Your last trip to casualty / the emergency room

I choked on a liquid vitamin as a baby.

I had a severe allergic reaction to fabric softener on NYE 2000-2001. I had to drive myself there at 4:00 am on new year's day. Sucked.

youre not supposed to drink it

December 30 2007 - actually for beeps. ear infection pain too severe to wait until doc appointment the next week. very sad baby. got a shot of antibiotics.

December 24th 2005 - for me - same reason. very sad me. got hydrocodone and antibiotics.

actually mine was technically Dec 25th

Had some weird bug as a kid, put me on a drip for two weeks. Never found out exactly what it was.

Extreme toothache and face swelling until eyes shut: a couple of years ago in the early spring. Just needed v v strong pain relief and antibiotics. Final solution was a root canal.

Before that it was in college for extreme dizziness/inner ear infection: fell down some stairs from vertigo, was throwing up all the time. Doc would/could only give me anti-nausea meds and send me home to bed. I guess.

never been admitted myself, but I've taken other people there. not in at least 10 years though. (delivery of baby doesn't count I assume)

Never had to go myself, but we took our daughter once when an ear infection suddenly got bad enough to leave her shrieking in misery. Turns out our pediatrician was on call that night, which was great for us, and he was able to help a kid who wasn't too sick, which was great for him -- he had just had to deal with a SIDS baby who he couldn't revive a few minutes earlier. He was pretty wrecked emotionally and took a few extra minutes with Sarah to remind himself that his job wasn't completely awful.

last thurs myself for food poisoning. was so dehydrated from vomiting & diarrhea i could hardly walk and could not stop shivering. my BP when i finally got there was crazy low. fixed me up w/ some IVs, nausea med...was def. glad i went.

i always feel guilty in the emergency room like if im not bleeding profusely or unconscious or something im wasting everyone's time.

last year - violent allergic reaction to mold (vomfest, terrible headache, couldn't get off the bathroom floor, etc.). was hooked up to an IV and given lots of benadryl which made me want to jump out of my skin, for some reason.

oh yeah, i had to wait in the waiting room for 5 hours before anyone would see me, which was tons of fun.

these stories are all trumped by those who are unable to answer

lots of benadryl which made me want to jump out of my skin, for some reason

That stuff makes me trip harder than any acid or shrooms I've ever (theoretically) done.

tripped in an underground hydro plant, couldn't catch my balance and had my computer + gear in a backpack which pitched me forward even harder. Smashed face and crushed right hand in a roadbed of 4" dia. stones. I wasn't going to go to the ER, because it didn't hurt initially, but was driving home and realized I couldn't use my hand. I didn't know how bad my face was until I walked in the ER and a nurse came trotting up, asking if I'd been mugged/beaten up. Mostly, it was dirt, and fortunately no broken hand bones.

awwh! when i normally take it, i just get knocked out. i've never had a panic attack, but from what i can tell, this was pretty close. also, they left the needle and tourniquet in/on my arm, which was really classy too.

hydrocodone (i think that's what i took once...) turned me into a terrible comedian, and i started telling really bad jokes. no one was amused, except for me.

We went to the ER because I suspected Elisabeth had trush. They claimed she did. Now I'm not so sure anymore. Trush is difficult to diagnose (especially in the beginning). I think I was just freaking out cause she was crying so much and she had white residue in her mouth. I am a worrier/hypochondriac.

hydrocodone (i think that's what i took once...) turned me into a terrible comedian, and i started telling really bad jokes. no one was amused, except for me.

and therein lies its beauty

I jumped through a bonfire and somehow an ascendant ember attached itself to my calf. The ER trip was extremely painful with some sort of abrasive scrubbing and antisepticizing. I only got Motrin 800s b/c my predilection for drug hoovering is somehow in my files.

I drove my bonkers neighbor there. He said he thought he was having a heart attack but it turned out, after triage, that he came in the hopes of getting a shot of morphine or more hydrocodone (which he had taken too many of and the pharmacy would obv not refill before the end of the month). So he was shouting and being a complete vulgar bastard, threatening to get various nurses arrested (wtf). The cops came and since his wife refused to leave the room, she got arrested.

