OT: F*ck*n Hospital Rant

[T-Bone]

I'm not sure how many of you have children, but I'm sure that those that do have them are also very observant of when they're not feeling well, or just not acting like themselves. Last night, Ashlynn woke up about 1:30am and we could tell on the baby monitor that she wasn't feeling well. Her breathing was very chort breaths as well as being rather rapid. She let out, or TRIED to let out a whine, but her voice was very fluttery and hoarse. We went to get her and bring her into our room and she was still half asleep and clinging to us. We purposely pushed her away again to make her whine and when she did, we could tell something was wrong. We've been very lucky in the fact that she's a very healthy little girl and we've had minimal problems with her, but when she IS feeling sick, we know it.

Anyway... We loaded her into the truck and brought her to the ER. I told Lisa on the way that if the doc takes a look at her one more time and gives us the "Keep an eye on her and call us back if anything changes" speech, I'm going to let loose on him. This hospital has done this to us 3-4 times already in the past where we have to bring her in 3 times within a week EACH TIME, before they'll actually do anything about it. We take the time off work, or Lisa has to leave work early to go get her from daycare and we get the same fucking line from the doctor every fucking time. That's money out of our pockets for taking the time off work, money for the insurance co-pay, and more money out of the insurance company just for them to take all of 2 minutes to spit that line out and run down the hallway to feed the same line to someone else.

The last time she was sick, she had nuclear GREEN crap coming out of her nose as well as draining into her throat while she was sleeping and she ended up being a very sick little girl. I had to bring her to the hospital 3 damn times and the doctor would just look at her, poke a little at her nose and neck and then listen with his stethoscope and tell me to just keep an eye on her and if it's worse in a week, to call back. I finally bitched him out about having to leave work, miss the next day as well as the trips up there and the money it costs. He tried convincing me that it wasn't a sinus infection, when I knew DAMN WELL that it was. He finally prescribed a childrens antibiotic (can't remember the name) and said to wait 3-5 more days to see if her symptoms cleared up. WTF?!?!?!?!? It's been 10 days ALREADY! I took the prescription and went straight to the pharmacy and got the stuff and her symptoms reduced within a day and a half.

LAST NIGHT, the doctor that came in to look at her started to say the exact thing I didn't want to hear and I cornered him on it. "My daughter is SICK and we got up at 1:30AM to bring her here to get it taken care of!!! NOT to hear the same line I get from you people every time. We KNOW when she's not feeling well, so DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!" He didn't know how to take that and just basically left the room and the nurse came back in. She was a little quiet because I think she heard what I had to say to the doctor. She somewhat gave me the same line about just letting Ashlynn rest and call them back in the morning if nothing has changed.

Well... she got up this morning and her poor little nose was crusted over. Her breathing is a little better, but she still has a little hoarse voice. Her nose is all runny now as well. I think I'll call my insurance company and let them know what's been going on and see what they say about it. I also talked to my ex-fiance today (still my best friend) about it She used to work for that hospital and she said that it's basically standard operating proceedure. The "3rd time's a charm" policy. They make you come in 3 times because that's 3 bills they can send to the insurance company, collect the money, all while you or your child suffers a little. She's glad she doesn't work there any more. That's the closest one, and our next closest option is 30 miles away, and they're even worse. They KNOW they have you....


Fucking hospitals....

[/Rant Mode Off]

[RedWingFan]

I think it's called a cold, and last I checked there isn't a cure. My son gets them every once in awhile also.

[Don]

Do like the Spartans, leave her on a hillside all night to toughen her up.

[T-Bone]

I think it's called a cold, and last I checked there isn't a cure. My son gets them every once in awhile also.

This isn't a normal cold... Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered bringing her in last night at 1:30AM. Her fast breathing and shortness of breath was a little scary. I don't bring her to the hospital for little reasons. She's had plenty of regular colds. We give her her decongestants or childrens Tylenol, and she's fine.

She's still not at full capacity today, although she's better than last night. We'll have to see how tonight goes.

[Don]

I think it's called a cold, and last I checked there isn't a cure. My son gets them every once in awhile also.

