Bestoutwest":31zv8i6n said:callmefence":31zv8i6n said:Something similar happened to me.
I sat in the emergency room of metroplex hospital in Killeen Texas for three hours in unbelievable pain with a kidney stone. I finally passed it in the public restroom. Instant relief..just as I was getting my wife and leaving. They called my name...no thanks I've been here so long I've healed myself....... never went back....oh and they sent me a bill.
You shouldn't have been billed, that's absurd. Did it get resolved? Triage-wise a kidney stone is very low priority. That being said, some ER's are very slow and it's frustrating, but without knowing what's going on out back it's hard to say why the long wait. Multiple factors include lack of beds b/c they were busy, lack of beds b/c they were trying to admit someone (I've been that guy holding up the ER waiting to get admitted), multiple traumas, crappy ER team.
You forgot one of the biggest causes of delays in ERs BOW, the incredible number of people who use the ER for non emergent care....you know, my kid has a fever and I never gave Tylenol or Motrin, I have a splinter, I have a cold, my butt hurts, I can't sleep...i could make a never-ending list here, but you get the point. These folks get furious when they aren't seen immediately...sorry there's chest pains, TIAs, overdoses, resp distress, motor vehicle accidents, hot appys, and the like being treated ahead of your cough and cold. They bog the entire system down, delaying care for those who truly need it sooner. It's pandemic in ERs nationwide.
Btw, someone comes in with kidney stone symptoms, I get them back as fast as possible! Had my first one last year, and that is some intense pain that needs relief pretty quick. Had a 4mm stone that had me puking, sweating and dancing in pain. So, my empathy goes a looong way there.