theelfqueen Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I hate having to decide if an injury/ailment should go to the doctor... Not an obvious minor injury or cold but also not like "look at this broken bone".... It's so stressful. You know if you go they're going to send you for XRays and .... it's going to take up the whole day. And... you generally think it's probably just a strain but ya' know, you could be wrong! UGH 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I was chatting about this with dudeling's ND. she and some dr friends were bike riding when one crashed. even THEY had a hard time deciding on going to the ER. (and the one who crashed BROKE his leg.) but yeah - I remember feeling like an idiot when I had dh take me to the ER. I was sure they'd just send me home. I had pneumonia and they admitted me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 dsil went to the ER after, very reluctantly, after calling his brother (er doc). He yelled at him and repeatedly told him he was really stupid. (hey, he's his older brother. brothers yell at their younger brothers) yeah- the finger was broken. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Yep. I broke my thumb in October, only I wasn't sure it was broken at all. It didn't hurt like every other bone I've broken in the past. I spent those first two days going back and forth on going in to have it x-rayed. I splinted my hand within the first few hours, and then just lived in that splint for a while. I did the range of motion things and while I was certain there was no bone out of place if it was broken, my thumb clearly didn't work right. I kept leaning towards a severe sprain, but just wasn't sure... When I passed the ten day mark with no improvement, I really started thinking it was broken. Three weeks passed and I was now certain it was broken. By that point, all I could think about was that if something wasn't healing right they would have to re-break and just thinking about THAT about did me in. I wore that splint religiously for six weeks. It seems to have healed up fine, and I definitely know it was broken because I now have a barometer on my left hand. It's damp and icky out today and my thumb aches like you wouldn't believe! In retrospect, I should have gone in. If it hadn't healed right, a thumb is a pretty important thing to try and live without it working correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Consider a chiropractor instead. Much quicker and cheaper, and yes they do know what to do for a broken bone. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Yes I totally agree. And so many times when I go I end up feeling like it was pointless. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 My worst was when I fell on my arse (in a most hilarious way) and I'm sure I broke my tailbone. I could not sit for 3 days. I was standing at work bending over my computer with my legs apart. Sitcom material for sure. I did not go to the doctor because I figured, what could they do about it? Not like they're going to put my tailbone in a cast .... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I did go to the ER over heavy menstrual bleeding a couple years ago. It had been going on for several days and it was my first experience with that (I've learned some tricks since then). Well, needless to say, the bleeding stopped the instant I walked into the medical facility. :P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 My worst was when I fell on my arse (in a most hilarious way) and I'm sure I broke my tailbone. I could not sit for 3 days. I was standing at work bending over my computer with my legs apart. Sitcom material for sure. I did not go to the doctor because I figured, what could they do about it? Not like they're going to put my tailbone in a cast .... Yep. I broke my tail bone twice. They can't do much. It's an awful awful pain though! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I'm a bad one for this. I broke my foot many many years ago. Walked around on it for two weeks and then decided the brusing pattern was a bit funky (would bruise whenever I had walked on it but go away when I was off it). Turns out I snapped the outside tarsal bone clean in half. Only reason I didn't need surgery was because I always wore lace up boots. It basically acted as a cast and held it together. We were in a car accident when I was pregnant with dd. First I thought I was fine. Then I told dh that I thought maybe I should go get my wrist checked out. It kind of hurt. Turns out my wrist bones and the end of my ulna/radius (can't remember which) were shattered. A typical - air bag hit it really hard - injury. They would have done surgery but I was 12 weeks pregnant so nope. Still gives me trouble. Last year I rolled my ankle while dh was in China. Hurt like crazy for weeks. Finally went to the doctor and for an x-ray. Nope, just a sprain. Still was getting pain from that 6 months later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El... Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I know. I went in once for a pulled muscle in my chest/shoulder, just in case it was a heart attack... it wasn't, but you don't want to be that one exception! "She never thought it was serious because she was under 40... she leaves two homeschooled children.... !" And I waited a day thinking a broken leg might be a strain. My sister, the nurse, MADE me go in. It was broken, six weeks in a cast and another few months in a boot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I had what I thought was a hernia so I decided I could just deal with it. Five days later I couldn't walk and went into the clinic. Turns out I had snapped my pelvis in two and took a year to fully recover, but because I went a whole week with my hips completely out of whack, I now have osteoarthritis. A couple months ago, I thought I had a bug bite. A week and a half later, I went into the doctor because it was just so annoying and it turns out I had a pretty bad staph infection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I did go to the ER over heavy menstrual bleeding a couple years ago. It had been going on for several days and it was my first experience with that (I've learned some tricks since then). Well, needless to say, the bleeding stopped the instant I walked into the medical facility. :P You posted about that, didn't you? I spend too much