my er experience - warning long!!!

let me preface this by saying i understand any er you go to you will have to wait for hours and there are more critical people that need to be tended to first but i just felt mistreated and saw others as well. maybe i am overreacting because i was very emotional yesterday.

i couldnt believe how quickly i got to the triage area - really no wait at all and i had to wait longer than i would have because of a shift change.

the nurse brought me back to triage and told me they have no spot for me and didnt understand where they wanted me to go and why i was called in so they got me a bed and put me in a hallway!!!!!! everyone had tv's and privacy with curtains and i was in a damn hallway.

they made me change in the bathroom cuz i had no privacy and made me pee into tubes - which they never even collected!!

after waiting like an hour beds started opening up - dh asked if i can be put into one and the nurse said no they are already reserved - ummm really so i have to sit out there because you are letting others into them.

people were being treated before me who came in after me and than finally a nurse came over to do an ekg(sp?) she let me "borrow a room" but told me i will have to go back out in the hallway when we were done.

my ekg came back better than normal

about an hour later she looked perplexed that i hadnt been seen by a dr yet. the dr came around way earlier and treated the people next to me but never even gave me a look

finally my nurse came over to take my oxygen levels and bp - which both came back better than normal. and at that point i just wanted to go home - i was exhausted from crying all night and starving!!! DH asked him what else they were going to do and he said "i was a difficult case" they would take blood to see if i had a clot and maybe do a sono.

dh was mad that my dr just didnt take my blood.

also why didnt they take my blood from the start?????

I started crying again because i was so hungry and DH went to ask the nurse if he can get me food. DH came back and said the nurse said we were going to be there forever because it would take hours to get my blood back

are you freaking kidding me - if you would have taken my blood from the start by the time the dr came i would have the results

i lost it - i ripped off my gown - no privacy and topless - and started getting dressed screaming at the top of my lungs like a psycho

i got up and left and the nurses didnt seem to flinch so i guess i wasnt dying.

oh and there was 1 dr - 1!!!!! in the whole emergency room and about 50 nurses who were doing nothing.

my sister who is a nurse at sloane kettering cannot comprehend why they didnt take my blood right away and my coworker could not believe i wasnt seen right away because im pregnant.

if you got this far thanks for reading and this is shortened lol

i just have a bitter taste about winthrop now because i just couldnt believe how things were ran and the lack of urgency

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

What a terrible experience, Rita!!!!!! Ugh, I'm glad you got out of there (even though you were there for a long time). make sure to let your doctor know that it was a giant waste of time for you to go to the ER.

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Posted by miamimerger

What a terrible experience, Rita!!!!!! Ugh, I'm glad you got out of there (even though you were there for a long time). make sure to let your doctor know that it was a giant waste of time for you to go to the ER.

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

I don't really understand why your OB told you to go to the ER in the first place.
he/she should have referred you to your PCP.
I am sorry that you had such a terrible ER experience. Unfortunately yours is more common than not. ERs are typically overcrowded and understaffed.
If you are still having the same breathing issues, I'd call your PCP and make an appointment, or even go to a walk-in place.

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

well being that the tests they did do came back ok, maybe your reg doc could do a blood test for you?

what a sucky night...i woulda been fuming. i hate sitting around for nothing!!

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Ughhh Rita what a disaster - I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that.

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

That terrible Rita, im glad ur okay. I have been to the ER many times, but only had a good experience like once or twice. Why on earth would one doctor be on for all the people who come into an ER. How ridiculous!

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Wow, what a terrible experience. I know all ERs are known for being over crowded and understaffed, but being left in the hall way for hours is just crazy.

When you were getting dressed did anyone convince you into staying? I mean, did they just let you walk out without advising you not to?

Regardless, I am really sorry you had such a rough time. Hope you are feeling better

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Posted by sunflowerjesss

Wow, what a terrible experience. I know all ERs are known for being over crowded and understaffed, but being left in the hall way for hours is just crazy.

When you were getting dressed did anyone convince you into staying? I mean, did they just let you walk out without advising you not to?

Regardless, I am really sorry you had such a rough time. Hope you are feeling better

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

wow that's a terrible story!!!

really bad.

i'd write a letter to the guy in charge i forget what he's called. I'd write a nice detailed account for what went down.

