Emergency Room

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Author Message   amandacat Citizen Username: Amandacat Post Number: 977 Registered: 8-2001 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 5:14 pm:        A particularly nasty srain of the stomach flu hit the amandacat household with a vengeance, necessitating a midnight trip to the St. Barnabas ER. There were maybe 10 people in the waiting room when we got there, didn't seem so awful to me, but it took 5 HOURS to get seen by a physician's assistant -- despite the fact that I was actively puking on their floor -- and then another hour before treatment (IV fluids & meds) began. All this with poor, confused babycat in tow. NIGHTMARE! This was my first ER experience ever, and I'm almost as traumatized by my time languishing in the hospital as I was by the illness itself. Now, to the "Please Help" section of my tirade: I'm hoping you'll all tell me that not all hospitals are run like this, and that there are other ER's we should go to in the future, where it won't take 6 hours to get "emergency" treatment. Any suggestions?   Starletta8 Supporter Username: Starletta8 Post Number: 125 Registered: 10-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 5:21 pm:        I'm sorry to hear of your experience, and hope you're all starting to feel better! In my experience, what you experienced was somewhat of a fluke. I've had nothing but wonderful experiences with St. Barnabas, including their ER. I went there with appendicitis and was surprised at how quickly I was seen and how quickly I was given tests. My only delay was waiting on an OR (since it was a holiday and they had limited staff). Again, sorry to hear about your experience. Hopefully it was a fluke. (Often there's a lot going on behind the scenes that patients can't see, such as perhaps a major trauma came in shortly before you arrived, major delays somewhere else in the hospital causing a domino effect, etc) Feel better soon!   Eats Shoots & Leaves Citizen Username: Mfpark Post Number: 2864 Registered: 9-2001 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 5:22 pm:        I have found all ER's to be a lot like this, but on most nights Overlook is a bit better than St. Barnabas. There really is no good excuse to keep you waiting 5 hours unless there was a major trauma event, and that is more likely to happen at St. Barnie's than at Overlook. Then again, I have been to Overlook when the pediatric center was overflowing and spent 5 hours with a vomiting, screaming kid who was dehydrated and had an impacted bowel.   BGS Citizen Username: Bgs Post Number: 521 Registered: 10-2003 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 5:53 pm:        ...and I have been at Overlook during a bad snow storm where my poor daughter with a severly broken leg had to SIT in a wheel chair with her leg propped on a chair for over 5 hours waiting for a Dr to see her... The emergency room at St B's and Overlook are usually always busy because they are big hospitals and the place that most around here go...Sorry that you had to wait and hope that when you were seen that you had good care. Hope you are feeling better!   doulamomma Citizen Username: Doulamomma Post Number: 800 Registered: 3-2002 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 6:04 pm:        amadacat, We had a similar trip to St. B ER this summer - my then-14 MO fell & split open his forehead - lots of blood, only bleeding person or baby in the full ER...wait time was between 5 & 6 hours. My only other trips to the ER (once Overlook for another kid with a similar injury, once to another hospital for me with something similar to your virus but I was preg. & once as a kid myself with my own face gash) all were much faster...but alas, as long as we only need to go for minor things I try not to complain (too much! - it is annoying & luck o' the draw I guess) One thing I learned about St B is that any time there is a DYFS complaint the family has to come to a certain ER to get evaluated - there were several of those cases the night we were there with doulababy this summer.   Lydia Supporter Username: Lydial Post Number: 1591 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 6:26 pm:        I've been to St. Barnabas Emergency room a few times, the wait is always long, but when I've seen what's ahead of me, I understand. My (then) 5-year-old broke her arm, it was bad. We waited 3 hours, but when I saw the 10-year-old ahead of us with 2 broken arms and wrists, and the infant with something awful swelling on her head, I felt releived that we were just there with a broken arm. I cut my chin a few years ago - I waited forever, but the people who went ahead of me really were in much worse shape. I think St. B's is a good emergency room - they stack the emergencies up with urgent care at the top of the list. It's frustrating when you're the one in line with one broken bone and you're behind someone with 4 broken bones, but it's efficient and fair overall.   Crazyguggenheim Citizen Username: Crazyguggenheim Post Number: 872 Registered: 2-2002 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 6:29 pm:        Call me crazy, but I used to be sad when I had no hair, but then I was glad when I saw a man with no head.   