Will left the emergency room eight hours later (they threatened to arrest me, too, when I asked when he might be ready to go). I'd been waiting in there the whole time. Then we spent the whole weekend trying to bail out his wife. (Her bail was set at $7000! And I'm really surprised she didn't get arrested for not being a US citizen, because she isn't. How did they not find out?) That weekend was pretty much HELL. He gave me $200 and I still feel like I got cheated.

December 2006 for a really *really* bad food allergy reaction. If nothing else it confirmed I'm now lactose intolerant.

no moo-moo in bot-bot for you

Before that is bcz I fell off my bicycle the first week I lived here. (A car manned by an idiot almost drove into me and I steered out of its way & hit a curb.) I fell on my face and it looked vicious but I knew it was just a huge scrape and did not break any face bones. I was a fucking block away from my house but the cop who showed up moments after my accident insisted on taking me to the ER against my will. Nothing was wrong with me. I had to walk seven miles home (taking the long route bcz I didn't know the town) (had no $$ for taxi and the bus did not come out to this far away hospital). Then the next day I had to walk four miles (there & back) to the police station to get my bike.

I still have a bill for a CAT scan/ambulance ride ($250 for the ambulance!!!) that I just throw in the trash every time it comes.

Junior year of college, the metal security door to my dorm slammed shut on my hand. I went to the student health center, and they gave me some aspirin and a band-aid, basically. That night, I had to have a friend help me get dinner, and during dinner I blacked out from the pain. We called a friend with a car and she took me to the ER. I had to have 5 shots in my hand and my fingernails punctured to relieve the pressure (ick.) A bunch of my friends casually rolled into the ER at some point to pick up my friend, which was amusing, as was overhearing a doctor talk about seeing "some type of STD she'd never seen before" on some guy who was handcuffed to a gurney. Good times.

I'm still kind of o_O about Ned's story, given what I know of the usual side-effects of lactose intolerance.

a few weeks ago, but just because the out-of-hours GP service is based there - I had such bad sinus pain right throughout my head that I was vomiting with the pain and couldn't move my head without screaming in agony, I thought I was having a brain haemorrhage or had contracted meningitis or something.

Last time before that was about five years ago when I fell down some stairs whilst cleverly managing to catch my boot heel round the top stair hence leaving my foot up top whilst going down the stairs like a moron. Of course, it didn't hurt that bad when I did it, so I went off as planned to meet my mum for lunch. Sat down in restaurant for a couple of hours, not putting any pressure or strain on it so not realising it was swelling up. Ate a lot, drank a lot, went to stand up, screamed and nearly passed out. I had to call a taxi and the driver had to carry me out into the taxi. I hadn't broken anything, only sprained the ligaments, but holy fuck it was sore. Only other times before that were as a small kid when I fell off my bike and landed chin-first on a spiky bit of rock, and as a slightly older child when I tried to run along a corridor with a closed door half-way along it, tried to open the door while careering towards it and failed miserably, snapping my wrist on the doorhandle and smashing my face right into the glass.

july 2007, fainted on tower hill platform in the london underground, split my chin open. i got five stitches from a cranky nurse in casualty. some dude with four toes was throwing up violently in the pod across from me

april 1996, broke arm while serving with HM armed forces on the school playing field.

Is casualty what they call it in the UK or is it a Stateser term I've never heard?

My wife broke her toe about a decade ago and I had to transport her to the mergency room.

She had a massively pinched nerve about five years ago that had her in tears the pain was so relentless. Took her to the emergency room twice on that occasion. It laid her up for almost a month.

I've taken my daughter more than once. I can't recall ever being the patient. Only the driver, nurse or hovering parent.

it used to be called "casualty" in the UK, but now (ie since southall was about 10!) we call it "a&e", ie accident and emergency.