time here. I'd love to clear the cache of my WTM memories and see how much faster my brain works. :lol: 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 (edited) I hate having to decide if an injury/ailment should go to the doctor... Not an obvious minor injury or cold but also not like "look at this broken bone".... It's so stressful. You know if you go they're going to send you for XRays and .... it's going to take up the whole day. And... you generally think it's probably just a strain but ya' know, you could be wrong! UGH Are you OK? What did you hurt? Mechanism of the injury*? Did you go in? *my relatives in healthcare use that phrase all the time. I thought I'd throw it in there... Edited March 17, 2017 by unsinkable 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Marmalade Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Are you OK? What did you hurt? Mechanism of the injury*? Did you go in? *my relatives in healthcare use that phrase all the time. I thought I'd throw it in there... Yes, OP, perhaps Dr. Hive can help advise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdrinca Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 So much YES. Tiny DD1 broke her leg, but I wasn't quite sure about the extent of the injury for a few days. Finally on a Sunday, I had a choice: hope for a Monday-morning appointment with her ped (who would probably order x-ray anyway), or go to the ER. I realized that if I went with the ped route, I'd basically spend several days dragging all of the kiddos around to ped, imaging, and ortho for setting, whilst the ER is a one-stop shop that had the bonus of leaving the kiddos at home with DH. Still, I was made to feel a little stupid as the nurse and ER doc doubted the injury, until the x-ray showed a tiny break. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 My worst was when I fell on my arse (in a most hilarious way) and I'm sure I broke my tailbone. I could not sit for 3 days. I was standing at work bending over my computer with my legs apart. Sitcom material for sure. I did not go to the doctor because I figured, what could they do about it? Not like they're going to put my tailbone in a cast .... btdt. first day of vacation. within a couple hours of arrival. I spent most of my time on my stomach reading. a few years ago, I slipped in the snow and did a 3rd degree injury to my mcl. I didn't go to the ER because - they'll just tell me to elevate it and put ice on it. . . . I'm so sorry I didn't go, I'm so sorry I didn't go. i went to my regular dr the following week - and it was still six weeks before he sent me for a MRI. . . (I don't go to that practice anymore.) his treatment sucked. took forever to heal. I did go to the ER over heavy menstrual bleeding a couple years ago. It had been going on for several days and it was my first experience with that (I've learned some tricks since then). Well, needless to say, the bleeding stopped the instant I walked into the medical facility. :p my ex-sil fell asleep on a plane from guam to la? or hawaii to la? her cycle started so heavily - and she didn't wake-up for awhile, the dr on board who checked her out wanted to divert to honolulu and put her in the hospital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Oh gosh yes. That's my least favorite. We've been to urgent care and the ER more this year than ever before. Right now we're basically 2 for 3 on illnesses or injuries panning out as needing treatment. But the foot ds "couldn't walk on!" was totally fine and I'm still kicking myself for taking him in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 One time ds got something in his eye and I took him to urgent care. We sat there for about an hour and he said his eye was better and so we just left. And it was fine. I just hate that stuff though......take him in for nothing serious, wast 4 hours. Don't take him in for something and it turns out to be serious and goes blind. Lol.....being a mom is hard. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I love the Urgent Care nearby that has lab, X-ray and Cat scan equipment. Co-pay no more than a doctor visit, and you can get blood work done or x-ray taken w/o having to make a trip from doctor office to another facility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I had a nurse tell me how she ended up with a $1,000 bill after an ER visit when she thought she was having a heart attack that turned out to be bad heartburn. She told me this after I had my first bout of heartburn, while in rehab (after car crash yada yada yada). When I complained how my chest HURT I found myself hooked up to those sticky EKG doohickeys super fast - then excitement waned when heart proved fine. The nurse had me chug soda pop until I belched, and told me her tale of woe. So at least I didn't go to the ER for heartburn! But man that sucker HURTS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Yep. I'm a very wait-and-see person wrt doctor visits but I worry every time. My DS was sick once when he was about 4. I had a field trip all day so DH stayed home with him. DH decided he was sick enough to go in. I thought he was overreacting. The doctor was so concerned he ordered a blood draw. I REALLY thought that was overkill-it was just a 24 hour fever thing!! Nope. The doctor called about 6 and said "the office is closed but your son's white cell (?) count is so high, you bring him in or take him to the ER". So now, anytime one of the kids is sick, I think "is this some killer strain?? Am I going to go to jail for neglect?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 We are horrible about that. I had a kid walk around on a broken ankle for two days (and I sent her to school!). 