the one time i went to the horsepital i was rushed there in 8th grade.

my ancestors everyone that needed to go there were rushed.

can one get to the hospital in any other way?

by ambulance, police car, helicopter?

no one goes by car anymore??

who have you hauled there?

Last Sunday I had the wife drive me to the emergency room, I told her to hurry the fuqk up...........Does that count?

Yes, I went to see a pt there.

Always in a rush. Jus like every female/immature male big game animal bagged is a “nice” one.

at that at this time in the development of the vorld, it'd be sacrilegious not to rush a patient to the hospital?

that is, if there's a need for hospitalization, anything less than a rush would be deemed inappropriate?

back in the day, when ambulance crews run on ft. hood, a driver and assistant mounted up quick.

once one reaches the ER, unless there's blood flowing on the floor, it's time to wait, right?

yeah me, went even though i didn't want to.

tell us about your story. we're all looking to read about good stories.

when i was in the 8th grade i was shot by a .22 lr rifle.

minor as it turned out. took an overnite in the 'pital.

ambulance services are high dollar profit makers?

Did your folks take the gun away, Gus, or give you more bullets?

more bullets, dude. more bullets.

.22 lr rem. golden bullets.

40 grain squirell killers.

572 rem. fieldmaster.

accidents happen.

no followup needed.

I went to pull some medical records Friday.

I wasn't in a rush.

I was in a rush leaving so I could hit up the Panda Express for some of that sweet n spicy pineapple chiggin. Fuuuuuuuuck yeah

I was shot in the leg by a good “friend “ with a 22lr.. pistol tho .. didn’t go to the hospital.

But I did have to rush myself to the ER one time.. Nearly got done in by a damn allergic reaction.

That would’ve been an embarrassment after surviving a gunshot without medical treatment 😜

There are far, far more people who walk into the emergency rooms driven there by private vehicle than brought in by emergency vehicle. There will be 20-30 people in the waiting room for every one arriving by ambulance.

Those Rem 572s have fed a lot of folks squirrels and rabbits.

I'm glad the injury didnt affect you more negatively or worse, Gus.

I'm thinking it would be a hoot to hunt with you or Rene.

probably so. no doubt.

every waiting room in ne georgia i've ever been in, off to the side there's police or sheriff's officers observing the intake.

lot's of ambulances from the surrounding countryside.

and a lot of walk-ins also.

the ER is a busy place.

long legged nurses stay very busy.

Slummer, where is Rene and why no updates on your corn pile neighbor?

all the digits on the hands continue to work & function.

the army doc at ft. hood did say i had a bit of arthritis.

i finally got a 2/7 ted williams scope on it.

most of the killing were with iron sights.

Have taken many.

Some in ambulance....some by car.

Sometimes in a rush....sometimes not.

Took my wife twice, both times we came home couple days later with a baby.

broke my arm when i first met my wife, waited 3 days to go because i was busy hitting it.

Every colonoscopy or Lower GI, that I had. Drove to the hospital and wasn't in a hurry.

at our local hospital that has recently converged with another hospital, the er is very busy.

ambulances serve a number of outlying counties.

the medical system is working. does it cost?

More times than I wanted to!

I went to the ER yesterday. Thought I had a stroke but there was no rush to get there. My tests came back negative.

i just hate it when well armed sheriff & policemen are in the ER and observing the activity.

i guess under the full moon, etc. and things get rough some police power is necessary.

this is just meant to be a discussion of er's in general and how they function.

the money is in the delivery of services, and who pays.

getting a patient to the er, with sirens on is good.

blowing through redlights, with a life present.

I've gone twice. First time was a snowed over chimey on a modular home and a propane flash back when I lit the furnace after it quit. I shoveled off the roof first. Wife didn't understand why I was up there in a winter storm. It needed to be done and my face felt a lot better.

Second time I broke my wrist on a mountain bike, had to bike back six miles. Figure it would wait until morning when I could see my doctor during office hours. About two am, it didn't want to wait anymore. I was hoping it was just a sprain. Wasn't

They sent me in the helicopter once, was a nice view of what I was able to see of it. Actually it was from the local emergency the wife had driven me, to another equipped to deal with what I needed
Thank you, Life Flight

My brother had a heart attack while in the hospital visiting a patient.

While in the USN, on leave, Christmas 1977...spent a couple of days with an uncle who was living in Midland, Texas. Woke up in the middle of the night with terrific abdominal pain and thought it could be serious. Without waking anyone, drove myself to a hospital in the middle of town. The doc gave me a shot of painkiller, then came back in the room about a half hour later and told me "your appendix is coming out." I told him "like hell it is, give me my clothes and my wallet back."

They just wanted to do a surgery and send Uncle Sugar the bill. Still have my appendix.

Walked in a couple of times. One time scare the doctor after I got there (multiple bi-lateral pulmonary embolisms - poor guy couldn't figure out how I could still walk). It's never good when your doctor is shaking his head and lost all his color....

Second time close to septic with a vibrio infection. Didn't walk so much a hobble into the hospital for IV antibiotics. SOB, that hurt.

About five or six times for eye surgeries. The retina-ice pick treatment stands out as the one I would most prefer to not repeat....

