For those of you who don't already know, I spent the majority of my day Friday in the Emergency Room with Gary. If you have never spent any time in an ER, yeah for you. Consider yourself fortunate. It is indeed a unique experience. I have become very familiar with ERs between Gary and Chris over the past 18 years or so. Before anyone becomes gravely concerned, Gary is fine. He has an infection and is in some pain but so far it is manageable and he will be following up with his doctor this next week. But now let me share our experience with you.
It started when I get a call from his cell phone while I am at work on Friday. I cannot take the call and was getting ready to send a text when I see his cell phone trying to call my work phone. I know something must be up and am getting ready to put my phone on not ready to call and see what is going on when again my cell phone rings. It is one of Garys' managers telling me that Gary has passed out and I need to come get him. Knowing Gary's heart history and that he has at times passed out when he is having an episode I immediately head out. It takes about 20 minutes to get from my work to his. When I arrive I discover that it is not his heart but instead he thinks he is either having a kidney stone or maybe another hernia. Five hernia operations makes him kind of an expert on hernia pain so he is thinking probably kidney stone.
I take him to Urgent Care just across the street from his store. The Urgent Care doctor, who must have been 80 at least and walked extremely slow and whose hand was shaking so bad he kept it in his pocket, also thought it was a kidney stone and sent us on to the ER.
We arrive at the ER about 2:45 or so. And now the looonnnnggg wait starts. I observe people as I am a people watcher. We see the first group of people who were there when we arrived come and go and people who came in after us be called back and then a second wave of people come in over the course of the next 4-5 hours. In the first group of people was a lady without any fashion sense. She was wearing maroon colored shoes, lime green and gray socks, black pants and a pink top. Her nail polish was a combination of orange/pink. Not really either of those colors but perhaps a mixture. She is talking on her phone to someone about her kid brother who is 15 and has apparently gotten beat up by some other kid who is 18. She is calling and sending someone to her house to check on him. This lady and her husband really seemed to enjoy the Ellen show.
We are called back to triage and then chose a different area to sit. Here we encounter some young guy who obviously isn't feeling very well as he is sitting with his head on his knees. More on him later. Some big loud guy comes in. He is wearing pajama bottoms, carrying a back pack and a fishing pole. The fishing pole he carefully places in the corner next to him. He starts talking loudly to anyone who will listen that he needs some kind of pain meds. The ones he got earlier aren't doing the job. He then leaves to go get a cup of coffee. After he comes back another guy comes in. This gentleman appears to have already sought medical attention someplace else as he has some sort of shoulder stabilizer on.
These two gentlemen appear to be friends and start comparing symptoms about what has brought them to the ER. Shoulder guy had some sort of bicycle accident that knocked him out and shattered his collar bone (his words). Both of them are there for better pain meds as what they have already been given aren't working. Fishing pole guy is called back to triage. Shoulder guy starts moaning every time he shifts or even moves his mouth. Fishing Pole guy comes back and tells Shoulder guy that they have some pretty good coffee in the machine if he wants some. Shoulder guy continues to moan in between talking to his friend. Oh, did I mention that their talking is not really quiet talk? And Fishing Pole guy has some extreme body odor. This is noticed every move he makes.
Fishing Pole guy is called back. He enquires if he needs to take his stuff. He is told yes. He leaves and I can't help but think how optimistic he is. He obviously believes he is going to get some good drugs and be able to go fishing after he leaves the ER. Now Shoulder guy has no one to talk to so has to resort to just moaning. The moaning becomes more frequent and annoying. He is obviously a big baby and now he is making the natives restless. The poor young kid with his head on his knees is now active and complaining.
By now most everyone but Gary has been called back and the second wave of people are coming in. I go to enquire on how much longer they expect it to be as we have now been waiting in ER about 4 hours. I am told that everyone who has been called back is in worse shape that is why they have triage. Really?? I understand chest pain and trouble breathing being worse. I do not understand wanting more meds to go fishing as being worse.
We finally get called back to a room. Things go a little bit faster here. Pain meds are administered, blood drawn, doctor comes in, ultra sound done, ct scan done. It seems there is a kidney stone in the kidney but it is not causing the problem. It is probably the beginning of an infection. Gary is given anti-biotics and pain meds and advised to follow up with his own doctor next week. Fortunately, his own doctor happened to be in the ER checking on someone and was actually conferring with the ER doctor who was treating Gary.
We arrive home about 9:30 that evening about spending 9 hours in Urgent Care and Emergency Room. Gary is resting. He has some discomfort but overall doing fine. He will calling and getting an appointment with his doctor this week.
It was quite apparent from our ER visit that the lost are just that 'lost'. They cannot help the way they are, they do not know any better. I pray that our demeanor and behavior showed some of Christ's love that we have.
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