3 days after the accident it started swelling, so I thought I'd better take her in. Yep. Broken. I have a dd that has a tender foot that aches sometimes now because she dropped a mirror on it and didn't tell me for a few days. We waffled over whether or not to take her in for another week before we finally decided we'd waited too long. In retrospect, with the pain she still has from it occasionally, we think she broke some of the small bones in the top of her foot. (She's almost 17, btw, not a small child...I wouldn't have left the decision up to her if she were younger). Dh tore his calf muscle last week, and spent the first two days trying to decide whether to go to the ER or not. Then decided it was too late and that they probably couldn't do anything. Now is wondering if he shouldn't have gone after all (still hobbling around). So, yes, you aren't alone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I will admit to trying to will things not to be broken. It seems to work sometimes. :P 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Oh, this reminds me of the time when my brother was 16 and he was lying in bed moaning. My mom was on the phone with my dad and he heard the moaning in the background. He's like, "what's that?" At that point, my mom realized that it was very unusual for that particular son to lie around moaning, so she took him in. Turns out he had a burst appendix and came pretty close to dying. My mom's like, "why didn't you tell me it hurt so bad?" My brother said, "well, I was moaning." Whenever I take one of my kids in, I make it a point to tell them that she has a super high pain threshold. If she says it hurts, it HURTS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasider Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 On Friday. It always happens on Friday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted March 17, 2017 Author Share Posted March 17, 2017 Yup... can't wait and see for tomorrow... ughh... Muppet Boy sprained his knee. It's pretty swollen. But not fractured. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wheres Toto Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 I forgot about the kids. Younger kids mostly end up feeling much better the second we are sitting in the waiting room. I'm also most likely to hear that's it's vital and just have to wait it out. That's fine although I often wish I didn't waste my time. But my oldest when she was around 8 years old had a very nervous stomach. It was the year I divorced her dad. She used to get sent home from school every Monday she was due to come back from her dad's to my house. So when she had a sore stomach one weekend, I just thought she wanted me to stay home from work. My mom calls me a few hours later, thinks I should call doctor before their Saturday hours were over. Ended up going to the hospital right from the doctor, all kinds of scans and tests for a week. Never figured out what it was but IV antibiotics cleared it up. HUGE mom guilt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 17, 2017 Share Posted March 17, 2017 Yeah, yesterday I made a chrio appointment for right after my kids got off the school bus, because my daughter hurt her finger the day before and thought it could be broken. She even told me she thought she should have the whole x-ray business etc. I usually forget stuff while my kids are at school, but this time I was the good mom and remembered. We get to the appointment and from all indications, the pain was practically gone. And I looked like one of those overreacting moms. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 I feel you. We have a new urgent care center that is fantastic though, in and out in no time. It is amazing. Do you have one near you by any chance? Dh made me go yesterday because of come breathing issues, I was seen right away, given a breathing treatment, prescriptions and done in 30 minutes! Beats the hell out of an ER trip or the 3+ hours it would have been at my primary care. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 Yes. I hate deciding to go to the ER. We have to decide when DS is in need (allergies) and there is a fine line between wait it out and GO NOW. Every time the epipen is used it's an ambulance ride and a minimum of four hours at the ER. Try telling that to a 6 yr old on the way to a bday party. Aaaagh. So we've been known to wait and watch like a hawk. But we found out the last time that when you need to go - it can change fast. We really need to epi immediately not hope for things to be mild. Yikes. It spirals down fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 Add me to the "hate it" list. My worst wrong call was with youngest son. I should have been smart enough to know better when his teacher called me from FRANCE (he was on a class trip there) and asked me if he should be seen for weird seizure type reactions he was having... but no, it took until his third episode (that I witnessed myself at school alongside our school nurse) for me to realize it was something fairly major. Of course, his during his second episode he got sent to the ER from a youth group meeting, but the reactions were over by the time he got there, so they ended up just testing for drugs and vitals and sending him home. I'm not really sure the ER is always the answer. It took a specialist to figure out his issues (a type of epilepsy) - the ER got it completely wrong. I have since apologized (more than once) to his French teacher though. Fortunately, we're friends... she understands those "hard to call" moments as a mom. It's far tougher for me to think about ever going. I've lived with many chest pains and still avoided going. I still have them at times though the last three weeks have been good so maybe they're gone! (A local doc had that checked into and determined nothing cardiac is wrong - it also doesn't seem cardiac to me.) The only way I think I would ever really go (myself) is for a known broken bone or significant bleeding I couldn't stop or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted March 18, 2017 Share Posted March 18, 2017 (edited) The only time I took a kid to the ER (so far) was when my then-3yo hit her head and it bled a lot. We were at the rec center, and the well-trained staff provided first aid i.e. patched up the hole nicely. It was nearly bedtime and we didn't get home from the ER until 6 hours later. (Being a single mom, I had both kids with me.) In retrospect, I wished we just waited and went to the doctor the next morning. But at the time I did not realize an ER visit would take so long. Edited March 18, 2017 by SKL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted March 20, 2017 Share Posted March 20, 2017 I've been battling an out of place rib for nearly 2 weeks because I don't feel like going to a chiropractor and having to have x-rays. It's okay sometimes, but other times I'm doubled over in pain. I made up my mind yesterday to call Monday morning and get myself in no matter what. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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