Casualty is a really funny term. Sort of.

there's a very-long-running show about a hospital (guess which department) called 'casualty', and they didn't change the name when actual casualty departments got renamed, so it's sort of stuck.

something involving ankles and torn ligaments

Family related stuff. A little over a year ago. It sucked so bad that that's all I have to say about it. Worst fuckin day in God knows how long.

Hit by car on new year's eve 2003, on my bicycle (rip). I posted the story on iltrmb somewhere. Road rash on knees, elbows, face, knuckles. Fairly badly broken thumb, had to go under the knife to get pins put in. Still has a scar of the car's grill on my left calf too. And scars on knuckles. And my thumb continues to be fairly stiff.

15 years ago, the morning after a heavy drinking session, I passed out from dehydration. I remember the totally incredulous look on the junior doctor's when I told her how much I'd drunk. Then she said "Do you usually drink that much?". I shrugged my shoulders and said "Yeah, pretty much".

about five years ago for carbon monoxide poisoning. we were in the basement of our office moving ancient equipment when everyone started feeling sick (i'd been out the night before and just assumed I was dealing poorly with a hangover) Turns out there was faulty ventilation and they sent everyone home. HR called us at home later and suggested we all seek care. I ended up waiting about 2 hrs, 45 min to be put on oxygen for about 15 min. Awesome.

last trip? i broke my pinky whilst bike-riding drunkenly. continued drinking all night, woke up, did a radio show, went and bought some lunch and cigarettes, then went to the emergency room because my friend made me. both the e-room doctor as well as the orthopod who put the cast on me said that it was the worst finger break they'd ever seen. it went in a jagged buzz-saw line from the top of my pinky almost all the way to where it connects with my hand.

Guys, don't ride a bike while drunk. I had a friend who died doing this.

2005, was sent in by my doc cos I couldn't breathe very well, assumed it'd be fixed on the day and have been sick EVER SINCE.

there's a bone chilling tale for you all.

xpost, I wasn't drunk fwiw.

It was in the morning, worst new years evah

Last time: About a month ago, I was in for paroxysmal supra-ventricular tachycardia. I got in right away after I said I was having a heart attack (which it's not, technically).

Because of our faulty health care system and shortage of doctors/clinics here, I use the ER as a walk-in clinic as do many people here. Last time was about a week and a half ago to get antibiotics for a flu turned bronchitis. Have been in the emergency room 4 times with our 2-year-old (sliced lip requiring stitches, smashed pinkie finger, precautionary trip after a car hit the stroller he was in, tick lodged in his ear where we couldn't get it out). I've been into the ER for myself various times in the past couple of years for Lyme's and other presumably tick-related symptoms.

I had to take my friend Rutherford who pitched forward off his bike and sliced his chin open. A few stitches, a few Krystals out of a vending machine (!!!), and we were on our way.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v236/njsouthall/Photo648.jpg

The Exeter one's not even A&E anymore, I think.

Emma's reaction last night was "do you need to go to casualty?" rather than "A&E", so...

last time for me was ny's day 2000, around 2am. was wearing sandals and walking across a field covered in beer bottles. sliced the arch of my foot on the jagged broken neck of a speight's bottle. it was dark and i didn't realise how bad it was till i climbed into the ambulance. there were two big scary gangsta-lookin' dudes in there who'd been in a fight - i pulled my sandal off and the pressure made the blood squirt up in the air in a huge arc, one of the dudes almost passed out! so funny.

wish i hadn't gone to the emergency room tho. the local anaesthetic the doc kept jabbing in my foot was the worst of all. 4 stitches which i ended up removing myself cuz i was too lazy to go to the doc.

February 2006, gettin' the appendix outta there!

I spent all fucking night in emergency because I had the misfortune of having appendicitis outside of regular business hours.

Late, last year got knocked off my bike by a car on the ride into work, went to A&E at the hospital I work at, which was fun.