Meandtheboys Citizen Username: Meandtheboys Post Number: 2661 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 6:30 pm:        I've had good and bad experiences at St. B. ER. I don't know what the contributing factors might be that make it a good or bad day or night, but it seems fairly random. Next time try the urgent care facility at the Summit Medical Group. I've gone twice in the last 6 months or so, and NEVER had to wait. Generally was in and out in under 2 hours. I can't vouch for the fact that it's always like that, but I've had 2 really great experiences, and intend to go there again for any ER needs.   Cynicalgirl Citizen Username: Cynicalgirl Post Number: 2222 Registered: 9-2003 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 6:49 pm:        I think you have be with SMG to use it, tho. And they match with Overlook. I do agree that SMG is really, really good.   Meandtheboys Citizen Username: Meandtheboys Post Number: 2663 Registered: 12-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 6:55 pm:        I'm not with SMG and, as I said, I've used the urgent care place twice--just like any ER--so I don't think you have to be with SMG to use it. And I'm pretty sure insurance treats it just like any other ER.   CageyD Citizen Username: Cageyd Post Number: 550 Registered: 6-2003 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 7:03 pm:        Knowing nothing about medicine or hospital administration, it strikes me that a new approach could/should be taken with ER. Obviously there are people who need urgent care but so often people are in the ER because they have a situtation of concern (flu in an otherwise healthy person, minor stitches, alergic reactions) that could be referred to a Nurse practitioner in a separate area. Most of what I've had done in an ER (non urgent) is testing, observing and releasing. IN fact, often the DR doesn't even show until the very end of the process. I feel for you amanda. There have been times when we have wondered if we REALLY had to go or if it could wait till morning and we could see our regular doctor because we know that the ER can easily turn into an all night experience.   Carrie Avery Citizen Username: Carrie33 Post Number: 1285 Registered: 1-2005 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 7:08 pm:        So sorry to hear about your illness, Amandacat, I do hope you are feeling better. I would have to say,(below) in answer to your question: "I'm hoping you'll all tell me that not all hospitals are run like this, and that there are other ER's we should go to in the future, where it won't take 6 hours to get "emergency" treatment. Any suggestions?" Are there any community health care places that are smaller in your area? The larger facilities take a long time no matter how many people are waiting.   shoshannah Citizen Username: Shoshannah Post Number: 1143 Registered: 7-2002 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 7:14 pm:        The hold-up at ERs has to do with waiting for radiology and other ancillary services. Someone who needs a test can be occupying an ER room for an hour or more until there is an x-ray room freed up, for example. Meanwhile, others are in the waiting room vomiting or bleeding, and the entire system gets backed up. Some hospitals are trying new systems where they bring portable radiology machines into the ER. Also, I know that Overlook eliminates a step by having the registration on a portable cart -- they wheel the computer into the rooms and register the patients there.   Joan Supporter Username: Joancrystal Post Number: 6921 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 7:25 pm:        Amandacat: I hope you are feeling better and will be well soon. The key to your problem seems to be that you went to an emergency room and emergency rooms are geared to dealing with emergencies in order of seriousness, regardless of when the patient entered the facility. Some days the number of patients overall and the degree of seriousness are much greater than others. It is almost impossible to predict what the wait will be for something like bad flu symptoms on any one visit. I've also had to wait for long periods of time in emergency rooms both for myself and for loved ones. The one time I was really scared was when I entered a full to overflowing emergency room with my mother and she was seen immediately. There is something comforting in having a longish wait because it usually means that you aren't comparatively as sick as you thought you were.   Virtual It Girl Citizen Username: Shh Post Number: 3814 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 7:39 pm:        Last year when I went to St. B's ER I did not have to wait at all. No broken bones, I was just doubled over in pain and I suppose lucky I was taken in immediately. Granted it was about 7:30am on a weekday.   Morrisa da Silva Citizen Username: Mod Post Number: 330 Registered: 12-2003 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 7:55 pm:        St B's has a fast track option for the less serious cases which has in my experience helped lessen wait times. I don't kmow if fast track is done at all times. It may be moot if there is a trauma or a very bad night.   Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 3647 Registered: 1-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 9:04 pm:        With Irvington General closing SB is only going to get worse. I hope you're feeling better Amandacat. I'm surprise with the fear of the Birdflu the hospital took so long to see you. The last few times I was in the ER I didn't have to wait all that long. The last trip was a couple of weeks before Christmas. I had been in a store buying angels for the Travis porject when I fell over merchandise piled on the floor into a display tearing open my knee. With a nasty looking gash (though luckily not as much blood as you'd think) I ended up in the ER. I expected to be there for hours; but thatnks to 'Fast Track,' I was in stitched up, and out in less then an hour!   cody Citizen Username: Cody Post Number: 904 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 9:19 pm:        My daughter went to St. Barnabas's emergency room this summer - high fever, severe headache, vomiting - she had to wait over 3 hours to be seen - turned out she had meningitis (there was another patient there, same symptoms, doubled up in a chair crying from the headache when she was not vomiting - she waited about as long as we did and she, too, turned out to have meningitis). This was early on a Saturday morning (about 6 am). We've also waited several hours at Overlook's ER for a chipped bone in a leg to be diagnosed. My mom's stroke was also treated at Overlook and it took quite a while to get her through the ER, even though she was elderly, had a bad headache and was disoriented and her speech was garbled. I can only speak from our family's experiences, but neither of these ERs has impressed me with quick response or caring personnel at the ER entry level. Mostly they rattle off insurance questions at you as quickly as possible. Once we actually got to see doctors and nurses, they quickly dealt with the situations and seemed very caring and professional. It's just frustrating to wait for such long times to see someone when you have a very sick family member with you. Hope you are feeling better by now. This stomach thing is pretty virulent, isn't it?   sac Supporter Username: Sac Post Number: 3039 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 10:09 pm:        SMG urgent care isn't open 24 hours though. I think they close at 9:00pm or something like that. I don't know about non-SMG patients, but when my spouse (a SMG patient) went there, I'm pretty sure it was treated just like a visit to the primary physician.   Pdg Citizen Username: Pdg Post Number: 307 Registered: 5-2004 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 10:51 pm:        The key words are "chest pain" I went to St. B with actual chest pain and was seen instantly. Diagnosed with "indeterminate chest pain" and told to follow up w/my cardiologist.   Bill232 Citizen Username: Bill232 Post Number: 151 Registered: 3-2003 Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 11:17 pm:        Many people go to the ER thinking its like a doctors office. It is a ER and unfortunatley it takes longer to be seen depending on the reason you are there. When you get there you are "Triaged". Meaning that you are taken in according to your priority of what is happening with you. It is not a waiting list that takes people in the order that they come in. While you are waiting also understand that other patients are arriving via ambulance or on their own, that may have higher priority or severeity than you. I don't see much change in the future if you should go again to the ER. If you can hold out for a general illness, please go to your private physician.   redY67 Citizen Username: Redy67 Post Number: 4816 Registered: 2-2003 Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 8:25 am:        I have always had a wonderful experience at St Bs. Both my kids went there and were admitted immediately with wonderful care from the doctors and nurses. Every time I have gone on the recommendation of my doctor.   LilLB Citizen Username: Lillb Post Number: 1185 Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 9:06 am:        I've always had long waits in ER waiting rooms. Thankfully, I haven't had to use it much, but we've been to St. Bs twice -- once when my husband was literally bleeding from the head (ended up needing stitches) and another when I separated my shoulder (most painful experience of my life - thought it was broken). I've also been to another ER in Westchester years ago when I was in a car accident (not severely hurt - just some sprains) and when I brought a friend in with severe abdominal pain and vomiting blood (she had to have her appendix removed). Don't mean to be too graphic - just demonstrating the different degrees of severity for each visit. Anyway - in all cases, the wait was 2-3 hours and then another 45 - 60 minutes waiting to be seen even after going into the examination area. I would say that if you don't have a severed limb that has to be reattached right away, you're going to wait. I wonder if being brought by ambulance gets you seen sooner. Not that I would use an ambulance if I didn't need one, but I would assume they would get seen first.   kmk Supporter Username: Kmk Post Number: 917 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 9:23 am:        We had the same flu here... My kid was "sick" every 15 minutes for nine hours during the night Saturday. It is frightening but not life threatening...I think that you may have been put at the bottom of the triage list.   