This isn't a normal cold... Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered bringing her in last night at 1:30AM. Her fast breathing and shortness of breath was a little scary. I don't bring her to the hospital for little reasons. She's had plenty of regular colds. We give her her decongestants or childrens Tylenol, and she's fine.

She's still not at full capacity today, although she's better than last night. We'll have to see how tonight goes.

Some of those decongestants are whack, be careful which one you give her.

[T-Bone]

She usually only gets half of what they recommend

[Rhiannon]

This isn't a normal cold... Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered bringing her in last night at 1:30AM. Her fast breathing and shortness of breath was a little scary. I don't bring her to the hospital for little reasons. She's had plenty of regular colds. We give her her decongestants or childrens Tylenol, and she's fine.

Same thing happened to my little brother a few years back. Turned out to be some weird allergy thing that onset out of nowhere. Humidifiers and other precautions were taken, and they put him on a steroidal cough syrup (maybe that's why he's 6 years old, 4'1" and 96 lbs of solid strength...). But he just kind of got over it after a couple of weeks. Kids get all sorts of weird bugs. Too many germophobes causing our immunities to wear down. But, you're right... the hospitals love to jack over everyone. In my hometown you only go to the hospital if you're 1.) giving birth or 2.) ready to die. Seriously.

[Don]

Sometimes Decongestants look like they're working but then cause swelling after a few days which makes it worse. A vaporizer or a Humidifier is a safer bet, I think. It worked for me. Where are the mom's on this board when we need them?

[Luvsaugeri]

I know it is a scary and helpless feeling when your child is sick. But most respiratory illnesses are caused by viruses and do not benefit from antibiotics. The reason we have so many "super" bugs is from the misuse of antibiotics. The bacteria are mutating and they are immune to antibiotics. Most respiratory illnesses just need to run their coarse.

I really don't believe there is a conspiracy by the hospital to bill the insurance companies. If you saw the reimbursement from insurance companies you would know it's not worth the effort.

You didn't mention how old your child is. Does she have an excessively high fever? (over 102) Is she listless?? Is she eating??

[RedWingFan]

I think it's called a cold, and last I checked there isn't a cure. My son gets them every once in awhile also.

This isn't a normal cold... Otherwise I wouldn't have bothered bringing her in last night at 1:30AM. Her fast breathing and shortness of breath was a little scary. I don't bring her to the hospital for little reasons. She's had plenty of regular colds. We give her her decongestants or childrens Tylenol, and she's fine.

She's still not at full capacity today, although she's better than last night. We'll have to see how tonight goes.

Don't know if you've tried it yet or not. But we usually get Vicks vapor rub and coat the shoulders of his clothing with it. That seems to help alot.

[larryfromnextdoor]

i like nyQuil ,, that stuff will fix any problem .. at the time anyway !!

for an adult with a green runny nose ,, i would say half a glass of nyQuil.. 6 natural lights .. 1 ambien..

when you wake up 2 days later ,, you will be well and rested.. .. .. thats my cure all..

i also have a GREAT potato salad recipe!!!!

[Michigan Girl]

i like nyQuil ,, that stuff will fix any problem .. at the time anyway !!

for an adult with a green runny nose ,, i would say half a glass of nyQuil.. 6 natural lights .. 1 ambien..

when you wake up 2 days later ,, you will be well and rested.. .. .. thats my cure all..

i also have a GREAT potato salad recipe!!!!

[T-Bone]

I know it is a scary and helpless feeling when your child is sick. But most respiratory illnesses are caused by viruses and do not benefit from antibiotics. The reason we have so many "super" bugs is from the misuse of antibiotics. The bacteria are mutating and they are immune to antibiotics. Most respiratory illnesses just need to run their coarse.

I really don't believe there is a conspiracy by the hospital to bill the insurance companies. If you saw the reimbursement from insurance companies you would know it's not worth the effort.

You didn't mention how old your child is. Does she have an excessively high fever? (over 102) Is she listless?? Is she eating??

She's 16 months old. And we don't use the humidifier, because it's humid enough as it is here Her temp was 102 last night. She's back to 100 as of right now. As for a "conspiracy", I do believe that they pull this crap here, because I'm not the only one that notices the "keep an eye on him/her, and call us back if anything changes" schpeel. Even some of my coworkers have mentioned it with their children as well as themselves.

