Poll about Emergency Rooms

[dcrunnergirl]

There's an ER-lite (they only take certain emergencies but are better suited than an urgent care) about 10 minutes. Last time I used it was for a weekend UTI when pregnant. The closest hospital ER is 15 minutes away, and we've (thankfully) never been there.

[Willis Jackson]

Jul 7, 2012 13:25:16 GMT -5 fortmyersbride said:

5 minutes away.

Haven't been to an ER since an unrelenting migraine 8 yrs ago. But DH and I have been known to stitch up lacerations for ourselves, so that probably skews things quite a bit.

Do you stitch yourselves or each other?

[luvmagoldn]

Five minutes by ambulance. We've arrived by ambulance twice (after giving an epi pen injection) and probably three or four other times by car for stitches, asthma, etc. Each of those times was for one of the boys. I have never been to an ER myself.

After our third trip one of the ER doctors said haven't I seen you before? DH said, we have three boys. We will be seeing a lot of each other.

[Redpoppy]

There is one 15 minutes away we bypass. I've been to one 20 minutes away twice though never made it into the ER. I left the first time because it was full of people with flu and decided I'd suck it up on my dislocated knee cap til I could go tothe doctor (popped back in place next day). Other was a car accident while pregnant and they sent me up to L&D.

The closest pediatric ER is 30 minutes and we've taken DS there twice. If it was very emergent we'd go closer but the two times 15 minutes wouldn't matter and we prefer the dedicated ER as does our pediatrician.

[heygrey]

we have two in opposite directions, each are ~25 minutes. i've never been to emerg in my life.

they are building a new emergent care center 2 blocks from h's work which will be really nice. it's more of a first aid station if you need stitches or casting for a minor break. it should free up the hospital to handle the bigger traumas.

[fortmyersbride]

Jul 7, 2012 13:32:32 GMT -5 @redbellpeppers said:

Jul 7, 2012 13:25:16 GMT -5 fortmyersbride said:

5 minutes away.

Haven't been to an ER since an unrelenting migraine 8 yrs ago. But DH and I have been known to stitch up lacerations for ourselves, so that probably skews things quite a bit.

LOL. Being a physician has enhanced my H's hypochondriac tendencies more than anything else. He has been to the ER four times in the past eight years, two of which were false alarms. As for the real issues, he tore his ACL and had appendicitis; the other two times, he was having allergy problems (they gave him Benadryl and sent him home) and thought he had appendicitis (generic stomach bug).

Oh no, DH is like that with the kids. DS was vomiting last week and he was intermittently determined that he had either a brain tumor or appendicitis. Luckily it was a short-lived GI bug otherwise the kid was in for a full body scan.

[Susie]

1. Probably 7-8 miles.

2. Not that ER, but another one at an area hospital about 15 miles away, yes. I was in a bike crash during a race last summer, hit my head, broke my helmet, and had road rash all over. The race staff sent me out in an ambulance.

[h]

Not sure--maybe 3 miles? There are three ERs we could get to within 10 minutes. I have never been. My DH took DS1 to one when he broke his arm last year, but I wasn't with them.

[fortmyersbride]

Jul 7, 2012 14:01:40 GMT -5 Willis Jackson said:

Jul 7, 2012 13:25:16 GMT -5 fortmyersbride said:

5 minutes away.

Haven't been to an ER since an unrelenting migraine 8 yrs ago. But DH and I have been known to stitch up lacerations for ourselves, so that probably skews things quite a bit.

Do you stitch yourselves or each other?

We stitch up the other, although he's been know to throw a few sutures in himself. It's only happened a handful of times for household accidents though.

[jenni232323]

1.9 miles. The Urgent Care is less than 1 mile and another around 5 miles. We've used both the ER and Urgent Care. DH's insurance used to have ER visits as $25 only, so it was around the same price as his primary physician. Now it's up to $150 for ER and $50 for Urgent Care I think for him.

[EmilieMadison]

We have 5 ERs within a 2 mile radius. I had to take my DS to the Children's hospital er for a really high fever. We can walk there but not in an emergency situation.

[chessie]

about 20 minutes away..but if I want to go to a GOOD hospital, 30 minutes..Havee been to the ER several times from horse false, allergy attacks and bee stings for DH..

[egishere]

10 min or so. Never been there.
I did have to go to the ER by our old house once when I was pg for a horrible migraine. DH had to take DS really late one night when he tripped over the dog while holding DS and fell.

