My Emergency Room Experience
Tuesday is when things got worrisome for me. I drove myself to the ER around 6:30. I decided I would be proactive and go to the ER in Mount Holly. Granted I did NOT want to spend the $300 but I also know my body. The congestion was not in my head any longer and it had moved to my throat. Typically when that happens its less than 24 hours before it is in my chest. I didn’t want congestion in my chest while I had COVID-19.
Walking in Being COVID-19 Positive
I walk in the ER masked up and I let the nurse at the desk know from 6′ that I am COVID-19 positive and that my chest has been hurting most of the afternoon. At that point she put her additional mask on. I was instructed to go sit in the little nook with other COVID-19 suspected patients. She took my vitals and I let her know that my oxygen meter at home was reading 94 most of the day. I was keeping to myself but the other two ladies over there weren’t.
One of the other ladies who hadn’t been tested was coughing, hacking and had a headache. She was taking her mask off, walking in and out of the ER and using the restroom. After sitting there I needed to use the restroom so I asked where should I go assuming since I was positive I wouldn’t use the normal restroom. Shockingly I was told to use the normal one.
The whole time I was at the hospital I saw one nurse clean one wheel chair and then clean her shoes. There wasn’t another person cleaning. I was completely shocked.
After sitting in the lobby for over 2 hours they finally called me back. The nurse came in and asked me what was going on and I told her. She asked me to take off my shirt, put the gown on and pee in a cup. I let her I couldn’t because I had went while waiting. At that time I asked for water and a blanket.
After Patiently Waiting
Per the nurse there was a shortage of blankets and I couldn’t have water until they doctor saw me. I knew the ER was busy so I sat in the room with my shirt wrapped around my feet waiting. The doctor came in and let me know that they were going to take some blood and go from there. This was a little after 9.
Out of no where a x-ray technician comes to take an x-ray of my chest. I say out of no where because the doctor didn’t mention having an x-ray to me. This gentleman was very kind and tried to be as helpful as possible.
A different nurse came in to take my blood. She quickly located a good vein on the right arm. Not knowing if they were going to give me an antibiotic she said she would try to get blood from the other side because it would have to be taken from a different location.
My left arm apparently doesn’t have good veins. While she was digging in my wrist with a needle I was telling her my horror story about the last time I was in an ER when they misdiagnosed me 20 years ago. After digging and not being able to get the vein I became nauseated and had to use the restroom.
Maybe TMI but had I thought to get the urine sample she wanted it would have been contaminated without a doubt, if you catch my drift.
Doctor comes back in and says that he is surprised that my blood work was so good considering I had tested positive for COVID-19. At that point I asked him about the dehydration. It was around midnight and I knew I hadn’t been drinking enough and I had been waiting almost 6 hours to get some sort of result.
The doctor stated blood work didn’t show dehydration but “he would give me a bag of fluids”. The second nurse came back in and I asked for water and a blanket. As she walked out of the room she states that I was asking for water now. I clearly heard the ER doctor state “Yep, just here for fluids”.
The nurse comes back in with the water and I inform her I heard what he said. I again ask for a blanket. I was told that they were short on blankets and that with my fever being 99.6 that they didn’t want it going the wrong direction. She stated the doctor would be back in. Quickly after leaving the room she came back and needed my vitals again because it had been so long. She took my temperature AFTER I had just drank ice water.
Staying For Treatment
After hearing the statement from the doctor I wanted to just leave but I didn’t. I sat there and received the fluids because I knew I was dehydrated. The respiratory therapist came to give me a machine to keep my lungs clear. I had to laugh because when Dad had his surgery I kept on him about using the same machine. It was a lot harder than it looked.
At that point he starts to open a pulse oximeter. I told him that I already had one at home and had let them know earlier. I also told him that my chest pain may be from anxiety and it just dawned on me. Typically my anxiety feels like there was an elephant on my chest but it didn’t feel like that.
Thankfully it was just anxiety. I feel had a nurse or doctor even looked at my medication and saw I suffer from anxiety they would have maybe suggested that. Instead I was made to feel like a complete idiot. I am not in the medical field and I am thankful for those who are.
I pray this is the last time I ever need an emergency room. This visit I was treated like I just wanted fluids. Twenty years ago I had two visited for the ER to miss the diagnosing of MONO. The first visit was treated like I just wanted pain pills. The second visit the next day my throat was closing and I couldn’t keep anything down.
