Have you ever spent the night in an Emergency Room?

Question

How would you describe the experience and what would have made it better?

Answer 1

Not the whole night, but almost the whole day and half the night. Pretty miserable. My 17 year old had been examined at our pediatrician. We had already been to see an endocronologist that day for a suspected thyroid problem. That doctor had sent us immediately back to our pediatrician. He ran a few tests, examined him, and generally acted extremely grim. He kept shaking his head when each test he did came back negative. He told us to go to the Emergency Room for xrays and to see a surgeon.

The surgeon came into to see us moments after she had seen the xray. She was very kind, but said that she could not help my son. We were, of course, pretty alarmed by than, but no one was saying anything to us. Just lots of kindness and grim looks. Our pediatrician called the Emergency Room and told them to hold us and not allow us to leave. He wanted to make some phone calls to see where the best place would be to send us. It was close to 9pm by that time. The next phone call from him was equally frightening. My son was being sent to a major hospital about 2 hours away. We were given the option of transporting him ourselves instead of by ambulance. This whole time, he was fine. We were all just sitting around, bored, exhaused and alarmed.
We didn't even stop to pack clothes or tell anyone where we were going. It just totally slipped our minds. When we got to the major hospital he was admitted through the emergency room. They were waiting for us. Two doctors began an immediate workup and that was the first time I heard the word cancer. He had lumps in his neck, groin, armpits. We were in total shock.
But, of course, the news just got worse and worse. I do not know how we made it through that night. At about 2AM he was still having tests and procedures. He had tumors throughout his body. He had multiple tumors in the abdominal cavity that were weeping and had caused his belly to be bloated with fluid - 40 pounds of it. One of the worst nights of my life.

Answer 2

My son (11 years old at the time) fell off his bike and fractured his skull. He lay on the sidewalk unconscious for 45 minutes before an ambulance arrived. They took him in immediately but told me that even though I was the mother I was not to intervene or they would lock me out. I was not given details. They said they were watching him. There were times he would come out of the coma and try to get off the bed or ask questions and the nurses were very curt with him. When he had to go to another floor for some tests, they did not even put a shirt on him (it was a good thing I was there to cover him with a blanket) and they sent him to the next floor in the visitor's elevator with everyone staring at him. When he returned to the room the nurse had eaten his food and said she didn't think he was coming back. We laugh at it now but it was a horrible experience. Some courtesy and understanding and keeping us informed with a little compassion would have gone a long way.

Answer 3

It was terrible & I got my stomach pumped for an overdose. I have bipolar disorder & I was having a major depressive episode. It would have been much better if I never would have tried to do it. But, thanks to God, that was 8 years ago and my daughter will be 8 in Dec. Please don't "go there" Get help, talk to someone you trust! I nearly died and I did have a near death experience. I hope that will never happen again! I have a good psychiatrist and the right meds now and have made a couple friend that I really trust. Life is good again!!!

Answer 4

the few experiences i've had were always the worst! you have to wait around for hours before you are even seen by the doctor, they are all types of people there: homeless people, crying babies, drug addicts,etc. you might catch something just from being there. if i could have made it better i probably would have brought a book, something to eat or went at a time when it wasn't so crowded.

Answer 5

for myself i spent a couple hours on a christmas eve from a laceration to the finger. The experience was okay i was drunk. Doctors were good very fast at the job.

Answer 6

Yes, just did Oct 3 - Oct. 4 - Delaware hospital, and I was scared to death....and they transferred me sometime...to the cardiac care unit......and watched me all night.

They do so many tests.....and none tried to help me emotionally...and I hated every minute of it....they hardly talk but they prod, test and test again and take more blood.....to rule out lung and heart blockages!

Answer 7

yes,waiting to be seen in parkland hospital in dallas on saturday night .we waited 8 hours to see a dr. over strep throat.it could of been better if my child could of waited during the week to get sick and went to a regular dr. have you ever been to parkland in dallas and waited in the emergency dept. it sure wasnt a good experience.

Answer 8

yes, my son got hit by a car he was 9. It would have been alot better if I had not just had baby one month earlier and if I could have went with him on careflight.

Answer 9

yes, with a miscarriage. It would have been better if they didn't forget that I was there, I was lying on a bed for hours before a janitor found me.

Answer 10

Yes I have spent the night with my dad, it would have been better if he hadn't died.