Yesterday afternoon I got a call that my mother was being taken by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital. She was at her doctor's office in Coweta and the Doctors seemed to think that she needed immediate tests. We did not know her condition though, but ambulance and please go to the hospital gets your attention. We arrived at St. Francis a little after 6:00pm and she was setting in the Emergency Waiting Room! Of Course, on the way there my imagination led me to expect something far different. 
When she arrived she was told to take a seat. It was about 7:00pm when she was called back and we went with her. It was then that I realized they had never asked her any questions previously. They took some tests and she stayed in one cubicle for a while and then she was asked to set in a chair just outside this space. We shared the moment with a twenty something girl and her mom as she screamed and cried and asked for drugs. We wondered if Mother would be admitted or be released. While waiting we get a call from our son who tells us that they are in the emergency center across the street with Avery. Avery had collided with another kid at ball practice and has a giant swelled nose and two black eyes!
Based on my experience with ER on TV and in the Movies, I guessed that we would not know anything until 10:00pm. I missed it 20 minutes. At 10:20 they said that they would admit her and keep her for more tests. The speculation was Congestive Heart Failure, but who knows? She had only been there for 5 hours.
It is best to go to the emergency room with low expectations. We observed at least three families get mad and leave because of the wait. One guy back in the cubicles said he wanted to leave and the attendant said, "You have two choices stay here or I call the Police." Seems his
problems were a little different than the average Joe.
It can be worse. On a trip last year to Florida last year, Carol fell and hit her head. I took her to a local hospital (much smaller than St. Francis) and entered a full waiting area with three times the one at St. Francis. We arrived at 8:00pm and the person at check-in said that it would probably be 12 hours before a doctor would see us!
The good news is that today should be a better day for Mother and Avery.
When she arrived she was told to take a seat. It was about 7:00pm when she was called back and we went with her. It was then that I realized they had never asked her any questions previously. They took some tests and she stayed in one cubicle for a while and then she was asked to set in a chair just outside this space. We shared the moment with a twenty something girl and her mom as she screamed and cried and asked for drugs. We wondered if Mother would be admitted or be released. While waiting we get a call from our son who tells us that they are in the emergency center across the street with Avery. Avery had collided with another kid at ball practice and has a giant swelled nose and two black eyes!
Based on my experience with ER on TV and in the Movies, I guessed that we would not know anything until 10:00pm. I missed it 20 minutes. At 10:20 they said that they would admit her and keep her for more tests. The speculation was Congestive Heart Failure, but who knows? She had only been there for 5 hours.
It is best to go to the emergency room with low expectations. We observed at least three families get mad and leave because of the wait. One guy back in the cubicles said he wanted to leave and the attendant said, "You have two choices stay here or I call the Police." Seems his
problems were a little different than the average Joe.It can be worse. On a trip last year to Florida last year, Carol fell and hit her head. I took her to a local hospital (much smaller than St. Francis) and entered a full waiting area with three times the one at St. Francis. We arrived at 8:00pm and the person at check-in said that it would probably be 12 hours before a doctor would see us!
The good news is that today should be a better day for Mother and Avery.
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