my first experience with the emergency unit....

My doctor's office told me to go to emergency. I did. After gettting through one unit I was sent to imagining. There I was ' interrrogated' by one piece of work of a nurse. Why, I wonder, are some 'care-givers' so nasty? My son was with me and could not believe her attitude. And he wasn't even in the room when she ' interrogated' me. (she had abruptly told him to leave before she even spoke to us) She even questioned the validity of a medication I am taking prescribed by my doctor. (by the way she knew nothing of my history) When she left the room she simply stated that the doctor will be here when he gets here. Sidenote: I saw the doctor (not a doctor but a doctor's assistant) He was pleasant. After all of this I was told to see my family doctor. No tests. So to sum up: my family doctor told me to go to emergency. Emergency told me to see my family doctor. I would love to send a complaint to the hospital. However, we only have one hospital here. I feel I am at their mercy. By the way, I am a pleasant person. Don't hassle anyone. So I don't know what was up with this nurse. Any comments?

Hi,

I am so sorry to hear about your experience. Did they at least give you something for the headache? I find that the ER is a nightmare when it comes to treating migraines. I hope you feel better soon.

Pain free days,
sailingm

Thankyou. Before I left I asked for a prescription. No problem there. I have heard stories about emergency on this board. Now I know. I will add though that one nurse, who I wasn't dealing with, noticed I was cold and offered to get a blanket. (she never did as the dr. came in) Talk about one exteme to the other in temperments and personality. But by then my experience had been mared.

It's been my experience that they automatically think that you are a drug addict looking for a fix. In my opinion, that is why that stupid nurse was acting this way. I had a Dr from a clinic come in and yelled at me saying that I wasn't getting any drugs and then left. At that time I had know idea what he was talking about because it was the first time I sought help for migraines. These people are a peice of work with their head srewed on the wrong way. The medical community should know by now that there are a lot of migraine sufferers out there but I think that a lot of them just don't care and are so full of themselves.

when you have to go to the ER, it sucks. What is even worse is if you have a pain condition. they are slow, but willing to help with something broken, or cut, or even if you are sick and puking. When it comes to migraine and back pain, and things that they can't visiblly see, well then you are a liar. Serioulsy? I would rather not spend all the money going to the ER when I can get the same treatment at home, for free!!!!

Sorry they treated you like that. It seems from this post and ones in the past that they don't really know how to treat migraine sufferers.



Has anyone had good experiences going to ER?

Or is there only a point in going if we think it might be something other that is masked by migraine and we have developed symptoms on top of the migraine?

I don't think I would want to go to ER if I thought I would be feeling that ill and treated like that.

Is there a point at which we could be in danger, and they ignore us?

Di

in the past 42 years, i've probably been to various ER's 15-20 times. i have had nothing but kindness shown me. obviously, the way i look is a big red flag that i am in hideous pain - hair askew, eyes puffy, covered with black mask, basically lookin' like hell and barely shuffling along with someone holding me up. part of my outfit includes a barf bowl.

i've been offered every drug in their arsenal, and unfortunately, none of them help me. oh, the dilaudid seemed to help, once, but the modus operandi of ER's is that they try and get you out of there as soon as possible. so they dumped me out, and when i got home the pain came roaring back, plus i threw up for the next 24 hours, from the dilaudid. (i do not EVER anymore, do opiates, because of this).

others are able to take opiates with the anti-nausea drug one also gets, but for me, i still throw up violently, making the pain worse.

i will never again go to an ER for head pain, unless i am sure it is the worst i have ever experienced and might be a stroke or aneurysm. although i have been shown consideration and compassion, my ER adventures have been wastes of time and money. this is only one person's experience; others, of course, are helped greatly by the heavy-duty drugs they can give.

in fact, in my repeat trips to the same ER, they have my previous records and they ask ME what i want. well, i've run out of ideas, 'cuz nothing helps except time. dianne

and p.s.: the BEST idea hospitals ever had was to give out warm blankets. it makes you feel pampered and cared for. if they don't offer, ask for one! that's one pretty expensive blanket!

