Recently it feels like I’ve become kind of a pro at Emergency Room visits. Trip number one was a spectacularly good blow to the head which required Dear Daughter number one needing to be ruled out for a concussion. This was shortly followed by trip number two; a lovely rolled ankle. That fall resulted in a nasty sprain and a beautiful new set of crutches. Yeh Ha. Trip number three was the quickest trip of all with someone near and dear to my heart, as we cruised down the road at top speed towards the Emergency Room I silently cursed in my head “where are the cops to pull you over when you need them“. That trip to the ER was no fun at all, not that any of them are. Not to worry though, alls well that ends well, and everyone I adore is now healthy, happy and home safe and sound. So what have I learned from my three super quick gotta run to the ER trips this year? Lots:
Here are my biggest tips to help be prepared should you find yourself needing to dash out to urgent care. I hope you don’t, but it really is best to have a plan. Taking an extra two minutes (if you can!) before you dash out the door can save you a lot of agony at the other end.
*Be sure to grab the health card of your loved one and any pertinent insurance information. It will make your discussion with admin staff at the hospital a whole lot easier.
*Don’t forget your cell phone, and if you have time grab a portable charger or your regular phone charger. You will thank me! I’m forever thankful for our Canadian Health Care system, but it is damn busy. You will be confronted with wait times and be oh so thankful for a charged phone to keep in touch with those who didn’t come to the hospital with you.
*Do you, or your loved one take regular medication? Grab that too or a list of your loved one’s medications. Doctors will need to know what kind of medication your loved one takes, and you may be at the hospital long enough that you need a dose of your regular meds. Truth.
*Get headaches? Even if you don’t. Grab some Advil. Stress equals headaches. It’s normal. You’re supporting someone having a hard time but you don’t need a migraine to compound things and keep you from being your best self. Throw that headache medication in your purse or pocket.
*Since you’re throwing stuff in your purse, add in a couple of granola bars or even a bottle of water. Depending on the type of ER visit it might be okay for your family or friend to have a little snack. For sure it’s okay for you to eat.
*Cash is king. You may need cash for parking, coffee or even a pay phone. Be sure to have a couple of bucks on hand.
*Grab the Purel. Yes, there is sanitizer everywhere at the Hospital, so don’t fret if you forget this one, but it is nice to have a little extra on hand.
Heading to the Emergency Room is never a pleasant experience, but if you can take a couple of moments to prepare, and a few deep breaths before you go, it can be a little less painful!
And if it’s like the emerg near me wear a t shirt under a sweater it’s usually extremely hot.
I keep saying what good is free health care when there is no health care. It takes months to see a doctor or to get a scan.
Great tips as usual. I hope everything is well now and no visits to the ER is required.
ER is my biggest fear! Thnx for tips!
If going with the kids I also make sure to grab the iPad to keep them entertained and away from touching all the germy surfaces in the hospital
When my girls were young I think I lived at the hospital, someone was always getting hurt, and I even spent 2 weeks in the hospital myself, but that was like 20 years ago, and thank goodness I haven’t been back for anything bad!!
Oh no! So glad everyone is ok now. I learned many of these lessons while taking care of my Mom. What should have been a quick visit could turn into 6 hours; being prepared helped A lot!!
Thanks Suz. Sorry to hear you ended up with some long wait times with your Mom. I bet she was thankful to have you with her. Hugs to you and yours.
omg the wait in Emerge is unbelievable! we actually went for our first time with my daughter (3.5) a few weeks ago. she had a huge fall off her bed and hurt her elbow. she is autistic so she couldnt tell me what was wrong but after a couple mins of non stop crying i knew something wasn’t right. hubby came home from work and we took her to emerge. My youngest and I ended up leaving my husband and daughter there because the wait was unreal and the person next to me was throwing up in a bag. I didn’t need my youngest getting sick. they waited in the waiting room from 12-4 before being seen. I felt bad because we weren’t prepared. I didn’t have any juice or snacks for her and thank god for Visa and someone at the parking garage because I didn’t have cash! I now know if this happens again, take the few seconds to pack some snackies, juice and I have a little pouch in the diaper bag with change 🙂 glad to hear everyone is ok on your end 🙂
Oh Kristen I’m sorry you’ve recently had your own ER visit. It sounds like your little one gave you quite a scare. I’m sorry to hear you ended up with a long wait, but thankful you ended up experiencing the kinds of strangers. Hope all is well with your daughter now!
ya it was pretty scary considering it was our first visit and I didn’t know what was wrong. It ended up she had between a fracture and a break in her elbow. after a few weeks of wearing a half cast (splint) she has it off and its all healed (took it off Friday) thankfully little ones heal fast
These are things you aren’t necessarily thinking about when you are in the middle of an emergency. Thanks for the list. I’ve bookmarked it. Hopefully I’ll never need it though. 🙂
Thank you! I hope you too never need the list, but sometimes just having thought about the possibility helps you be prepared. Take care!
Definitely some great tips. Having to go to the ER is no fun at all, and anything that can help minimize the stress is definitely important.
No two ways about it, any visit to the ER or Doctor is stressful. Here’s hoping for a long healthy year for all of us!
Some hospitals in Toronto in ER now have chargers for your cell phone installed on the wall. I believe Toronto Western has this complimentary service. As for health card, do not worry about it. No one gets turned down, as far as I have ever seen. But your tips are wonderful and thank you for posting. I hope your family is ok now.
So smart to have phone chargers available for cell phones! And we’re so blessed to live in Canada where even without a Health Card on hand we can get access to incredible medical care Thanks for your comment and well wishes, we are all great now. Knock on wood! 🙂
Oh wow.. Im really sorry to hear you have had such a bad stretch! They do say bad things come in 3s – so hopefully you and the fam are ER free now 🙂
Working in hospital I FULLY agree with everything you said – I hear a lot of horror stories from patients, so it definitely pays to be as prepared as you can. I understand people are coming to the ER for an unplanned event – but some simple things like cash for a coffee goes a long way
Three times and I’m done right 🙂
When I was younger my Mom always told me to carry and emergency $20. Back in “the day” that would go a long way, today, it will at least pay for my parking right?
Some great tips to keep in mind when panicking. Yes, I too had a visit to the ER this year (already!) – I had to take my adult son in’ who was having the worst dose of flu I’ve ever seen. We left home at 9:30pm and got back at 2:30am. Fortunately it was only the flu but boy was hanging around at that time of night tough on both of us, I could have done with a snack or two myself.
Oh that does sound scary! Once your baby always your baby right. Thank goodness for modern medicine and that we have access to those Emergency Rooms and great nurses and Doctors!
great tips , thanks for sharing , you can never be too prepared 🙂
My pleasure, hope you don’t need any of those tips any time soon!
Great tips. Knock on wood we have been staying away from the ER but there was a time several years ago we seemed to be living there. Glad to hear everyone is okay.
I’m sorry to hear you too have had your share of ER visits. It’s almost unavoidable isn’t. Thanks for the well wishes and so happy to hear we are both doing well right now!