everyone one waiting on the edge while waiting for beds to be available. Just like Rebecca, there must good percentages who don’t need to be admitted. How about screening the cases, so that patients like Rebecca can make way for the others. Why not improve to make the waiting torment shorter? So, that people can come and move in or out instead of waiting watching the remoreness of a hospital room.
Is there no way??
That is hard to believe.
If ever- with the emphasis on the IF – this system improves, a whole lot of unnecessary stress will be out.