Given all the stories I've heard here I don't see any point in going to an ER for migraine. They apparently don't help any and I can't imagine even being cognizant enough to deal with any of it if it was a really bad one. I might as well suffer in my own bed.

This was a pretty good article on migraines that concludes that migraine suffers are often under treated. I think it should be posted in every ER.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/25/migraine-miseries-push-patients-to-ways-of-coping/

I would report the nurse. You can do it anonymously. The hospital should be informed if the nurse's bedside manner stinks.

I thought of reporting the nurse. Without giving my name. Then I thought what a cop out. Not to give my name I mean. If I'm going to complain I should have the guts to give my name. But you know what, I'm just not up to the fight. I simply haven't got it in me. I tell you though there's nothing worse than being at someone else's mercy. And that's how it felt. That day a the ER.

I am very thankful for the treatment I get in our hospital here. There happens to be a lot of workers there that either have suffered migraines, or know someone who has. And as someone else pointed out, the way I look when I have a migraine bad enough to hit the ER is scary. I turn grey, my eyes glass over, and I usually have vomited so much I am dry heaving by the time I get there.

Unfortunately, here in Canada our Emerg wait times are absolutely brutal. There is nothing they can do about that. They get me into a dark room to lie in though while I wait, which is a huge help. But wait times can range from an hour to 4 hours before you actually get any treatment/medication. I have spent over 8 hours in Emerg several times. But, they never downplay my condition or make me feel 'guilty' for needing pain treatment. I have read so many horror stories about stuff like that.

You can imagine what kind of condition I have to be in going to the ER when I know full well I could be there for 8 hours though. I only go there if I throw up so much that I can't hydrate myself.

I've been to the ER three times with migraines. While none of the experiences have been pleasant, the ER staff has always been very considerate.

The first time was before I was diagnosed. I had actually been suspecting for about a year that I had something seriously wrong in my brain, like a tumor, but kept putting off discussing it with my doctor. One day, after feeling extremely ill and being unable to even lift myself off the floor for several hours I decided I better see my doctor. He told me to go to the ER, instead. I was a bit panicked by the experience as they treated it as a medical emergency - lots of blood work and imaging all done in the space of an hour while I was feeling extremely ill. Have any of you ever had arterial blood gas taken? OUCH! I was there for about 1/2 day and they finally decided whatever was going on wasn't going to kill me and recommended I see a neurologist.

The second time I was sent there against my will. I had been feeling extremly ill and really needed some place to lay down. So I went to our health clinic to ask if I could use one of the examining rooms to rest. They said sure but would I let them check my vitals first as I didn't look very good ( well Duh!). I had a high heart rate and my BP was through the roof as it often gets at the beginning of a migraine and they freaked out and said I had to go to the ER. That was actually not a bad experience. I told the ER it was just a migraine and I wasn'[t dying or anything and they turned off the overhead light in my bay and sort of tip-toed around me until I could be seen by a cardiologist. He wanted to do a stress test but said it coudl wait until the migraine had worn off. They brought me Advil at my request and were offering more powerful drugs, which I tend to avoid. After the migraine wore off a bit they brought me some food at my request ( I hadn't eaten all day because of the migraine) and we did the stress test and all was OK.

Last time, I totally lost my vision and my doctor wanted me to be checked out while it was happening as he thought it might help rule out the MS he keeps suspecting I have. I was treated very professionally and kindly, with respect for my light, sound and smell sensitivity and pain, while they did some EEG and other tests.


I think a lot of the reason I am treated like this is I am a middle-age male and look very "regular" and look very bad when I have a migraine ( pale and ill looking). Plus I have great difficulty talking or being coherent. So they always think I might be having a heart attack or stroke or some other common middle age thing.

It seems if you are vomiting in the ER it makes all the difference. Once they were kicking me out even though I was still in severe pain. Said I can't stay in the ER all day for a "headache." They sat me up and started to remove the IV and I hurled all over. That seemed to change the game. I am the type that will barter with god if he will keep me from puking and I will not move for hours to keep from puking. Puking makes my head hurt a million times worse. You just never know how you will be treated. I think the AMA should address this issue.
kathy