[Luvsaugeri]

I know it is a scary and helpless feeling when your child is sick. But most respiratory illnesses are caused by viruses and do not benefit from antibiotics. The reason we have so many "super" bugs is from the misuse of antibiotics. The bacteria are mutating and they are immune to antibiotics. Most respiratory illnesses just need to run their coarse.

I really don't believe there is a conspiracy by the hospital to bill the insurance companies. If you saw the reimbursement from insurance companies you would know it's not worth the effort.

You didn't mention how old your child is. Does she have an excessively high fever? (over 102) Is she listless?? Is she eating??

She's 16 months old. And we don't use the humidifier, because it's humid enough as it is here Her temp was 102 last night. She's back to 100 as of right now. As for a "conspiracy", I do believe that they pull this crap here, because I'm not the only one that notices the "keep an eye on him/her, and call us back if anything changes" schpeel. Even some of my coworkers have mentioned it with their children as well as themselves.

They tell you that because that is what needs to be done. It would cost a small fortune to put every child in the hospital to pay nurses to watch the bug run it's coarse when parents can do the same thing at home. Not to mention that the hospital is FULL of germs and viruses. You certainly don't want to risk her being exposed to more crud if not need be.

And just as an aside, it is insurance companies that often dictate what care is delivered. There are very strict criteria for what they will and will not pay for. So the insurance companies might deserve some of your anger.

[T-Bone]

But again... I wouldn't have brought her in if I thought it was minor. I don't even go in myself when I know it;s a regular cold. I know what her little colds are like, so we don't even bother with them. She gets over them in a few days. This was VERY different last night

The last time we had her in and I bitched the doc out was because I KNEW she had a sinus infection... ALL 3 TIMES we brought her in that week. The doctor finally agreed that it was after I told him the first night she was in. I've had sinus infections all my life and recognize them quick. I may as well have my very own supply of Zithromax or Amoxiccilan (sp?)

I don't need for her to stay in the hospital for this and wouldn't expect it, but sometimes the hospital here seems like an assembly line and we're just the next part.

[T-Bone]

Actually, to put a little more perspective on some of the Doctors we have, A few years ago, I had a small throat problem.. Under a normal voice, I could talk with minimal force, but if I tried to either get louder or raise my pitch, my voice would cut out and I had a hell of a pain by the left side of my Adams Apple. It slowly got worse over 3 days so I went in. The doctor looked at it, poked it (I damn near slapped her silly for that... IT HURT!) and then said it's probably just a sore throat. Take some sore meds and keep an eye on it.

I explained to her that I knew what a sore throat felt like, but this wasn't in the actual throat, it was something different. Got the same schpeel, so I left. It still got worse and I was in 2 days later again to see a different doctor. He tried the "poke" as well, but I managed to stop hm. He x-ray'd it and saw nothing, so he also gave me the schpeel and sent me packing. I finally had to come in again 2 days later again. I got yet a different doctor who looked down my throat, had me raise and lower my voice as well as try to keep raising my pitch.. He sent me right downstairs to the Ears Nose Throat specialist. I don't remembe the technical term for it, but basically, I had one hell of a strained or torn vocal chord. That doctor was pissed that the FIRST doctor didn't send me down in the first place. And then the second doctor on top of that.

There wasn't much he could do he said, but at least I had an answer. It took over a month for me to totally gain my voice back, and yet another month for that pain to go away. I still have ZERO clue as to how I "tore" or "strained" it. I just woke up with a pain in the neck, and it wasn't my fiance

[StevePerryHair]

Are you only using the ER because you feel it's an emergency and the time of night it is, or is that the route you always take? Or does your doctor meet you there? Unless it's a pediatric ER, I would be going to a pediatrician with her. ER's aren't doctors offices and you don't get the same care as you would in an office.

[T-Bone]

I usually wait and bring her to the pediatrician, but last night was much different. I don't like Urgent Care or the ER either because of that. There's NEVER anyone who knows a damn thing about kids


And as of right now, her nose is still a faucet, and her voice is a little weird, but her temp is back to normal

[Luvsaugeri]

Actually, to put a little more perspective on some of the Doctors we have, A few years ago, I had a small throat problem.. Under a normal voice, I could talk with minimal force, but if I tried to either get louder or raise my pitch, my voice would cut out and I had a hell of a pain by the left side of my Adams Apple. It slowly got worse over 3 days so I went in. The doctor looked at it, poked it (I damn near slapped her silly for that... IT HURT!) and then said it's probably just a sore throat. Take some sore meds and keep an eye on it.

