What's the longest you've had to wait at an ER?

[DCal430]

It was like 6 hours and I never even saw the doctor, just saw a nurse who talk to the doc via phone. They billed my insurance like 5000 of which 3000 was allowed and paid. 3000 to see a nurse for 15 minutes. Lol at healthcare in the U.S.


The doctor had me come in and see him 2 hours later. The doctor told the nurse for me to go to the eye clinic in two hours. I was able to go home shower and freshen up and return and was able to the ophthalmologist right away. Had a bad eye ulcer had took see the doctor almost every day for like two weeks.

 

[Dominato3r]

Been twice. Seen immediately both times. It's amazing how fast you get in when you're in an actual emergency situation. Both times they thought I could be dead within minutes. Once was right, and once was something other than what they suspected.

Yea my grandmother had a stroke... she got a OR and surgeon within minutes of arriving there.

 

[iGas]

10.5 hours

 

[RossMAN]

I've only been to urgent case which isn't very urgent.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

I went to the ER place for a staph infection. They gave me meds to calm down since I have a fear of sharp things cutting or pricking me. So I fell asleep while the doctors took care of other patients.

If you count the time I spent sleeping and taking the meds. 3 hours

 

[DCal430]

I went to the ER place for a staph infection. They gave me meds to calm down since I have a fear of sharp things cutting or pricking me. So I fell asleep while the doctors took care of other patients.

If you count the time I spent sleeping and taking the meds. 3 hours

Do you have needle phobia?

 

[Broheim]

I've only been to an ER once, back when I was in basic training in the army. I got appendicitis during the night but toughed it out until the morning, it wasn't as bad in the morning but I wen't down to the infirmeri just to make sure the little bastard wasn't gonna blow up inside of me. the doc made me go to the ER and had my CO drop me off. after walking through the door I was immediatly swarmed by nurses who took my blood etc., it was quite funny because they all knew my name even before I set foot in the hospital, appearently the whole nurses and soldiers thing isn't just a world war 2 cliche and an injured soldier in uniform really does get them all hot and bothered.
I told them to take their time since I was only here because I was ordered to. The doc showed up just over an hour later and quickly came to the same conclusion as me; my appendecitis had gone into remission and there was no reason for surgery, but he wanted to keep me in for observation the rest of the day. I got to sleep all day and watch movies on my laptop, so I had no complaints.

 

[Away]

Not always true, if you broke something or cut yourself badly (as in, holding your finger in a baggie in your other hand) you can probably afford to wait hours, but not months, like if you make an appointment with your family doctor.

Months? I have an appointment within a week if I need to see my primary care physician.

As for the OP, the longest I waited was around 30 minutes when I went in for severe abdominal pain. Ended up getting an ultrasound and found out I had gallstones.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Months? I have an appointment within a week if I need to see my primary care physician.

The clinic I go to keeps three or four "emergency" spots open every day. You can only schedule one if you call that morning and it's first-come, first-served.

I've done it once, when I pulled a muscle in my back. Got the diagnosis, got a prescription for some happy pills, and was as right as rain in two days. Cost me less than $40 and was worth every penny.

Some people probably would have had to go to an emergency room for that.

 

[_Rick_]

Only was in ER once, when I had a tendon snap (a sound I probably will not forget..) on me Saturday afternoon, everything then went well, until the next morning, when I realized the ankle had swollen so much, that walking was quite simply out of the question.
By then it was Sunday morning - so ER it was. Waited some 2 hours I think. Only issue was that they didn't get me a wheelchair, so I had to go to radiology on (my brothers) crutches. That was a bit bothersome, those hospital corridors are long.
Think I was out after 3 hours or so, after the doc had a look at the images and put a bandage on. Could have been worse, I guess, but still, wasn't the nicest 3 hours I ever spent. Spent a week or two with my foot on the table and sitting around, and still had pain some 6 weeks after, but apparently that was normal.
Reasonable turn-arund, considering it was in Germany, a hell hole with public health care for even the poor and unwashed masses!

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Do you have needle phobia?

I hate getting shots.

 

[Colt45]

few hours.. not sure now. It was 4AM on a saturday night, though, so I'm not sure how much I can complain.

 

[sourceninja]

I don't like to go to the doctor so I've only gone to the ER for very acute issues. Because of this I've always been treated within minutes of arriving. My last was a kidney stone attack. I was on IV drugs about 10 minutes from walking in the door.

 

[shortylickens]

I don't like to go to the doctor so I've only gone to the ER for very acute issues. Because of this I've always been treated within minutes of arriving. My last was a kidney stone attack. I was on IV drugs about 10 minutes from walking in the door.

I've pretty much only gone to the ER for Kidney stones and its always a different procedure. Those guys need to make up their minds.

 

[preCRT]

Longest probably 3 hours, but I knew it was a low triage level. Was rear ended in 9:30pm hit & run car accident, then felt numbness creeping up my arms towards my neck as I drove the 45 minutes home. Decided en route to go to the ED nearest home instead.

Shortest was for anaphylaxis and asthma attacks, less than 1 minute each.




Some idiots don't understand that EDs use a triage system, it is NOT first come, first serve. If you aren't about to die, you can wait.

 

[sourceninja]

I've pretty much only gone to the ER for Kidney stones and its always a different procedure. Those guys need to make up their minds.

I think the fact it was so acute I collapsed and required a stint to be inserted to relieve the pressure in my kidney had a lot to do with it.

It was my first kidney stone. I told the lady, "I don't know what's wrong with me, but I'm some pretty bad pain." She said it sounded like a kidney stone. At that moment the pain spiked and I actually collapsed in front of her. I have never felt pain like that in my life.

Apparently the entire kidney was blocked at there was zero chance of ever passing the stone.

 

[nageov3t]

3-4 hours sounds right. it was a ridiculous experience.

I had a really severe pain in my leg on a Saturday afternoon... after waiting several hours, they diagnosed me as being dehydrated and with low potassium. kept me overnight on IV fluids and released me the next morning even though my pain hadn't gone away at all.

called my primary doctor on Monday, got in for an emergency appointment that day, and she diagnosed the pain accurately as a blood clot in like 5 minutes. /facepalm

fortunately it was in a superficial vein (and went away after a week or two of sleeping with a heating pad and keeping my leg elevated, though my doc did send me to a specialist just to be sure) but it's scary to think what could have happened if it was in a major vein.

really depends on the ER, though... given a choice, I'd rather drive an hour and a half down to Princeton instead of going to my local hospital that's 15 minutes away.

 

[Platypus]

Whenever I go to the ER it's for migraines and I exhibit stroke-like symptoms so I'm always seen right away.

 

[ichy]

I've never been to the ER for myself and I will never go unless it's a true emergency. In the past ten or so years I've had a couple of broken bones and a nasty infection but I had them all dealt with at an Urgent Care center (I'm fortunate to have a very good one a few minutes away from my house.) I won't go to an ER unless I'm in danger of losing my life, a limb or eyesight.

I had an alcoholic ex-girlfriend who I took in once because she had a seizure from alcohol withdrawal. By the time we got to the ER she'd stopped seizing so we had to wait for several hours. Boring as all hell. My mother had to go a few weeks ago because she sliced her hand up, she said that she was seen almost immediately. It wasn't a life threatening injury or anything like that but she was bleeding like hell and I guess no one was having a heart attack so she went to the front of the line.