http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delirium_tremens


Hope you are okay Ptilk

 

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when i lived in southern california, the ER was always full of mexicans. easily 90%.

they used the ER for checkups, colds, etc because they cant be turned away for care.

 

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They have fixed the "use the ER as a primary care physician" problem around here. The emergency room has a little annex and if you come in for anything but immediate, life threatening problems (or the possibility of one) they shuffle you off to that annex and you wait 20 hours or something to see a PA and get your antibiotics or whatever.

I'm fine btw. Thanks. I have ruptured vertebra in my back and neck that occasionally swell a bit which causes some weird side affects like acute dizziness, shooting pains in my arms or legs, and heart palpitations. I'm always pretty sure that's what is going on, but I go in for an EKG if it gets serious enough....just to be really sure.

They fix me up and send me on my way. Shoot some crap into the affected vertebra and swelling goes down and I feel fine again in a couple of hours. I generally go to my doctor or the VA hospital, but didn't really feel like going all the way into town and I had a friend over, so just had her take me to the local hospital. First time I ever went and I was completely shocked at the number of drug and booze related problems.

I'm going over tonite to take all the folks that work there a gift basket and to thank them again for the help. They treated me, and everyone else I saw, wonderful. Hard to call time in the ER pleasant, but last night was as close as it could get.

In my late 20's I was drinking heavily traveling by speed boat from bar to bar in Newport Beach , CA. I drank too much. I tried to do a handstand on a steel rail about ten feet above the dock where the boat was moored. I lost my balance and fell the ten feet right on my face. I broke my nose good. My friends brought me to the emergency room. While there, not realizing my face looked terrifying bloody broken, I was flirting with the nurses, who were not giving me the time of day. What a stoonad. Drinking is a very damaging drug.

Ptilk, how are you doing today?

 

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My brother finished his RN hired before his senior year started. The hospital that recruited him paid for not only his last year of school but reimbursed him for the previous one provided he work for them for five years. He is making a killer salary, upwards of 60+ dollars an hour when he does 2nd, 3rd shift or weekend work. He strictly works in the ER.

They hired him and pay him so much because he is 6'5 and weighs a solid (muscle bound type) 240lbs. The told him they needed nurses to help with all of the drunks, ODs and other violent crazies that the more traditional female nurses are at risk trying to...control.

He works in Florida near West Palm Beach and has already decided when his contract is up...hes out of there. He would much rather take a lesser salary and not deal with the mental institution like atmosphere. He has had to have two rounds or HIV preventative meds after being bitten.

 

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Cops, EMTs and ER workers share a special bond in that they all get to enjoy the most delightful members of society. Drunks, skels, drug seekers, inmates faking chest pains, young slingers shot while "standing on the corner minding my own business," domestic dispute couples, victims of beatdowns who usually had it coming for being a gmeral dirtbag... Cops, EMTs and ER workers are in the brotherhood of Society's Janitors, dealing with the trash and the s**t so that you don't have to.

Ptilk, patients like you can be a breath of fresh air for them, especially on weekend nights.

 

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I can totally see why they would want some big guys working in an ER. They had 2 off duty cops working as security last night, and they still had to call for more a couple of times. One deputy was there 3 different times because this drugged out girl was trying to kill herself and kept ripping out her IV and grabbing anything she could get and attacking the staff with it. Two of the CNA's looked like ex-NFL linemen and they really earned their pay last night.

They had a number of rooms set up as "crazy patient tanks". Nothing in them but a bed and they had lockable doors, not curtains...but those were filled up even before I got there and the drug addicts just kept coming.

What was so shocking is that this is a small town and a tiny hospital (only 10 in patient rooms), and they had that many drug OD's and drunks on a weeknight....and it was just a normal night. I knew drugs and booze problems were bad around here, I didn't know they were that bad.

I used to wonder why such a small town had 3 different ambulance companies....now I know.

ER workers generally do a crap job though.. Ive seen them miss a lot of things like appendicitis and not do proper followup with various sorts of pains.

It seems like what they focus on is:

"Get you out of here ASAP"

Which means give you drugs, charge your insurance and have you leave.

Any of us can do that job..if they made the drugs they give available at CVS then most people wouldnt go to the ER.

Giving free health care to drug addicts, drunks and other indigents is a significant part of why your stay cost you 4K. Hospitals give billions in free care every year and they have to make up that money somewhere.

Glad you are OK.

I'm glad you are ok Ptilk.


That is very thoughtful of you to take them a goodies basket. We all need to know someone cares.