By Orchard - 16/07/2013 17:25 - United States - Seminole

Today, I suddenly started having excruciating pain. My husband took me to the ER, where I waited for three hours in agony to be seen. By the time a doctor got to me, the pain had mostly gone, but it was found to be a kidney stone. I was told, "Next time, don't wait so long." Really? FML
I agree, your life sucks 49 709
You deserved it 3 041

Orchard tells us more.

Orchard 33

Hi, this is the OP. I told them in triage with tears streaming down my face that I thought it was a kidney stone. I was in so much pain I could barely fill out the forms. There were only a couple of possibilities as to the source of pain to begin with since the pain was all down my left flank and upper left quadrant. I have medical training so I wasn't too shocked to find out it was a kidney stone. What was shocking was they thought I was faking to get a drug fix, put me on the back burner, then acted like it was somehow my fault for not being seen sooner so they could help manage the pain.

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Top comments

cryptic26 12

That's when you start screaming in agony so loud until they're forced to see you. Honestly if the pain was seriously that bad that's exactly what I would do. I hate how the ER treats people with real emergencies. I'd make them suffer with me.

241 5
angiemarie96 25

This is why emergency rooms shouldn't keep people waiting for hours.. IT'S A ******* EMERCENCY Hypocrites

240 5

Comments

Dame84 6

I'm sorry OP. ER or urgent care, contrary to its name, is not known to be a quick checkout.

0 1
Taurus_ChicKa 36

our health care system at work.../facepalm

2 0
wanderingshopper 13

Next time yell and complain constantly till you're seen. Also, call the business office and complain about the ER's reaction time.

1 2
Shade1982 20

Really? That is your way to fix this? You'll be thrown out faster than you can say "Help!"...

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TcheQ 12

Getting private health insurance for preferential treatment might be an option. Fortunately I've never had to.

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RCP14 6

I work in the ER and I can safely say that most of you commenting are effing clueless! Almost everyone says their pain is a 10, so someone complaining of pain does not impress us - that's all we hear....all.day.long... A stroke or heart attack is a real emergency. A simple broken bone is not. Also keep in mind that we do not have X-ray vision. Triage is an assessment, not a diagnosis. Sometimes people are not seen more quickly because we can't possibly know the full story just from triage. And maybe we are grumpy because we are way understaffed because hospitals can't afford to pay enough staff because too many people use us as a free clinic and stiff us on the bill. 12 hour shifts with no break, no lunch, no bathroom breaks, and no appreciation! And if you think causing a scene and yelling to be seen more quickly will help? Try it - I'll have security toss your ass out on the curb before you can blink! Walk in our shoes for a day and you'll understand better. And when you pass me in the hall to complain about your ingrown toenail and I'm out of breath - it's probably because I just spent 90 straight minutes doing CPR on someone's dad, trying in van to save a life!

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the_real_dvd 21

Your comment reminds me of when I was in the ER for a herniated disc. Yes the pain level was above 10. The doctor didn't even touch me, just kept pumping me full of drugs I warned him I was allergic to. It finally took a sympathetic nurse who put me in a back brace that helped out. YES, I know there are a lot if drug abusers that got to the ER simply for a fix, but that's not everyone. And when I needed help the most, I was treated like one. (Even though I don't even smoke marijuana let alone abuse prescriptions.) HOWEVER, while I was there a woman came in who had been in an accident and was bleeding profusely. She waited for over two hours for help. Finally, her boyfriend came and politely asked if they could give him a timeframe when they could expect treatment, or if he should just go to an urgent care center. The nurse proceeded to BERATE and yell at him. After they left, I heard her call the police and file harassment charges against the couple. Time that she could've used to treat people. Yes I realize you're understaffed, yes I realize that's not your fault. But guess what? Everyone has jobs that are stressful and hard, including me, a contractor. But this doesn't give you the right to behave ignorantly or like an asshole, especially to people who are distressed. I would be out of work if I had your attitude. If you can't handle it, I suggest you look for a different job.

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JoseIsAdork 31

sounds just like how our local ER is

0 1
audreyfml1994 15

To all of the people from the US discussing their previous experiences with long waits in hospitals, just wait until Obama Care is fully implemented-you haven't seen anything yet. The majority of people complaining about the 8+ hour waits are all from the UK or Canada, and that is exactly the direction the US is moving.

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Huddisher 10

Hospitals suck. The one down here diagnosed my family members wrong, causing a death. They also send you home way too early when you're still barfing, ********, or dying. They claim to care for patients, but once your insurance stops paying, they don't give a damn about you.

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rivaraven 35

This is so bad. I have been held in the waiting room for hours for some quite serious things, but I remember when my sister had pain in the appendix area, then she was taken in with like, ten minutes. Luckily it wasn't her appendix but it was serious still.

1 1
wtfwhyfml 12

Sweet god, I would have raised all kinds of hell. Granted, I have serious issues with hospitals (childhood trauma); but that's ridiculous. I'm to the point with hospitals that unless i'm hallucinating from fever or bleeding out, I don't even bother with doctors at all anymore. Thankfully, I'm one of those lucky bastards that rarely, if ever, gets sick; and I don't get injured that often. Haven't had to relieve the 12 hours of painful hell waiting for someone to piece my right hand back together.

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