Chaos in the emergency room: The forgotten patient!
8:20: "car from the left"? BUMS
I do not remember anything more about my accident two weeks ago. Everything happened very fast. With the bike on the way to work. There was a big car that blocked my view and suddenly there was this smart. Then it was getting dark. Next, I remember three heads above me and then the nice paramedic. On the way to the hospital he asked me which day was today. I had no answer to that. "It's not that bad, it's coming back," he said.
8.50 am: emergency room? "We are doing a CT"
I snapped it open in my daze. There was a doctor and a young doctor in training, who looked at me and asked things that I could not classify. Then I came into the corridor of the emergency room, waited while lying down.
10:00 am: "It's still going to take you to CT"
A man who was highly infectious was escorted to the CT by masked nurses. A woman asked when her mother finally arrived, that they had already been in the emergency room for 6 hours. The apparatus had to be first disinfected and then dried, was the answer of the radiologist. Continue to wait. At some point I was called and driven to the CT. Once in there, it was for me to breathe in, exhale and hope that everything is well.
11:12? Nausea: "Can you get me a ghost bowl?"
My head squeezed, thoughts turned and I was back in the emergency room corridor. A friend came over. "Can you get me a ghost bowl?" I asked her because I was pretty sick after CT. There was no sign of a sister.
11.40 clock: "You are a borderline case"
Great. The doctor explained that my CT was without findings? Juhu! If I wanted, I could go home. Or just stay on station, 24 hours for observation. Because of my nausea he would find it better. There was a case, he said, someone's home had a blood clot in his head, that was stupid. "And you do not look that good either," he added. So I stayed. "Can I get a painkiller and some water?" I asked. That went.
12:05: "My goodness, that's a lot of blood!"
We were mostly five in the corridor of the emergency room. This was not irritating. Sleep was out of the question. The patients were very different. Foot injuries, inpatients who only came to X-rays, hand injuries, an unconscious. Little blood until then. But then came the turmoil: An older man, who had been lying very quietly on his bed for some time and was holding his back, lay in a pool of blood. A study doctor quickly called a caregiver and they pushed him into a treatment room.
12:44: "So listen, I'm waiting an hour!"
Then came the stinking boot. An older man with a thick arm ran through half the emergency room to make him angry and his complaints annoying. "This happened in the hospital!", He raged loudly. Later, a doctor told me that more and more patients were going to the emergency room because they thought they were being treated faster than the doctor. And then they wonder that real emergencies take precedence.
14:26: "I'll get you a bed, but it may take a moment"
In the past few hours, I've already seen that it took a while for patients to be brought to the ward. It was no different for me. I asked for another cocktail for the pain and turned around. Sleep. Finally sleep.
15:40: "Something tight here, what?"
When I stepped out briefly, an older man was pushed next to me. He wore a mask, looked a little unkempt. Our beds were edge to edge. "Something tight here, huh?" He said as I climbed onto my couch. What did he have, I asked myself. Something contagious? Do not think about it ...
16:23: "I'm black in the face"
There was a man who had been mistaken before because he had tattoos on his arms (like another patient). He complained of a shoulder injury and a concussion. He was not doing so well the whole time. The pain medication was not enough, he had to go to the toilet, but should wait. When the staff was gone, he went on his own. When he came back he felt dizzy. The doctor rushed up, lifted his legs and gave him a saline solution.
17:05: Finally, something nice to eat!
A friend had offered to bring some clothes over? and brought something to eat. Finally! Since breakfast, not a single bite landed with me. And I had not arrived at the station yet. I had not eaten for so long that I barely felt the hunger. What are some people doing that nobody stops by?
17:29: "They are still here!"
Unbelieving, the doctor came up to me and was amazed that I was still not on station. "They're still here!" He said angrily. But five minutes later, patient transport actually came. Finally!
18.12 clock: Alone on station
The transport man was completely stressed and said that 10 people were sick. That explains why I had to wait four hours to get a few floors up. I got a single room in neurology. The supper was already waiting for me: two messy slices of bread, meatballs and a slice of sausage. I was thirsty! In case of concussion one should drink a lot. Half a liter in 10 hours emergency room was probably not enough. So I first crashed down what was there. When will a doctor come? Tomorrow between seven and eight. Then there would be breakfast. Until then: rest.
The morning after
At seven o'clock the next morning breakfast came. At first I did not see the doctor. Until just before ten. I could go home if I wanted. However, Frau Doktor wanted to come back with the report, medication and recommendations for action. Did not happen. But 30 minutes later, the man came from the station reception. When would I be picked up? Um, so Frau Doktor wanted to come again. That is now but in the OP. So I called a friend who wanted to drive me home. At 11 o'clock she was ready below. Not me. I still had an access in my arm. "Come on, I'll pull that off you." Really? Then it was finally home, in a dark room. I slept for three days. Then I was healthy.
