rant

[salixbabylon]

Yesterday was one of those days that starts off fine and ends in tears. Got up earlyish, painted, went to bellydance, came home, got ready to leave for our anniversary date. Drove to SJ with no traffic, made good time, got to the museum well in time for the educational-movie my husband wanted to see at 3:30. After that we were going to check out the Egyptian collection and have Indian food, and toast 6 years together.

But then I fell off the path on the way to the museum. One of those raised-brick paths, just an inch above the grass level. Nothing tricky about it. Just mis-stepped, fell off. Ankle made a crunching sound, and something seemed to be sticking out at an impossible angle. Couldn't walk on it without crying from pain, got nauseated, almost puked and/or passed out. Husband helped me hop to the car. Got to the Emergency Room in 15 minutes, at 3:30pm.

The Emergency Room in HELL, apparently. Took 2 hours to get an x-ray done (5:30ish) and then another FOUR hours to get someone to see me (9:30). And not because they were ready to, but because I tried to leave. I said I wanted to go home, I'd been there for SIX hours, could I go home? They wheeled me into a hallway and I got 2 minutes with a doctor who confirmed that it wasn't broken, just a really bad sprain, and someone would get me an ice pack and some pain meds, and they'd send me home with a splint and crutches. Took another hour to actually *get* those things.

I've never been to a hospital in a city before (as opposed to my smallish towns). I am beyond appalled at the practice of keeping people with potentially broken bones (and other patients bleeding, etc) there for *SEVEN HOURS*.

You can bet I would have been seen faster a) at home or b) in a "nicer" part of the city. Does this sort of thing happen in countries with socialized medicine? I mean, there was a young man with a severed thumb sitting there for a long time (at least 2 hours), and a very old woman with a broken-turning-purple foot (at least 4 hours). I know my injury wasn't as bad as some peoples, not by a lot. But *SEVEN HOURS* still seems beyond unreasonable to get 3 min of doctor-time and some minor treatment.

I know I'm probably just another middle-class-white-woman shocked at how everyone else is treated, but I have a new cause of moral outrage, here. People were *bleeding* and they still made them wait. And I can't figure out why, since last I checked, we didn't have a shortage of doctors in this country.

And now I have crutches. They are not as much fun as I thought they'd be when I was a kid. :P

Comments

[sarka.livejournal.com]

I dunno about all countries with socialized health care, I can only speak for Iceland... but unless we're talking about a non-threatening life injury on a Friday or Saturday night I don't think the wait here for something like that would be more than two hours. Probably even less, considering it was 3.30, which is not the H-hour for accidents.

Our health care system is better organized, I think. You'd never have gone to a hospital for that in Iceland, only to your local health care centre. And those people are brisk - you'd have been in and out of there in an hour under these circumstances. Just... don't grow old in this country. That's where our system fails.

I'm sorry that your anniversary had to be spent so badly though. It sounds like the waiting room must've been hell and of course you get nervous having to wait, in pain...

*hugs*

[salixbabylon.livejournal.com]

I think some 3rd world countries' health systems are better organized that ours, at the moment. Of course, I might just be cranky and unrealistic. ;)

Thanks for the sympathy. In a way, it was nice to be with him. He made me laugh, kept me entertained and distracted for seven hours... Let me cry on him when I get upset or it hurt. He's wonderful. *gets sappy*