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Oh my goodness, I understand! I was in Winthrop's ER this past Sunday night and I was ready to kill someone. Luckily, with this being my 2nd pregnancy, I can reassure you that the maternity ward is MUCH better! But I was pregnant, spotting and cramping. It took me 2 hours to get into triage. Then beds were full, even hallway beds, and I ws put in a chair for the next 4 hours where they barely acknowledged my existence, wouldn't give me a bed as others cleared out, never even took my blood pressure, was mad when I refused to sit in a gown in a chair in the hallway... And to top it off my sono person was AWFUL! At one point during the sono I asked if the baby was ok (luckily, everything is now fine) and she said, "Um...I don't know. I can't really tell if it's ok."

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Posted by lkrpaul

Oh my goodness, I understand! I was in Winthrop's ER this past Sunday night and I was ready to kill someone. Luckily, with this being my 2nd pregnancy, I can reassure you that the maternity ward is MUCH better! But I was pregnant, spotting and cramping. It took me 2 hours to get into triage. Then beds were full, even hallway beds, and I ws put in a chair for the next 4 hours where they barely acknowledged my existence, wouldn't give me a bed as others cleared out, never even took my blood pressure, was mad when I refused to sit in a gown in a chair in the hallway... And to top it off my sono person was AWFUL! At one point during the sono I asked if the baby was ok (luckily, everything is now fine) and she said, "Um...I don't know. I can't really tell if it's ok."

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Posted by MrsRitaB

Posted by lkrpaul

Oh my goodness, I understand! I was in Winthrop's ER this past Sunday night and I was ready to kill someone. Luckily, with this being my 2nd pregnancy, I can reassure you that the maternity ward is MUCH better! But I was pregnant, spotting and cramping. It took me 2 hours to get into triage. Then beds were full, even hallway beds, and I ws put in a chair for the next 4 hours where they barely acknowledged my existence, wouldn't give me a bed as others cleared out, never even took my blood pressure, was mad when I refused to sit in a gown in a chair in the hallway... And to top it off my sono person was AWFUL! At one point during the sono I asked if the baby was ok (luckily, everything is now fine) and she said, "Um...I don't know. I can't really tell if it's ok."

thats what my parents said about the maternity ward - my mom gave birth there 5 times lol

cant believe you were treated like that when you were spotting!!!

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

This is crazy. While i understand an ER you OB should have called your PCP & spoke with them about getting you in ASAP & getting a sono as well. Anyway, i hope all is ok. Im sorry you had to go through that. Hospitals & especially ER's have been so cut back that they really are so understaffed & most dont have enough to go aorund. Its crazy

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

I'm sorry sounds like such an awful night. I hope that you are feeling better and they can get to the bottom of the breathing issues!

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Im so sorry that u had a terrible experience in the ER.
Let me just tell u something so that I can ease ur mind a bit about delivering there...
Yesterday I was also sent to Winthrop because i was feeling off. My belly was getting very tight and it just felt wrong.
Anyhoo.. I was sent to labor and delivery to be monitored and they were FANTASTIC there.
all the nurses were so great and were talking to me to ease my mind cuz i was so nervous.
I know that ER was probably cr@ppy but at least u know that the other side where u will be when it comes to delivering is like a whole other world.

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

I am sorry you had to deal with this. I am picturing a pregnant women, topless and yelling. You would think they would have been extra nice to you since you were pregnant. Sorry. I hope you are better!

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

WOW I'm so sorry to hear about the horrible experience you had....I was sent to labor and delivery after falling last week and I can assure you that that section of the hospital is run FAR MORE efficiently and all the doctors and nurses are extremely on top of their patients....I hope all is well with you and that you are feeling better and that your doctor can get to the bottom of your respiratory issues

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

OMG i am so sorry you had to go through this!!!

I think you need hugs!!!

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Wow, I can't believe they treated you like that, I'm so sorry!!!

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

Message edited 11/27/2011 11:26:12 AM.

Re: my er experience - warning long!!!

rita i'm so sorry that really sux. good for you for going apeshiz on them!