Five things not to do in the ER

Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy Forums

Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy forums - a peer support community for folks dealing (directly or indirectly) with seizure disorders. You can visit the forum page to see the list of forum nodes (categories/rooms) for topics.

Please have a look around and if you like what you see, please consider registering an account and joining the discussions. When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no ads, access to members only (ie. private) forum nodes and more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!

Interesting.

I had one horror experience in an ER that I don't remember, back when my seizures first started. It was about a month and a half after my ankle surgery. I had been passing out randomly. My mom and (ex)boyfriend got me out of the car at the ER and I passed out cold on the hard concrete. My mom ran inside to try to get help to get me up but not one single staff member would come into the parking lot to help me up!

I should mention they were not even BUSY at this time!

After my poor mom and ex had to pick me up and carry me in with no assistance, they finally got me onto a bed, and I eventually woke up, having no idea what had happened.

They decided to do a CT.. and made me WALK there. I had no assistance or anything. Close to getting onto the CT bed, no one was paying ANY attention to me at all, and I completely passed out again.

I ended up being diagnosed with a.....
EAR INFECTION.

The next night I had a seizure, this time they called 911 and the EMTs saw it and were able to say it was a seizure. *sighs*

The sad thing is, this ER, is in the NEWEST and "most up to date" hospital in our area! It's supposed to be so great.

I'm not the only one with horror stories.. apparently the like diagnosing ear infections, because my friend took her infant there who had an extremely high fever, and was told she had an ear infection and was sent home.

I can't remember what it was the baby had.. but a day later she was taken to another hospital and hospitalized for over a week. Obviously no ear infection!

Nowadays, I sadly have no choice but to go to the ER in an ambulance. My neurologist has my mom call 911 if I have a seizure that lasts longer that 5 minutes. If I have a small one that lasts less that 5 minutes than she still has to take me to the ER. As soon as I tell them who my doctor is and that she sent me they get me in ASAP though. I think the reason she has me going to the hospital with EVERY seizure is because having E is still so new to me.

My family doctor doesn't think it's necessary and he gave me morphine to take and just said to take my morphine and and extra valium if I have a small seizure, but I don't like to not listen to the neurologist. I hate it when doctors say different things.

Boy this is a long response. lol. Sorry, I'm chatty today!
 
Will that ER really didn't have they're stuff together at all. The ER I go to is very nice and they all know me. I am one that has a hard time asking for help so I will try to get up on my own and they jump on my case. They will not let me walk alone even if I really am okay. When I go for CTs they bring me on the bed. I don't go to the ER for all of my seizures anymore just for one's over 5 min. or when they're repeadily happening. Also because sometimes I stop breathing in them and I need to go in then as well. I hope when you go to the ER now it's different than it was that first time. Listen to you're neurologist, this is what he/she specializes in and should know what they're talking about.
 
The few times I have been to the ER I have alwys been very vocal about my concerns. My sister and husband have been with me and they say I am a very difficult patient!
 
Back
Top Bottom