I know it has been a long time. Months, I know. It's been a very long summer. It still feels like summer. I can not believe it is the middle of October. I have not put away my shorts or summer clothes. I am still wearing my saddles. I think that is why I am not truly missing teaching yet. It still feels like summer vacation.
I told Sean last week I was so glad his parents were not sick. I do not think I could handle his parents being sick too. Mom is doing better. She had surgery to get the port out. Hopefully, that will solve some of her problems. I need to get a picture of her now. She has lost so much weight. She has no hips and no butt. Dad is doing better too. He was in the hospital last week b/c of another heart attack.
Which leads me into my latest bitch. I hate Emergency Rooms. I cannot stand them.(if you want to skip this bitch, go down to *************)
At the end of the school year, Mr.A broke his arm. (On mom's day) We knew it was broken. His arm was that mis formed. We took him to the ped's ER. (Long story short) they ended up scaring his arm on both sides b/c the Dr. did not use the cast saw correctly. Then I end up in the ER b/c of an asthma attack. Did find. Then 2 weeks later, ended up back there b/c of asthma. With the exact same simtums. After telling 2 nurses I could not breathe, I was having asthma problems that my inhaler was not helping, I had fainted, and the rest of my history. My heart rate was 160. The Doctor came in did not look at anything that the nurses wrote down b/c she asked me all the same questions told me I was having a "panic attack and I should try to breathe deeper. I should not take my inhaler as much as I was. It was what was elevating my heart rate." She then sent me home.
I went to my Doctor the next day b/c I was worried and pissed. He was pissed to b/c I was having asthma problems and not a panic attack. He told me I needed to take my inhaler as much as I felt I needed it. My asthma is not under control. And won't be until after thanksgiving. When we can mess around with all the medications.
When my dad went to the ER for his heart attack. My mom drove him b/c they were coming back from somewhere and were already in the car. Dad walked in told the nurse he was having a heart attack and that he has had one before. She looked at him and said he needed to sit down and wait they were very busy and she did not know when they could get to him. When he complained, she said to him, "If he was really having a heart attack he should have called the ambulance." Dad was pissed and started yelling. For those of you who know my dad, It takes a hell of a lot to piss him off. I think I have heard him yell maybe 5 times in my whole life. Even when my brother went off on my mom at the dinner table, He got up calmly and went to my brother's room (where he ran off too) quietly. But the family knew he was pissed.He ended up going to another ER at another hospital.
Last weekend, Mr. A went to this Boy Scout thing. Ended up getting hit in the head (go figure) with a golf club. He ended up bleeding all over the place and was too out of it for me. We took him to Patient First. We wanted to make sure he did not need stitches. They would not see him. They told us to take him to teh ER b/c of how he was acting. They thought he needed to get a CAT scan to make sure everything was ok. That is what both doctors said they would do if it was their son. We get to the ER and sit and wait for hours. To be told he fine. He doesn't need a cat scan B/c they felt kids are too exposed to needless scans. Just wake him up every 2 hours to make sure he's fine. The put neosporain on his cut and sent him home. He has this gash on his forehead I ended up putting glue on to seal. It bled off and on for the last 3 days and will most likely scar. So we paid $75 to get no help at the ER. Patient First would have been $10.
So what the hell is the problem? I think it is not just one ER or one type of hospital. I think the problem comes from people using the ER for things like the flu, colds, and the such. So when you have to go in for broken arms, heart attacks, and not breathing, you end up with overworked Doctors, staff, and an ER unable to deal with the volume of patients it has. I also think the doctors are to blame too. Not just in ER's but across the board. Doctors listen for about 40 seconds to you as you tell them what is wrong and then they stop listening. They most likely interrupt you b/c they have already made up their mind what is wrong with you. They pretty much prejudge you. If you are older then it's b/c of being older. If you are going through menopause. Then it's b/c of that. If you have cancer then it is b/c of that. And so on. That is why it took years for me to get diagnosed with asthma. I was fainting at school and everyone thought it was my heart b/c I have always had that problem. Even if they could not find anything on the monitors that I had to wear. It turned out I was fainting b/c I could not get enough air. So what is the answer? Better health care? a test to become a parent? Listening classes for dr? or how about we learn to speak up a bit about our own health care? then we start self diagnosing which is never good.
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Ok, I have missed the first day of school. Here are some pictures of my wonderful kids. Ms. G is in third grade and Mr. A in first. G is doing wonderful A's and B's! Although, she hates the extra homework this year. A is doing great in everything but reading. He is his mother's child. I did not learn to read until third grade. I worked hard for my grades. He is doing much better than I was at his age. I understand how hard it is for him. I wish I could help him more.
I ran into a problem loading up the picture so you will have to wait.
~Niffer
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