Our Adoption Blog

Where do I speak of?? County Hospital ER. It doesn’t really matter which one, but I am speaking specifically of Harbor County General.

A little background. A friend of mine was suffering from kidney stones. If you have ever had kidney stones then you know why we went to the ER. This is a most painful ailment, especially when it is time for the stone to pass — I won’t go into detail.

So anyway - he calls me about 12 p.m. on Saturday and asks me to take him down there. We go and arrive in the ER at 1 p.m. This becomes important later. Now, if you have ever watched ER then you get the impression from that show that all the freaks hang out in the county ER. This is fact. Now my friend and myself are not freaks. I have insurance and would never, ever for any reason be caught in a county ER as a patient. He is self-employed and pushing 60. So insurance really just isn’t an option. So for him, even though he is an upper middle class individual, he is forced to do ER in county. The people at this place were unbelievable. The chairs were the type that have the arm rest that comes up in between the two chairs, preventing you from laying out through several chairs. This does not stop our friends at county. This one guy had wrapped himself through the armrest and was sleeping, He sleeps through most of this story. This guy, is covered in open sores, bleeding ulcers. Really covered. Ever heard the bible story of Job. Yeah, that bad. It was really really gross.

Next we had the guy who wanders, there is one in every county from what I hear. Inside he was dressed in a lovely ensemble provided by the hospital. Red boxers, and open back nightgown. Outside, when he smoked, however he chose to go au natural. I am still debating about which grossed me out more, ulcer boy or naked man.

Then there were the residents. No I am not talking about the doctors or soon to be doctors. I am talking about the people who live in the ER waiting room. They have claimed a section of seating, and they live there. This comprised of about 50 percent of the people that were in the ER at any given time.

Then, of course, you have the kids. These kids are not under any sort of parental supervision. Apparently since the parents require a trip to the ER they feel that babysitting should be a part of the deal.

So this is my initial take on the place, walking in at 1 p.m. Bear in mind, I am not exaggerating any of this. I would like to try and make something like this up — I am really just not that talented though.

Now when we showed up at 1 p.m. we checked in and did the initial registration and vital checking. All that went fairly quickly and I was encouraged that we may just get out of the building in a few hours. Well. No. That did not happen. At 3 p.m. I had not heard anything from the nurse about when we could expect to see a doctor. So I go up to the counter and ask about when I can expect to get Jim (my friend) some help, since he is in excrutiating pain. They ask when we got there. I say “1 o’clock”. They reply “1 this afternoon?” rather shocked. Now of course, I am feeling it. I am shocked it is taking so long as well. They, however, are shocked that I am already asking about when I will see a doctor. So this rather large black woman says “Honey, maybe in about 6 to 8 hours.”

WHAT!???!

I thought for sure that she was joking. As it turns out she was. We sat in the waiting room, not 6 hours, not 8 hours. No we sat in the waiting room until 8:25 a.m. the following morning. Now remember when I said that the time we came would be important. It is time for basic math.

1 p.m. until 8:25 a.m. the following day — grand total - 19.25 hours. In the creepiest waiting room ever.

We had periods of 3 and 4 hours where not one person was taken back to see a doctor. These “nurses” in the front had zero interest in what was happening out front. Some people had been waiting for more then 22 hours. The guy I spoke of earlier - ulcer boy - he had been there for 4 days. He looked like he was about 23 or 24. Hadn’t showered in several weeks. I honestly think that he was under the influence of some major drugs. I also think his being there for 4 days was more his own fault then anything else, since he seemed like he wanted to be left alone to sleep, so he would miss them calling his name. When you miss them calling your name, you go back to the beginning and start the whole 20 hour process over again.

Apparently one of the other patients called the police about the guy and they pushed him through the crowd and got him seen by a doctor. The nurses at the desk were too busy laughing and making jokes about him to actually care enough to get him some treatment. I actually got the impression that they had pool on how long he would be there, before he left.

We were able to get in with in 20 hours, and according the nurse, this was “quick”. Of course, when you go in, you go in to wait some more. I could not go with Jim right away, so I left and went and got coffee, since at this point I had been awake for 28 hours. (I will discuss my inability to sleep in any public place in my personal journal sometime). They told me, check back in 1 1/2 hours and you can go in and see him. Apparently they have that rule since the doctor will not see you for that period of time once you get inside. I am not sure why. Once we got inside, the staff was great. I really mean that.

I think that doctors and nurses that are working at the county facility truly care about you, because, why else would they be there? Of course, the “system” still tries to make the situation as horrific and humiliating as possible. Jim was put into a room with 3 other people. 1 guy ( he had AIDS, no one tried to hide that fact, he was NOT having a good day). 1 lady, she spent most of the time turning on the nurse bell and peeing on herself, with just a touch of projectile vomiting. Now, if I was a woman in a room with 3 other guys, I might be wetting myself and vomiting too.

Jim and I decided to move out to the chairs in the hallway since there was really no reason to be in the room and it was just creeping us out. The third guy was drunk. SHOCKING. He was 48 years old and I would not have placed him a day younger then 65. He decided it was his job to lift the spirits of everyone else in the room by wandering about talking to everyone. The nurse finally got fed up and threatened to put him in soft restraints. You knew we couldn’t get through this story without soft restraints coming into play.

She comes out into the hallway to get another nurse to help her. While she is explaining to this nurse why he needs to be restrained he came out and defend his behavior. Lo and Behold, what is in his hand. A KNIFE!!! He is hiding it from the nurses but since we are behind him we can see it. It is big, at least 6 inches. It is a fold knife so the blade is not out. I didn’t want to say anything while he is there since he hasn’t unfolded the knife. He runs back into the room and I go over to the nurse and say. “Do you know that he has a knife?” So they freak out and run into the room and find where he was hiding it and the cops come again. I saw ALOT of police officers over the last 24 hours.

At this point it is noon, 23 hours into the adventure. They finally get his CT scan back and determine that yes there is a stone and it is on the move. They decide to give him fluids and hopefully break it up. Otherwise Jim must endure a procedure that will entail a long flexible camera and gripper type item being inserted into his… well, you know.

NO ONE — EVER — FOR ANY REASON should be forced to endure this procedure. Well - ok - I can think of a few I wouldn’t mind having to go through it.

Anyway - at this point I received a pardon. George, another friend, showed up and he said he would wait until Jim was done and take him home. So I got to leave. I walked out of the ER at 1 p.m. Exactly 24 hours later.

Thankfully, I get to go back tomorrow to take Jim to the clinic, for the follow-up and possible the camera procedure.

Monday should be interesting….