Packed a neighbor and his wife to the local out fit several times. Each had lots of issues, but never in an emergency mode.

I'll make a leisurely run there in a couple months for cataracts.

About 35 or 40 years ago I fell out of a treestand I was trying to rebuild. Broke my elbow & had a big gash in my left forearm that was squirting red stuff all over. I made it back to camp and a couple of the old timers, Slim and Lil' John, were sitting on the lawn drinking beer. I asked for a ride to the hospital and Slim said "well we just opened these beers. won't you sit and have a beer with us?" I didn't think that was too bad of an idea so I sat down. It was a hot August day and I'd been sweating pretty good and had lost a fair amount of blood and after a few "Gennys" I wasn't feeling any pain. They loaded me in the truck and we all headed for the ER. I'm pretty sure I wasn't the first one to show up at that ER drunk in a pickup truck.
A couple other times I went in with kidney stones. I think I'd rather be busted, bleeding and drunk.

the ER room nurses i have entertained back a few years ago are tough crowd.

fell off a ladder, and drove my self to the ER.

no other urgent care people were available.

it was at or near 5pm on a friday.

the phiscians assistant was there.

and sewed me up, and left a wound.

the doc said i have a ladder like that.

10 days later the nurse said, let the wound dry out.

and i said i followed the er nurse directive.

she said fine, now it's under my control.

Drove wife to hospital Friday am, for ortho on her knee.
No hurry--Why?

Took my wife to the clinic a month ago because her pulse felt erratic. They couldn't see her but said we should go to the ER because it was worth checking out. An ambulance ride to Billings, MT that night, tests the next day and open heart surgery with five bypasses the next day. Maybe we should have been rushing to the hospital in the first place.

I've been to hospitals plenty of times in no great hurry. When my retina let go I drove myself in, for example, only to be told "sit as still as you can, I'll organise an operating theatre right away - you should get someone to pick up your car, because you aren't going anywhere". When I had an accident with a linisher and injured several fingers, I made a point of calming the bloke down who was driving me to hospital - no point in making things worse with a car crash.

And then there have been the times I've taken people in for scheduled stays, for surgery or chemo or whatever. No need to rush there. Even when the kids were about to be born - labour takes a good while, and no good purpose is served in getting panicky.

OTOH I was assigned to an ambulance for a brief period in the Army, and did a few "lights and siren" runs with blokes moaning and screaming in the back. You do still have to stay calm and keep the rubber side down though.

Every time I’ve gone, it was a necessity.

On crutches with a full leg cast I was able to make it to the emergency window, and using several breaths to speak that much said "can't breath, coughing up blood."
She ask me if I could get thru the double doors a few short feet away and I told her I think so, just past those doors I was met by 4 or 5 people, I had their full attention, Spent about a week in ICU etc etc.
I had been driven 45 miles to the hospital in a private vehicle.

i stabbed myself with a knife once

when i realized the knife was very sharp leaving a precise and fairly deep wound in the leg, bleeding profusely, figured would never close without stitches. after patching it up in hopes it would not let loose, managed to get to the ED...3 stitches, and the hosp charged 600 per stitch

Walk-in clinics are generally the rule around here for less than a dozen stitches. Generally a couple hundred bucks or so. My wife is terrible with knives.....

still planning to take the red cross class, should cover most stuff

Mostly Mexicans in the waiting room.

Had a Uncle drove himself to ER. He told them he didn't know all he should know about what was going on? They put him in intensive care. He was having a stroke.

multiple surgeries later, yep. never had to do the E-room for myself though. others a few times. kids, drunk friends, etc.

Yes, 8 1/2 weeks ago I walked into an emergency room with chest pain. On vacation away from home naturally. 3 days later I had open heart surgery, double bypass. 8 days later my daughter drove me 600 miles home, quite an experience. Not one I want to relive,Thanks to God I am doing well now

Rode the Ambulance once when I had my heatstroke about 20 years ago.
As I was coming to during the ride, I heard the EMT say “he has no pulse and no blood pressure” 😬

Yep. Mostly fuggin wetbacks here. You can’t get in to see a Dr. unless your dying 😡

I'd quit going to the hospital then!

Several years ago I caught some flu-thing and in 5 hours went from feeling fine to having fluid coming out of every orifice at high speed. My wife's and RN, took one look at me on the throne with the bucket and said going to the ER. All I could muster was OK. Told her to slow down and quit hitting every bump on the way or I was going to have stuff running down my leg.

I got all jacked up with back cramps a couple of years ago and couldn't get out of the bed. My wife got tired of listening to me holler and called an ambulance. I couldn't make it to the car to be driven,...and even if I had,..I couldn't sit down in it and get back up.

I was hurting bad,...bad like *BAD!*,..but I knew it wasn't going to kill me.

I told the ambulance driver that he didn't need to take any chances getting me to the hospital.

So yeah,....I've been taken to the hospital and it wasn't rushed.

The cemetery is full of people who should have been rushed to the hospital. At least once a week someone would drive to my firehouse with a relative circling the drain pleading for a quick ride to the hospital. The trick is knowing what is serious and what isn’t. Most civilians unfortunately don’t know.