Mergele Citizen Username: Mergele Post Number: 359 Registered: 7-2003 Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 9:27 am:        With a history of a nasty life-threatening condition that appeared to be recurring, the Overlook ER still left me hanging for 7.5 hours one lovely September evening. I actually walked out.   peteglider Citizen Username: Peteglider Post Number: 1707 Registered: 8-2002 Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 9:48 am:        been to both Overlook and SB ERs. I'd say Overlook tends to be quicker. That said, my daughter went to Overlook -- b/c it was late, the specialist needed was not available and didn't want to consult her case over the phone. So they said she had to go to Newark Beth Israel (where there was a specialist available). BUT -- because the hospital was "transferring" her -- we could not drive her, she needed to be in an ambulance. Getting the ambulance to come took another 2 hours. We were going to just leave and drive her -- the ER doc threatened that she'd write us up as leaving without medical authorization -- and she said then none of the bill would be covered by insurance. Don't know if that is true -- but we were VERY VERY angry about how the situation was handled. (and then none too pleased with Newark Beth Israel, either). Pete   phantom Citizen Username: Phantom Post Number: 23 Registered: 10-2002 Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 9:20 pm:        wellll, my opinion is that St. B is wonderful. Probably the earlier comments about whether the ER is being used for a real emergency has some credence. The others that seemed to have something serious but had to wait a long time.... it doesn't sound like the St. B I know; I would wonder what else was going on that night. (I'll save you the real horror stories I've seen since the subject is St.B). My wife slipped and fell on her chin; she went in several hours later because she was still woozy. The visit was a total of 3 hours including waiting, examamination, cat scan & evaluation. My mother in law broke her leg badly. We got her in the car. When we got there my wife walked in. It took them a few minutes for nurse with 2 assistants to come out to the car with a guerny (cant think of the spelling). By the time we could do the checking with the registration person and got inside, nurses and doctors were already surrounding her bed doing blood draws, entering diag into portable computer. Since it was Christmas Day it did take them a couple of hours to page the orthopedic surgeon and have him onsite... by that time the xrays were done. The surgeon was nice and expedient. He evaluated, casted, and she was admitted. soooooo, absolutely NO complaints here!!! I hope that if you must goto an ER again, that your next visit is more pleasant.   aneighbor Citizen Username: Aneighbor Post Number: 102 Registered: 8-2001 Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 10:14 pm:        Also don't forget Morristown Memorial Hospital/Goryeb children's Hospital is just a 20 minute drive down South Orange Ave. While all ER's are going to have a wait time depending on the severity of your visit and what else is going on at the time, it's another option.   soresident Citizen Username: Soresident Post Number: 321 Registered: 10-2001 Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 10:32 pm:        went to St B ER this am when husband needed 15 stitches (hit in the head by a metal bar trying to open garage door during power failure)! We were only people in waiting room, in acute care room in under an hour (after seeing triage, registration, etc). Patient representative apologized for the wait as she walked us to acute care room. Lovely nurse. By the time I went outside to make a phone call (8:45?), the waiting room was packed, and I watched 4 ambulances pull up within a few minutes! Including wait for plastic surgeon to come to hospital at our request to stitch, we were out in less than 3 hours. Told by plastic surgeon that hospital and ER are incredibly busy this week. Seemed to me like timing could be everything. And since you generally don't know how long anything will take, time creeps very slowly, probably even more so if you are nervous about what will happen or in pain.   greenetree Supporter Username: Greenetree Post Number: 6576 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 - 10:42 pm:        Timing is everything; we've had 3 trips to St B ER over the past 8 years. The longest wait was me with a burned hand (gas oven incident) and that was about 45 minutes. It's all about the triage. The one bad thing is when I took TS in with chest pains. The triage nurse wanted to send her back out to sit, but I started yelling the magic words "chest pains don't wait". The nurse was snippy, but took her blood pressure, which was incredibly high and everything started rocking from there. It all turned out fine, but never let them keep you waiting for chest pains.   mem Citizen Username: Mem Post Number: 5669 Registered: 5-2001 Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 9:13 am:        The last time I went to St B's (I broke a few toes very badly) they let me go in front of a woman who was before me, and was on the verge of micarriaging. Her and her husband were in tears, but they spoke no English and had no insurance (they spoke to me in Spanish, which I can speak). I raised bloody hell until they let them go in front of me. To this day I wonder if that woman's baby was OK, and I always go to Overlook.   Joe Citizen Username: Gonets Post Number: 1131 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 10:38 am:        Just your luck you found a doctor with a foot fetish.   