I responded to my last blog about our evening in the ER last evening (and most of the night). It was an interesting experience. Since our wait was so long we were able to observe a few interesting cases.

First, there was the "hush" of the DOA woman. The family was expected to arrive, but the timing needed to be arranged for telling them. The next thing I heard - since we were in the triage area of ER we were close to the front desk - was a gentleman asking to be shown back to his mother's room. She had been brought by ambulance. This was the beginning of the family arrival. The secretary told him they had not yet been able to get her name, and the family could not go back until she heard from the back. The man became agitated - 'listen, that's my mother....don't MAKE me come back there'.....A few minutes later he came through the door - locked, but he and a few others slipped in behind someone else. The secretary had called for security because she knew things were going to get difficult. She caught the family members before they got to the end of the first hall and advised them they could not go back yet. It was a struggle for her, I could tell - and he was so stressed. Eventually the chaplain came to the front and took the family members who were there away, apparently to break the news their mother had passed away. A few minutes later a woman, presumably a daughter nearly collapsed. By the time it was all over there must have been between 25 and 30 family and friends go past and back to the family room. I guess the thing that I became aware of was that, based upon my estimation of the ages of the kids and the sisters and brother and the fact there was no mom or dad there is that this woman was probably about our age. In the blink of an eye - her daughter had apparently spoken with her earlier in the evening and she was fine...It's no wonder the family was so distraut - they'd had no opportunity to wrap up all the loose ends we have with our loved ones.

Then there was the young woman who was having chest pains, thinking she was having a heart attack. Since nothing but a drape separates the patients, it was pretty easy to hear it was probably anxiety. I guess that situation was best described as great stuff for Jerry Springer....complete with sons swearing to get out the AK47 and take it to a brother!!! I was a little relieved when they got her out of triage and back to a more secure area!!!

And then there was the individual who was there in an attempt to get in rehab. So sad. It used to be there was alot of "12 step" work done by alcoholics (recovering) with sick alcoholics. When I heard the social worker explaining there was no place he could go last night because the rehab facilities were full (and our county facility had closed due to "budgetary" constraints) I nearly wept. The man said, 'well, if they are going to turn me out tonight I'll just go to the grocery store and get a bottle of cooking wine.' The words of the desperate. The social worker left, then returned to tell him that she'd arranged for him to go to a facility in another county today and the Physicians Assistant had told her he could stay where he was for the night. This was a man who's alcoholism had finally rendered him "bankrupt" - homeless, jobless (he does have a trade), divorced, who's family was self-described as "a family full of alcoholics". Hopefully that bed in the rehab center will be available today, hopefully a soul ravaged by alcoholism will be willing to finally give up and admit his disease is killing him, that he has no control over it - and that he wants to live - one day at a time - without the booze - in order to begin rebuilding his life.

I just got off the phone with Bill's pcp's nurse. The ER doc wrote that he should be seen before the week-end by his pcp for a check. June announced that Bill's doc doesn't have any openings until the middle of next week, but maybe he could be seen by the nurse practictioner. There is something wrong with medicine today - there was a time when practices left room in ther schedules for emergencies. I called Wednesday morning for an appointment on Friday and was told the doctor has nothing until the middle of next week. Maybe it's time to find a pcp who does have time - other than the 3 month scheduled visit appointment. I'm trying hard to be objective here - but something just doesn't feel right. Maybe that's another reason his other pcp gave up on practicing medicine and took that job with a managed health provider as their medical director.

Oh well, chalk my crabby mood up to lost sleep.