Good Thing it Wasn't a Real Emergency!

If ever you have an emergency, do not go to an emergency room. I repeat, do NOT go to an emergency room. Even though the name alone would tell you different, it's a complete oxymoron. Emergency rooms are not for emergencies. They are poorly ventilated, crowded waiting rooms for you and your 20 closest friends, all coughing, moaning, shaking, and crying or some combination thereof, to sit for hours reading day-old newspapers and watching soap operas.



Why am I talking about emergency rooms? Well my friends, I spent the day (along with Sam) at the NYMH ER. I'll start this off with this: everything is fine. We are both healthy.

Background: I have a history of back problems, usually causing spasms and pain that require morphine and bedrest for 1 to 2 weeks. About 2 weeks ago I began having a strange burning pain in my left thigh. I ignored it thinking that it was just side effects of the back pain.

Today: I started thinking of what else could possibly be causing this burning pain in my leg. I spoke with a couple of nurses that I work with and the symptoms that I described elicited concerns of a possible blood clot. Blood clots can cause major damage, some even resulting in death. Needless to say, it scared the hell out of me. After researching a little bit on the interweb, I figured it might be the case. I called my doc and told him about the symptoms. He suggested that I head to the ER to rule out a clot.

I called Sam and asked him to meet me there. I asked my boss if it was okay to leave to head to the ER. Interesting sidenote: Social Workers are notorious for taking really shitty care of themselves. Great care of everyone else, but really crappy self-care. My boss threatened to choke me for going two weeks without getting the mystery pain checked out. She even offered to drive me to the ER, but I wanted to drive myself.

So, short story even longer, I checked into the triage department of the ER at 11:15 am. Sam arrived at 11:30 am. I was called to triage at 12:15 pm. My blood pressure and temp were checked (both normal) and my problem was assessed. Then I was sent to registration (a new waiting room). At 1:00 pm, I was called to registration to provide them with my address, phone number, emergency contact and insurance information. Five minutes later, I was told to wait for the doctor.



I assumed that the possibility of a blood clot was pretty serious and that I would be pushed to the head of the line. Unfortunately, NYMH works on a first-come, first-serve mentality. At 4:00 pm, I was called back to a room, that I thought would be the end of the line. I told the PA my concern and he said that it most likely wasn't a blood clot, but he would have the test done to make sure. Then we were sent into another room to wait to be taken up to the vascular center. At 4:30 pm, after sitting in yet another waiting room, I was called in for a doppler (ultrasound) that produced negative results. I did not have a blood clot in either leg. Once the doppler was complete, I was asked to wait for someone to take us back to ER.

At 5:00 pm, we were taken down to the ER, not knowing why. I figured the test was negative, I could go home now. I was wrong.

At 5:15 pm, we spoke with the PA again who confirmed that the doppler was negative for clots and diagnosed me with sciatica. The pain in my leg was caused by muscle spasms putting pressure on the nerves. I was given muscle relaxers and mega-strength ibuprofen and sent home.

We left the ER at 6:00 pm. What an awful experience. It's unfortunate that you can't call ahead and make reservations.

So that was my Friday. I am thankful that Sam was able to experience the boredom and frustration with me. I'm thankful that I won't die from a blood clot (this time!) and I'm thankful that the muscle relaxer is kicking in. Gonna submit to the sleepiness.

Good night, G-d bless. Happy emergency-free weekends to all of you...