After hurricane Katrina i was working on my Grandfather's house on the bedroom closet.

Had the frame on the floor when the nail gun had a hangfire and did a double tap into my index and middle finger on the left hand.

Well i tried to pull them out myself but the glue had a hold on me.

Knowing i had about 35 minutes or so before they really went to hurting i went to the Red Cross station not far from the house.

Thought several of the ladies were going to faint.
Everyone kept asking about the pain.

Well i got in my truck and drove down to the hospital and they were so worried about me making it one of the folks there followed me.

When the girl at the desk asked how she could help me i asked for nail removal,thought she was going to faint.
She went and got the DR. and i tried to get him to get them out but not cut my deerskin gloves off,they were brand new.

Had fun the whole time there.

The next day i was back at work on the house.

With a different nail gun.

After getting routed to a voice mailbox TWICE by the same operator whose job it was to monitor a chest pain hotline, I decided to take myself to the closest hospital. I locked the doors of my shop, drove about 10 miles at a normal rate of speed, cruised around the lot until I found a parking space, and walked into the ER. 30 minutes later I was in the cath lab getting a stent! Thar "bite of hot chili" it felt like I couldn't swallow was actually a blocked coronary artery. The car I was driving that day is parked out in the hayfield, and the half pack of Winston Lights I put in the console before entering the hospital is still there- - - - - -that was almost 25 years ago. If I ever feel like I REALLY need another smoke, I know right where to look!
Jerry

About 6 years ago i had a regular appointment with my Doc.

Drove myself there.

When they were taking blood pressure/heart rate/oxygen lvls,they thought 4 of their machines were faulty.

Seems that i was having a heart attack they called SVT.

Didn't hurt but it felt like i was running a long race and losing.

They put me in a wheel chair and would not let me walk to the hospital even it was only a short walk down the connected hallway.
I told them that i drove myself but no go.
Stayed there from 8.30 to about 7.00 that evening.

What a day.

Several times. A knock on the head, wife drove me. Busted foot motocross racing, scheduled ankle, two knee scopes a knee replacement, the wife drove me every time.

[color:#FFFFFF][/color]Guesstimating back over 33 years in the fire/EMS field we probably averaged around 1600 patients year out of the stationed I worked. Of that, maybe 2-3 per week were taken to hospital on the red lights and sirens. All the rest were driven in as if going to the store for milk and bread. A good 85% of the calls EMS go on do not require an ambulance ride, one will do just as well in the family sedan. That is the nature of sickness and injury- very little is life threatening but people ave been scared into believing anything out of the ordinary is going to kill not only them but the next three generations forward and back.

I've been to the ER several times, all but three I drove myself. One of those times I probably should not have drove but it worked out. I've gone in twice by ambulance, only once was necessary, the other was to cover my employer's liability. The first was indeed an emergency, I would have bled out if not on red lights and siren. The other I was driven normally feeling it was a waste of a $2000+ on a taxi ride.

Very few things that I would want an ambulance called for me. I can be to the emergency room long before the ambulance (or Police) gets to my house. One of the things about living in the country. miles

I had to have a buddy drive me 275 miles from the deer lease on a Friday to get home. My fiance then took me to the ER where I sat and sat and sat. Finally, she went up to the intake clerk and told her I was having chest pains. I wasn't, but I didn't know she said that. Next thing I know they are wheeling me into a triage room and hooking me up to an EKG. I tried to tell them there wasn't a damn thing wrong with my heart, that the pain was much lower but they didn't care. Finally, they ran some more tests and figured out my gall bladder was fugged up and gangrenous. They said the surgeon would be in first thing in the morning and they were gonna take it out. Fuggin surgeon didn't even show up until about 3 PM Saturday. He said it was a good thing I decided to come back because I might not have made it had I waited.

I hear our dispatch sending out EMS all the time for stupid schitt like a headache, a back ache, and other minor crap. People need to drive themselves unless its and emeergency.

Probably most go to the hospital as elective--surgeries, various studies, treatments.

I have gone to a hospital for diagnostic tests and procedures where I I had an appointment. Maybe where I waited a week or two.

my kid had cellulitis from an abrasion on her knee when she was at a HS event 150 miles from home, had been stewing for two days by the time we got there.

I took one look at it and drove directy to the ED nearest home, after IV rx and surgery she got out after 4-5 days, and was lucky it wasn't a MRSA strain

I begrudgingly drove myself to the hospital when I woke up itching, flushed, and ~20BPM higher than normal heartbeat one night. Can't remember what I'd been prescribed Amoxicillin for, but, apparently I'm allergic to penicillin and it's derivatives. Little bit of Prednisone and a bit of sleep and I was all good. No particular rush to get to the ER but it's all that was open.

Well, I have been to hospitals a few times over my 76 years. I don't recall ever being "rushed"--by either ambulance/EMS, or by anyone else.

Guess that I have led a charmed life (so far).

I drove to the ER with a stomach ache and asked the nice lady to take my appendix out. I told her I googled the symptoms. She laughed. Three hours later they were asking me to count backwards from 10....