I explained to her that I knew what a sore throat felt like, but this wasn't in the actual throat, it was something different. Got the same schpeel, so I left. It still got worse and I was in 2 days later again to see a different doctor. He tried the "poke" as well, but I managed to stop hm. He x-ray'd it and saw nothing, so he also gave me the schpeel and sent me packing. I finally had to come in again 2 days later again. I got yet a different doctor who looked down my throat, had me raise and lower my voice as well as try to keep raising my pitch.. He sent me right downstairs to the Ears Nose Throat specialist. I don't remembe the technical term for it, but basically, I had one hell of a strained or torn vocal chord. That doctor was pissed that the FIRST doctor didn't send me down in the first place. And then the second doctor on top of that.

There wasn't much he could do he said, but at least I had an answer. It took over a month for me to totally gain my voice back, and yet another month for that pain to go away. I still have ZERO clue as to how I "tore" or "strained" it. I just woke up with a pain in the neck, and it wasn't my fiance

Again, I don't mean to be critical, but like Lynn said, E.R.'s are trained to treat 'emergencies'. And their main goal is to stabalize the situation and move on. I am surprised they didn't send you home and tell you to follow up with your primary care doctor or an ENT. But I'm not surprised they didn't find out it was a torn vocal chord. That is not their specialty.

[StevePerryHair]

I usually wait and bring her to the pediatrician, but last night was much different. I don't like Urgent Care or the ER either because of that. There's NEVER anyone who knows a damn thing about kids


And as of right now, her nose is still a faucet, and her voice is a little weird, but her temp is back to normal

We're kind of lucky here in Orlando because we have a children's hospital with it's own ER. And we also have 2 pediatric urgent care places that are open after hours, run by pediatricians and they are great in an emergency. The hospital I would not use though unless my pediatricians advised me on the phone to go to the ER, since most have answering services and will allow you to talk to the doctor any time of night, unless I thought that my child's life was really in danger. And only you can know that. I mean if she was breathing shallowly, I can see why it would scare you, so I would never judge you. It's too bad more cities and towns don't have more set up for children though like they do here.

[Luvsaugeri]

I usually wait and bring her to the pediatrician, but last night was much different. I don't like Urgent Care or the ER either because of that. There's NEVER anyone who knows a damn thing about kids


And as of right now, her nose is still a faucet, and her voice is a little weird, but her temp is back to normal

We're kind of lucky here in Orlando because we have a children's hospital with it's own ER. And we also have 2 pediatric urgent care places that are open after hours, run by pediatricians and they are great in an emergency. The hospital I would not use though unless my pediatricians advised me on the phone to go to the ER, since most have answering services and will allow you to talk to the doctor any time of night, unless I thought that my child's life was really in danger. And only you can know that. I mean if she was breathing shallowly, I can see why it would scare you, so I would never judge you. It's too bad more cities and towns don't have more set up for children though like they do here.

yeah, we have the same thing here.

[EightyRock]

You can lay nearly all the blame for health care inadequacies on the insurance companies. They dictate to the hospitals how much, if any, treatment should be provided. Why do you think they are starting what's now called "drive through" surgery? It's all about controlling costs so their CEO's can have bigger checks and perks. Look at all the procedures that used to be a minimum 2-3 day hospital stay that are now done in OUTpatient clinics. They keep you for an hour or two after the surgery, wheel you out to your car and dump you off on a friend or relative. People are having to sue left and right after an insurance company drops them when they get sick, even after they've paid years of premiums.
I feel sorry for those poor dopes going to med school with idealistic visions of what practicing medicine will be like. Just wait till we get universal health care run by Uncle Sam. Yeah, that will make those E.R. waits alot shorter!
I hope your daughter gets better soon, dude. I know what it's like to deal with some of the Bozo's in the E.R.

[Don]

Anyone else have Kaiser? I have never had a problem with them. I live near to one of their medical centers and have always received excellant care especially for my son when he was younger.

