Am I the only person that thinks sitting in the ER for 2 1/2 hours w/out anything being done is unreasonable?

Question

I went to the ER for a kidney stone,after seeing the doctor he said we need to get a ct scan and get you something for pain. I didn't see anyone for 2 1/2 hours and decided to leave. My family thinks I need to be more patient. What do you think?

Answer 1

i thimk your family is right b/c when you go to the eryour going to have to wait because there could be another patien in front of you that could be diying

Answer 2

i would have left too

Answer 3

The problem is probably not that you were being ignored, but that other people had more desperately urgent problems, such as bleeding or broken limbs, and had to be seen ahead of you.

I'm afraid someone who might be dying will always take precedence over someone who probably isn't, however long each patient has been waiting.

It seems you must have been unlucky on that visit.  Perhaps you need to make an appointment with a specialist urologist.

Answer 4

It doesn't matter how busy you were...How busy were the doctors and nurses?

Your condition couldn't have been too bad, if getting up and leaving untreated was a viable option.

Emergency care is merit based.  Possibly there were one or two people in there who's situation was worse than yours?

Answer 5

I got glass in my foot not too long ago and was waiting for 4 hours in hospital, then had an xray and waited another half hour to find out they wouldn't have to operate. I only waited all that time because my mum is very protective. However your kidney stones will only get worse. So yes i think you should wait longer. Unfortunately, there is never a 'good' time to go to casualty. But i would go back asap so you experience as little pain as possible xx

Answer 6

No, everyone thinks it's awful.  That's what it means to live with a broken medical system.

A lot of emergency rooms have waits like that, and longer.  They take people in order of urgency -- the bullet wounds and heart attacks usually come first.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19207050/

http://psychiatricnews.wordpress.com/200...

http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_102...

Don't pay attention to those who tell you America has the greatest medical care in the world.  If you're poor, the care is truly lousy.

Answer 7

um no.  my fiancee's sister in law hard a kindey stone, she was in alot of pain.  

Answer 8

I totally agree with you. I know that hospitals are busy and have a lot of patients to see but you are just as important as the rest. I know from experience how frustrating this can be. My mother took my father to the ER when he was sick and he had to wait longer than you and he was in a wheel chair also. Finally my mother got so upset with the staff at the ER that she took him home and had to find another way to work on the problem. Maybe 2 1/2 hrs. was a little short for an ER but still I would have complained before I left and asked to be seen or at least ask the wait time. You will have to start all over next time or either go to your primary doctor and get a referral to the ER and maybe that will be better for you or wait a little longer next time. Hope this helps and good luck.  

Answer 9

The ER does not work on a first come first served basis.  They treat the sickest or the people who are in the most danger first.  I once laid on a stretcher in the hallway for 4 and a half hours after a car accident waiting.  Meanwhile, there were people that had been shot, or had nearly lost a limb, ect ect.  Your kidney stone obviously was not the worst case they had last night.  So yes, you should have been more patient.  There were people there that night a lot worse off than you obviously.

My husband passed a kidney stone... and he just saved it, called his Dr., and was able to see his Dr. the following day, and didn't even step foot into the ER.  Maybe that would be a better option for you.

Answer 10

hospitals are completely unreasonable now a days i waited all day basically only to discover after hours of nagging the front desk that they didn't even have me on record after all that time they had just been say yes we will get to you soon  

Answer 11

I agree!

My mom hurt her arm at work and broke it, they rushed her to the ER and then she had to wait from 5pm to 11 pm just to be seen.

Answer 12

i think that was very rude. its the ER aka EMERGENCY ROOM. there are life or death situations going on in there! People could have DIED. some things are more important than you. havent you ever watched the show 'ER'  maybe you'll have a better understanding.  and from what i believe, a kidney stone isnt that big of an emergency. no offense

Answer 13

Our health care system is a joke. Everyone knows this. All I do is end up screaming at nurses and doctors because they never listen and they dont care.

Do they even TEACH bedside manner at medical school? THEY SHOULD!

Answer 14

I think your family is right.

Two and half hours is really not very long in the scheme of things for the ER.  The most critical patients are always taken first, and those with less than life threatening conditions get put to the back of the line.

Once you see the doctor and he orders a CT scan, an MRI, X Rays or whatever, you wait again, also in a line of most to least critical.  In the case of further testing, you also need to wait for the correct person to be available to run the test, read the results, etc.   It does take a long time, and you just have to be very patient.

Answer 15

I think you should have stayed because now you will have to go back and start all over but of course it sucks. Everyone thinks so, you just have to deal with it if you want the help!