amandacat Citizen Username: Amandacat Post Number: 978 Registered: 8-2001 Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 1:29 pm:        Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. Of course I never expected to be treated ahead of people having heart attacks or being rushed in via ambulance, but no matter how hard I try I just can't wrap my head around how long it took (after triage) to get seen. Do they only have one doctor staffing the place, or what? Anyway, sounds like I just got particularly unlucky with my wait time, but if I ever have the need to go to an ER again in the future I think I might have to think twice before choosing which hospital to go to. Has anyone ever called an ER ahead of time to ask what the wait would be? Sounds kinda crazy, but it might be worth looking into . . .   delin wareham Citizen Username: Dwareham Post Number: 33 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 1:45 pm:        Just had two StB ER visits in the past couple of weeks for my daughter, who had/has pnemonia, RSV and also (thanks to StB I think), the same stomach virus you have. ER care was impressive -- she was seen within 10 minutes the first time; 20 minutes the second. She was having trouble breathing, so that's probably what got her in quick. Only problem we had -- and it's a big one -- was that we were discharged when we shouldn't have been. (!) Our pediatrician sent us right back to be admitted. Unfortunately, I found the regular hospital to be ABHORRENT. My daughter was on a breathing monitor (pulse-ox) and the alarm must have gone off at least 30 times that night. Only once did a nurse show up -- 15 minutes later -- and that's after we used the call button. I ended up figuring out how to turn off the alarm, track the readings, attach the monitor and regulate the oxygen supply myself. And I'm not a medical professional by any stretch of the imagination. We shared a room and our half consisted of a large crib, a chair for me to sleep on, and about 12" of space in between. It was truly ridiculous. We didn't get any food that night because you only get a meal if you're there during the previous meal to place an order. Oh, and parents don't get meals -- only patients. I asked if there was something for me to eat (I'm breastfeeding an infant and needed something) and was told to leave my scared 20-month-old and go to the McDonald's on the first floor. I couldn't believe it! I ended up finding a NutriGrain bar in my purse. I only ate breakfast the next day because my daughter wasn't eating. The care was inconsistent and poor; I lost track of how many histories I gave to the various doctors and residents -- all of whom wanted to poke and prod and none of whom even said as much as hello to my daughter. And she was clearly feeling terrible and scared. Sorry for the rant, but I was litterally astounded at the poor quality of care we received there. I had mediocre care there twice before, but after this time, I'll never go back.   CageyD Citizen Username: Cageyd Post Number: 554 Registered: 6-2003 Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 1:48 pm:        We found once regarding my daughter that a call to your doctor before you arrive really helps. THe Doctor called the ER to alert them of our arrival and we were seen almost immediately. ALso, when my spouse was having chest pains in city his Dctr. told him to call an ambulance to take him to the ER. He laughed b/c the ER was around the coner. Chest pains or no, he had to wait for hours. WHen he told his Dtr. what happened the dr said "that's why I told you to call an ambulance, you won't wait if you arrive by ambulance" good to know.   Morrisa da Silva Citizen Username: Mod Post Number: 331 Registered: 12-2003 Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 1:57 pm:        Gosh Delin what a terrible experience. I hope your baby is feeling better now. I'm curious, who is your pediatrician and did you tell him/her about your experience ? What was their reacation ?   e roberts Citizen Username: Wnwd00 Post Number: 369 Registered: 3-2004 Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 3:05 pm:        due to a wide variety of expierence i can offer this info: Today in the age of law suits if you call a doctor and they are not in the office they will tell you to go to the ER if it is anything that could even be close to anything at all significant. just because you arrive by ambulance does not mean you will get seen sooner. when an ambulance arrives at barnabas, overlook or any other ER the chanrge nurse talks with the EMT's and Paramedics and determines where the patient will go. I have worked in EMS for a long while, and i have bought MANY MANY patients right to traige and sat them right out where the public walks in. I STRONGLY suggest you do not abuse an ambulance like this because the crew will know and you will most likely not have a super pleasant trip if you waste their time. you also have to remember that these ERs are very busy most of the time. At night barnabas has two doctors, overlook has two as well, they can quickly get overwelemed. once they get busy they have no interest in treating people that have problems like the flu. vommiting and naseua is very very very rarely a complaint that is worth the ER's time. there is nothing they can do except give you fluid iv (or you could just drink enough) and sometimes you will get an antiemetic (a med that will reduce the vommitting, not the nasuea) that is it. in regards to the chest pain i do agree that people with chest pain