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I can’t sleep, so here is my tale of going to the ER in the Indiana burbs during COVID-19 while I wait for my meds to kick in.
Did a virtual visit which prompted the RN to send me to the local ER. She called ahead. It made no difference. They were swamped. I told everyone I was COVID positive to try to protect them.
Triage calls me back. I can barely walk. Looks at my O2 sats and asks why I’m there. I say because it’s hard to breathe and I am having trouble staying conscious.
They get me into isolation as quickly as they can but I have to walk back because there are no available wheelchairs. Beds line the hallways. Only COVID patients get rooms. The MDs don’t go in the rooms unless it’s 100% necessary. Too much exposure.
RN #1 comes in and does an assessment. She got the memo I was on my way. Asks questions I can’t get the breathe to answer. O2 sats are still above 90. My calves and chest hurt so MD is worried about a PE.
RN #1 takes one look at my veins and realizes I am badly dehydrated. My veins suck on the best of days. She got the IV in one stick. She’s my hero of this story.
RN #1 takes several samples and then gets called away. X-ray tech comes in to photograph my chest. Samples still sitting next to me.
I fell asleep until my EKG alarm went off. I have a congenital heart defect that will do that to continuous EKGs. It’s not dangerous in and of itself. I call for the RN. No one comes. Two more ambulances have arrived.
RN #2 comes in about 10 minutes later. By then my heart has stopped messing with the machine. It’s freezing so I cover up with my sweatshirt. Samples are still sitting next to my bed. Another ambulance arrives.
My fluids are done and I’m perking up. My muscles aren’t cramping as badly in my chest so I can get more air. O2 sats stay high. I hate to bother her but I call RN #2 because I need to use the bathroom. They need to check my kidney function.
RN #3 is in the room briefly. He takes more blood samples (the original ones are still sitting next to my bed three hours later). Reconnects me to everything. Accidentally leaves the door open when he exits. Safety issue because non-COVID pts are in the hallway.
RN #2 sees the open door and scolds me for having it open. I fall back asleep. Wake up and text husband. MD calls me from the hallway. He doesn’t have time to gown up. My labs are good enough that I can go home. I don’t have a fever and my O2 is fine.
Asks me why I went to the ER in the first place. Tell him the telehealth RN sent me. He seems frustrated. I’m annoyed because he doesn’t seem to understand that I was dehydrated beyond what we could manage at home. Another ambulance arrives.
RN #3 checks monitor and looks confused. He forgot to put the BP cuff back on my arm. The computer thinks I’m dead. I tap him and point to the cuff. He looks tired.
RN #3 says I need a COVID test before I leave. I tell him I am already positive. I say, “I left my house one time. I drove to Iowa to get my son from school.”
His eyes look sad. I say, “I didn’t want to come to the ER because I know that I am a danger to the rest of you.” He pats my arm and says thank you.
I am feeling better at this point with all of the fluids on board. Discharge instructions are to tough it out at home unless O2 dips below 90%. The O2 was never the problem, which I’ve said multiple times to RNs and MD.
I can walk better so I walk out past the people on gurneys in the hallways. I walk past a line of five cars waiting to drop off patients at the ER. Almost all of them are elderly. I sit on a bench and wait for hubs to collect me.
The MD didn’t listen to me. Dismissed me when I asked a question. Chastised me for not remembering all of my allergies (I forgot my medic alert bracelet) - they are in my EHR. He seemed exhausted. He probably is.
Here is the point: COVID -19 treats everyone differently. MDs and RNs can’t keep up with everything the virus is doing to people. And they can’t keep up with the onslaught of patients.
O2 sats are a solid way of evaluating patients, especially asthmatics. But they aren’t the only metric that http://matters.MD had my lungs filmed and saw nothing of concern. RN #1 saw the dehydration and fixed it.
Stay home. Do it for the exhausted nurse who forgot the BP cuff. Do it for the cranky and tired ER doc who doesn’t even have time to gown and glove for each patient so he calls them from the hallway. Do it because the system is stressed.
Do it because you have no way of predicting what the virus will do to you or the people around you. The MDs and RNs can’t predict it either. They’ll look for the obvious issues because there is no time for anything else. That’s a safety issue for you. Stay home.
Parking lots of restaurants and retailers were full as we drove home. Stay home. Wear a mask. You don’t want this virus. You don’t want your family to have it.