[perryfaithful]

i like nyQuil ,, that stuff will fix any problem .. at the time anyway !!

for an adult with a green runny nose ,, i would say half a glass of nyQuil.. 6 natural lights .. 1 ambien..

when you wake up 2 days later ,, you will be well and rested.. .. .. thats my cure all..

i also have a GREAT potato salad recipe!!!!

Oh sweetie pie Larry, please really move NEXT DOOR! You be my kind of neighbor! LOL

[larryfromnextdoor]

i like nyQuil ,, that stuff will fix any problem .. at the time anyway !!

for an adult with a green runny nose ,, i would say half a glass of nyQuil.. 6 natural lights .. 1 ambien..

when you wake up 2 days later ,, you will be well and rested.. .. .. thats my cure all..

i also have a GREAT potato salad recipe!!!!

Oh sweetie pie Larry, please really move NEXT DOOR! You be my kind of neighbor! LOL

where have you been??? your just here and there anymore?!

[walkslikealady]

Sorry to hear your girl's sick.

[T-Bone]

Actually, to put a little more perspective on some of the Doctors we have, A few years ago, I had a small throat problem.. Under a normal voice, I could talk with minimal force, but if I tried to either get louder or raise my pitch, my voice would cut out and I had a hell of a pain by the left side of my Adams Apple. It slowly got worse over 3 days so I went in. The doctor looked at it, poked it (I damn near slapped her silly for that... IT HURT!) and then said it's probably just a sore throat. Take some sore meds and keep an eye on it.

I explained to her that I knew what a sore throat felt like, but this wasn't in the actual throat, it was something different. Got the same schpeel, so I left. It still got worse and I was in 2 days later again to see a different doctor. He tried the "poke" as well, but I managed to stop hm. He x-ray'd it and saw nothing, so he also gave me the schpeel and sent me packing. I finally had to come in again 2 days later again. I got yet a different doctor who looked down my throat, had me raise and lower my voice as well as try to keep raising my pitch.. He sent me right downstairs to the Ears Nose Throat specialist. I don't remembe the technical term for it, but basically, I had one hell of a strained or torn vocal chord. That doctor was pissed that the FIRST doctor didn't send me down in the first place. And then the second doctor on top of that.

There wasn't much he could do he said, but at least I had an answer. It took over a month for me to totally gain my voice back, and yet another month for that pain to go away. I still have ZERO clue as to how I "tore" or "strained" it. I just woke up with a pain in the neck, and it wasn't my fiance

Again, I don't mean to be critical, but like Lynn said, E.R.'s are trained to treat 'emergencies'. And their main goal is to stabalize the situation and move on. I am surprised they didn't send you home and tell you to follow up with your primary care doctor or an ENT. But I'm not surprised they didn't find out it was a torn vocal chord. That is not their specialty.

Ummm... The 3 doctors I saw WERE regular doctors. It was a regular doctor appointment I made because of the problem. They had me come in and then sent me right back out. The Urgent Care/ER is after 5pm here and on the weekends. I think that's what you're not understanding

[texafana]

Dude...get some insurance and a private doctor. We had to pay up the wazoo for our kids, that was the only time we had medical insurance, form the ages of birth to 13. But it was well worth it.

[T-Bone]

I have insurance, and the coverage is just fine... It's the inconvienience of taking off work each time, losing out on the $$$ from taking off work, as well as other crap related to going in and going out 2-3 times before they manage to prescribe anything. Like I've stated MANY times... we don't bring her in for the common colds and bugs. Kids get sick, and we're understanding of that... But when something out of the ordinary comes along, we'd rather not mess around. I just hate being treated like we're just another number when they BARELY check anything on her. I could have stayed home and done that myself.

[texafana]

Don't get me wrong...as a parent of 3 kids, each a year apart, we did our share of the "8 hour hospital waiting period" for a fking doctor to say "they're not dying...bring em back when they are", so I totally get what you're going through. I also had some serious out breaks, near fights, security guard holding moments, but in the end the best advice is to keep the young ones in a bubble, get them checked out 1-2 times a month, have them drink plenty of water (to keep those bowels going, you don't want a "colicky" baby!! And plenty of Vitamin C.