should never wait to be looked at the triage nurse however there are a good number of thigns people call "chest pain" that are clearly musclar in nature and can wait all day. the triage nurse is training to recognize this along with doctors, and paramedics. i am all for speaking up for yourself if you think something isnt right but please give the caregiver time to explain what they are thinking. i have never met a doctor, nurse or paramedic who would not take the time to do this.   jbirchby Citizen Username: Jbirchby Post Number: 57 Registered: 11-2001 Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 3:22 pm:        After going thru a pretty lousy waiting experience at St. Barns (we actually left and went to Overlook) I now always call in advance. Although you run the risk of the wait increasing in the time it takes you to get there it still seems to help. The few times I've called they've always been helpful and fairly accurate with the wait time.   Handygirl Citizen Username: Handygirl Post Number: 505 Registered: 2-2004 Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 4:20 pm:        Wow, I've been lucky enough to not have to use any of the local emergency rooms yet (knock on wood), so I had no idea (although I suspected) that it was that bad. The one time that we went to St B was when my daughter was admitted for pnemonia. Our Dr. called in the admission (it was at the very end of the day - 6pm or something so he was just ending his office hours), so we skipped the emergency room and went straight to admitting.   shoshannah Citizen Username: Shoshannah Post Number: 1144 Registered: 7-2002 Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 5:20 pm:        amandacat: I have called ahead several times to see how long the wait was. Of course, a major trauma can come in between the time you call and the time you arrive at the ER. But if one of the ERs is already backed up and the other isn't, it's an easy choice to make.   Amie Brockway-Metcalf Citizen Username: Amie Post Number: 486 Registered: 6-2004 Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 10:22 pm:        We were at the Overlook Ped ER last week for my 6wo and his breathing problems. I was actually hugely impressed with the facility (they have a well-stocked waiting room just for kids) and the staff were lovely. Granted we were in a room in 15 minutes and then had to wait about 5 hours for test results and chest x-rays, but compared to my previous ER experiences of sitting in an inner-city ER with an alcohol-poisoned boyfriend at 2am in my college days, it was a dream.   Jersey Boy Citizen Username: Jersey_boy Post Number: 22 Registered: 1-2006 Posted on Thursday, January 19, 2006 - 10:37 pm:        E.R. staff always roll their eyes for any problem that has been occuring during regular doctor's office hours that was not addressed by the patient DURING regular doctor's office hours. So if you've been toughing it out for a week and show up in the Emergency Department with a problem that's not "emergent" the attitude is, "you've had it for a week, you can wait till we get to you." Bottom line -- you get more prompt care if you take a day off from work and go to your regular doctor, not the Emergency Room. The Emergency Room is for emergencies, not for your convenience. Ditto for ambulances. When it's an emergency, i.e. your doctor says to go to the E.R., you wait till it's your turn. It's a special place for special situations; the doctors there are putting out fires.   Bettina Citizen Username: Bettina Post Number: 101 Registered: 8-2004 Posted on Friday, January 20, 2006 - 7:57 pm:        It would be nice to know for absolute certain what requires a trip to the emergency room. I appreciate eroberts point about vomiting rarely being worth the ER's time. But jeez, poor Amandacat! How should she know that? I could have cried reading what happened to you and with your little one in tow. I almost went for the same complaint last christmas but I decided not to (mostly I could not move). Glad I didn't. I had a good experience with my 4 year old son, one night, who had bumped his head while the sitter was here and then vomited and fell asleep. I pretty much knew on the way over to St. Barnabas that he was fine, but who could chance it? Anyway, we were seen and out of there in about 2 - 3 hours. Didn't seem like a busy night and my doctor did call ahead.   amandacat Citizen Username: Amandacat Post Number: 980 Registered: 8-2001 Posted on Sunday, January 22, 2006 - 9:13 pm:        Thanks for the support, Bettina! I've had stomach flus before (and toughed them out without medical help every time) but this one was unbelievable; this was honestly the sickest I've ever felt, it was worse than labor(!), and it was especially scary because I was throwing up every 5 to 10 minutes for over 4 hours before we even decided to go to the hospital. Forget about drinking water, it just came right back up tenfold. I was extremely dehydrated, in pain, and was seeing no end in sight -- what else was I supposed to do? The (nice) doctor who finally saw me said his wife had the same thing I did and was at home hooked up to an IV; unfortunately my husband, handy as he is, couldn't do the same for me at our home. So, to the hospital we went! Glad to hear that calling ahead has worked for some of you. I'll definitely keep that in mind for the future. Knock wood this is information I won't have to use for a long, long time . . .