2000, went to the University Doctors with a very headachy flu, worst pain I'd ever had. They sent me home with codeine to sweat it out. In pain all day and by the afternoon it was unbearable. Housemate called NHS Direct who, on hearing the symptoms sent an Ambulance round to whisk me off to the Northern General. Was a quiet friday afternoon but just after the shift change for the night shift so seen very quickly, dosed on strong painkillers and put in an A & E ward for diagnosis. Poked and prodded, they are worried it is meningitis so the consultant orders a spinal tap. Smart young Junior doctor asks if blood oxygen levels have been check, no they haven't so they strap a monitor to my thumb, it is several points below normal and healthy. So they whisk me off to have a chest x-ray and my lungs are full of mild abnormal pneumonia. So straight on strong anti-biotics and they release me next day.

First and only time was in 2001. I ate way too much hash cake and passed out. I was deeply embarrassed and furious at myself for wasting people's valuable time. Unfortunately I was also too caned to express this sentiment.

Other trips for me over the years;

Approx 1988 - sword-fighting (using bamboo sticks) with my mate Johnny, and a lump gets taken out of my forehead).

Approx 1989 - running away from my brother during a game of chase (which he's stopped) I butt my head into a door latch and need seven stitches - you could see my skull.

Approx 1990 - broke arm playing football.

Approx three trips between 2002-2005 - twisted knee / ankle playing football.

Approx 2003 - took brother to casualty during game of football when his heart went funny (too much spliff, too much football, not a ggood enough diet).

Approx 2005 - sliced open finger while trimming speaker cable with very sharp Swiss Army knife.

That's really funny, nothing throws minor drug use into perspective like an AED doctor who's seen it a million times.

About nine months ago in Brighton my friend had her drink spiked in a club. Trying to convince the police at 2am after several beers that no this girl who is comatose in my arms had not just had one too fucking many, was tricky. Took her in a cab to a+e where they gave her blood test and made her ride it out until she recovered. I stood around for a number of hours breathing in death and hating men/myself.

took my girlfriend of six years to a&e after a number of fainting episodes on the day after a minor car crash. they kept her overnight, she dumped me the next day. maybe some cute young doctor told her she was allergic to me? :(

March 1997. I fractured my foot kicking in one of my friend's doors during a particularly messy lol uni party. The official reason given to the Hall Secretary was because he was passed out unconscious and we were worried he'd die in his sleep, but the actual reason was because someone told me had more booze in his room. He was actually unconscious, so wouldn't open the door to let us at it.

I didn't make it to the A&E til the next afternoon, despite it being just over the road.

When my mum died last summer. It was terrible.

condolences

2 years ago the morning after the night i fell out of a bus after seeing dizzy rascal. it turned out to be okay though and i got sent home with a "minor head injury" information leaflet.

i should have gone to A+E maybe when i got punched in the eye a couple weeks back but didn't but it turned out okay anyway (i think) (is the world supposed to be in 3D?)

Just over a month ago, something was being a serious'pain in the ass' for a few days, and it got so bad that I couldn't walk or move, so I called for an ambulance. Had a nice ride and the dudes were pretty cool. I did feel guilty that I wasn't properly injured with blunt trauma or something, but I didn't know what else to do... Waited about a half-hour at the Emergency room, and then had some brutally painful minor surgery (believe me, you never want to experience this).

Got the bill this week - $45 for the Ambulance (paid by my company health plan), and of course no other charges. Hooray Canadian healthcare!

Another time I went to emerg was a stupid case of being so high that I thought I was having heart problems, not feeling my arms, etc. The doctor was obviously not impressed, and I felt really bad for wasting their time.

i fell out of a bus after seeing dizzy rascal

If you left him alone I'm sure he'd have been harmless

i think riding bikes while drunk is fine. just not too drunk-- i've had friends get really fucked up this way, too. one of 'em was hit by a truck and his leg got shattered. the pinky thing was mostly me being an idiot and riding on the grass, then allowing my bike to slip into the area between the grass and the side-walk, which locked the wheels in that position, causing my fall.

other emergency room trips:

2002- Slammed my thumb in a car door. while waiting, an old man fell out of his wheelchair and started peeing blood right in front of me (could see it through his pants). that was sad and unpleasant.

