(no subject)

[violachic]

My wrist hurts like a fucker. I hate the splint they gave me at the hospital, because if I make it tight enough to keep the thumb immobile, it presses on the heel of my hand, and makes it hurt worse.

My back is definitely feelin' it, but I'm not overly concerned about it; mostly I think it just needs a couple days of rest. A shot of powerful narcotics and a couple doses of muscle relaxant were just the ticket. Heh.

I am going to try to get an appointment tomorrow with the GP of some friends, since I don't have a primary care physician, and I can't get an appointment with the pain doc til next Wednesday- she is out of town till then. If I can't get in to see someone, I suppose I'll have to go back to the ER- my wrist is bad.

I'm not really sure how I'm going to end up paying for all this. The hospital has charity care, so I just need to fill out all the forms and send them in, soon. My pain doc has decided to see me in a way where she doesn't charge me, and I suppose my mom will be willing to pay for a visit or two to the GP. We'll see. I have a bunch of phone calls to make in the morning.

But if anyone is wondering, my wrist hurts like a fucker.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

The ER isn't your only option - and it really isn't the best choice to use the ER for non-emergency medicine.* You should find an Urgent care clinic, or find other clinics in Cook County that accept on a sliding scale (and there are many - on the southside there is the Alivio Medical Clinic).

*The ER is costly, for the hospital, so don't take their charity if it isn't a true emergency. There's only so much free stuff out there, and free emergency medicine should be for people who meet the "emergency" requirement as well as the financial one.

[violachic.livejournal.com]

I know you really think you're being helpful, but it isn't as if I haven't thought of these things. Simply saying "find an urgent care clinic" doesn't magically make me able to find an urgent care clinic. Also, I know of several sliding-scale clinics, but they are no good if I can't get to them.

And please, in the future, sign your name to anonymous comments.

[andelku.livejournal.com]

Also ... since I've had the glorious fun of emergency medicine even WITH insurance this week ... there aren't a lot of these facilities in the city. For many of us the only accessible emergency care IS the ER.

[sleepykins.livejournal.com]

she doesn't have the flu, anonymous, she has a broken wrist. judging from yesterday's tribune article on full ERs due to the icy sidewalks, the ER is in fact the exact place everyone goes for broken bones.

[tanyad.livejournal.com]

You not of which you speak Anon, so kindly piss off. Go spread your useless advice to people who might give a damn.

Cowardly anon-commenters piss me off.

[ahn1010.livejournal.com]

Anonymous the ER is there when you are in a lot of pain or don't know what is wrong. If my wife hadn't gone to the ER for a tummy ache her appendix would have burst.

I took violachic to the ER she was in a lot of pain. Had she wanted to go to a Urgent Care Clinic I would have told her that she was crazy and would have taken her to the ER.

As for the charity care, we went to a hospital that we knew would help.