[starlily]

Closest one is about 7 minutes away. I haven't used that particular one.

[UMaineTeach]

it's around the block
< a mile
never used it, but have taken DH for something that would have been better at urgent care - but the nearest one of those is 40 miles away, and it was prob. closed at the time of day we went.

[KaraOrNot]

It is about 5 minutes away. I have never used it.

[picaflora]

10-15min to one with a children's ER, 20min to the hospital I prefer. We haven't had to use either one yet.

We do have 2 urgent care facilities within a couple miles, and one has an attached orthopedic urgent care. I probably use the orthopedic more often than anything else when my sciatic nerve flares up (which always happens after hours)

[litasail]

About 5 mins away. I went when I had kidney stones. It was awful - I told DH that in the future, if possible, he should take me the 20-25 minutes to the hospital I like in the city.

[jennysmitten]

A few blocks and we've both had to use it.

[definitelyO]

The closest ER is 1.5 miles away. We took DS there when he was 8mo for croup and I took DH there earlier this year for an allergic reaction to penicillin. never been for myself (thank goodness, knock on wood, etc..)

[cjeanette]

5-10 minutes. I have used it but not in a decade or so.

[Deleted]

About a 20 minute drive. Probably a bit less by ambulance.

I've only been to the ER for myself once, when it was a Sunday and I stepped on a branch that punctured my foot. I could have gone to a regular doc if it was a normal day, but my mom (a nurse) thought I should get it looked at ASAP. My insurance has no copayment for ER visits so other than the time wasted, it was no big deal.

I had a friend attempt suicide twice in 2010 and the second time I drove her to the ER. That was when I realized the ER was way too far from our home - she was conscious and fighting us when we got her in the car and she almost died by the time we got there.

It concerns me that if we ever have a true life or death situation 20 minutes may be way too long. I think they do store ambulance closer so hopefully if someone stops breathing or something they'll have assistance sooner than 20 minutes from then.

[k3pick]

A brand new really good hospital opened yesterday about a mile from our house. Before that, the closest was probably 10-15 miles away. and no, I've never been to the ER.

[ginger]

We have three hospitals within 20-30 minutes of our house and one of those hospitals also has a children's hospital with a pediatric ER.

I just kind of assumed everyone has had to use the ER at some point. I had to go as a kid when I fell on some boards with nails sticking out. I've also had to take my mom a couple of times. I had to take my husband about a month after we were married and he was admitted for three days.

[MixedBerryJam]

One block. I have used it a few times, actually, including one time when I had stopped breathing. Having asthma usually kicks me to the front of the line at an ER (thank goodness doesn't happen too often anymore!)

[milkrations]

Jul 7, 2012 12:57:13 GMT -5 cajunmom said:

How far away from your home is your nearest ER?

Have you ever had to use it?

The nearest ER is about 10-15 minutes away. I've been to the ER three times - for a broken arm, appendicitis and a ruptured ovarian cyst.

[rootbeerfloat]

About 20 minutes. We've gone twice.

[marshmallowevening]

20 minutes. Yes, several times.

[MrsAxilla]

I had to use the ER when I sliced my hand open. Motherfuckers told me all I needed was stitches (which they did crooked) and that I had no nerve or tendon damage, and no glass in my hand. They also told me my shoulder hurt because of the tetnis shot, and that my elbow hurt because I landed on it. They didn't do any X-rays.

I saw a real doctor the following Monday and it turned out I broke my shoulder and my elbow, sliced straight through a nerve and still had glass in my hand. I had to have hand surgery and PT. If I'd listened to those hacks, I would have lost the use of my right index finger for good.

They did give me plenty of pain pills, though.

[geneg]

I'm about 10min from a small community ED and 20-30min from the big level 1 center (depending on traffic). I go to the big one several times a week: but I work there! I've only been once as a patient for something that ended with emergency surgery...spent the entire day in the Peds section because my co-workers refused to let me stay on the adult side (Peds has TV, nicer nurses, games, etc). It rocked! (Well, except for the needing surgery part).

But it takes a HUGE problem for most ED people to go in. Limbs hanging off, blood spurting, lack of a heartbeat, etc. I have the ability to fix lots of stuff at home (stitch, splint, etc), but DH says I'm not allowed to touch the kiddos. Whatever...considering that's why I DO for a living...