2000- took such a huge shit that i actually tore my rectum open. shat blood later, totally freaked out. all the doctor could ask was, "are you sure you haven't been having...uh...anal intercourse with anyone?" i mean, fuck, i was telling the truth about the shit thing, doc!

1999- weird ear infection that sent my fever up to 104 and made me hallucinate.

1998- lyme disease infects my knee. after being wheeled into the e-room screaming, they put me on a morphine drip for three days, did the whole surgery thing, and i was out in time to play my hardcore band's first gig. sitting down.

these are all me though. my parents don't really count, because when yr mom's had cancer and kidney issues, and yr dad's a UTI-prone coffee guzzler, you get used to the calls saying, "oh, mom (or dad) is in the hospital." i almost sort of wave it off a bit at this point.

Last summer - went and waited for a friend who ended up having a really nasty case of cellulitis - infectious inflammation of the dermis - that he contracted from a dirty bathtub in NYC. It was in a place so that he was unable to sit or walk comfortably for about 5 or 6 days.

Last trip for me - I fell, backwards, off a handrail and slammed the back of my head onto a concrete step. No lasting damage, not even a hairline crack to my skull. Just 8 stitches and a very wounded pride. And a ruined linen shirt that I REALLY liked.

August 2004. I got my tonsils removed after many many months of horrible strep throat. The operation went fine. Then, a few days later, sitting at home alone at my computer, I suddenly felt something trickling out of my mouth. I ran to the bathroom and the blood just started pouring out. It started to clot in the back of my throat, nearly blocking my air passage, until I vomited. I somehow managed to grab my cell phone, call 911 and just barely blurt out my address out to the operator. My dad took this picture the next day:

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r305/superflouis/SoreThroat.jpg

my sink always looks like that

lou that is epic! I am glad it was documented.

terrible kidney infection, the only time i've been other than being born (despite breaking my leg and arm as a kid!)

wait, how did you fix the broken bones??

splint + going to the doctor on monday

zero painkillers? thats tough

my girlfriend fell and smashed up her chin at the train station a couple weeks ago. we got on the train anyway and then had to get off at the next stop because it was so painful. my mom came and picked us up (moms rule) and took us to the ER. nothing serious.

this happened a me a few days ago

http://i30.tinypic.com/2ztird0.jpg

http://i28.tinypic.com/xdcoif.jpg

Last time was in march, getting punched by a guy in the street at 5am. I got 5 stitches to my lips, my two front teeth bent all the way backwards (they were actually stuck to my palate). Worst thing was i had an interview to get into a school three days after and i looked really silly with my stitches and huge lips.

Yikes! to most of this thread.
The last few times have been with my Mom or some client that I work with. My mom - cat scratch fever, the last time!
Clients - usually cardio-pulmonary issues.
The last time I went to the ER, (for myself) I think, was from slicing open a big section of my fleshy palm while opening a can of paint. Very convenient, given the drop cloths.
Also very convenieint that two people who were finishing their nursing certification lived downstairs, and got me wrapped up and drove me to the hospital, and also took the stitches out a few weeks later.

I was opening the can of paint with a screwdriver, and when it finally POPPED! the screwdriver sort of sliced and plunged.
It bled a lot.

July 2006; what I'd hoped was a sprained wrist turned out to be broken.

Some time in the late 90s. THought I was miscarrying. Turns out I wasn't, but I also do not have kids, so you can work out the rest.

September 2006, 6th nosebleed in three days, bleeding so heavilly that it's running down the back of my throat and clotting so i can't breathe and start vomiting. Whisked away in ambulance to A&E where they inform me that the ENT department has been moved to Livingston which is about 30 miles away, nose swabbed with adrenaline and I'm discharged. Have a massive panic attack during the night thanks to the adrenaline and am too scared to sleep in case bleeding starts again. Sure enough I have nosebleeds number seven and eight early the next morning and hot foot it to my GP's surgery where I finally get an emergency referral to ENT and after a 1 1/2 hour bus journey that seems to stop in every town in West Lothian my nose is cauterised and i'm kept in overnight. No more nosebleeds since thank god.