Accidents & Emergencies

[jayseven]

Today was another was of a day because I spent 6 hours in A&E.

 

And it's a shit reason. But near-death!

 

It all started when I woke up at about 10am because I was struggling to breathe. It wasn't quite my typical allergy reaction, and besides it was too early to be the case. I'd eaten a pub burger last night, the only potential MSG-addled substance, and typically it takes between 12 and 18 hours to pass before my body starts turning against itself.

 

So I went to a nearby drop-in free clinic, waited around for about 90 mins because I'd put "sore throat" as my reason for seeing a doctor so by default everyone else in the world who needs an emergency appointment gets to be seen before me.

 

Eventually I get in to see a doctor who is your stereotypical low-pay GP who refused to even slightly be swayed by the House mentality that by some small chance, this could be lupus (not that it was) and just nodded and put on her fake smile as I told her of my discomfort with breathing.

 

Anyway, she just said to go get some soluble aspirin and gargle it.

 

So I do. 30 mins later, approximately 18 hours after the burger, I start getting THE SIGNS! For me, that's a ridiculously itchy scalp followed immenantly, however that's spelt, by a swelling and numbing of the forhead.

 

I leave brighton beach, the spot I decided to gargle in front of strangers, and head back home and take some piritin and just ride teh storm, but after 30 mins it shows no sign of clearing up.

 

My eyelids are starting to swell, so I just figure I'll get a bus to A&E because I know what happens next - face swells up, mouth goes numb, tongue and throat swell, I die. Once I get to A&E they whisk me straight in and give me a bunch of injections and i'm tired of writing this tl so YEAH STUFF THINGS HWYDDD?!!"£

 

Anyway. You guys ever experienced A&E? It's always disturbing. A 77 year old woman had had a stroke, a 16 year old kid had a heart attack and a transexual's vagina was seeping, or something.

[Raining_again]

i've been once, had to wait two hours.

 

Smacked my knee off an escalator after the '08 meet. Came home and tended to my wounds (pretty severe tear in my leg, and puncture holes in my kneecap) and my knee doubled in size. Went to the doc who sent me to A&E.

 

Waited for 2 hours, got wheeled about on a bed to xray, no fracture. yay!

 

I did however get a week off work because I couldn't bend my knee enough to sit down. Score

[Jon]

I've been there on a few occasions, nothing major, just the odd cut that needed stitches or blood clot in the leg. The worst experience I've had was what happened to my brother. We were away on a caravan holiday, and you can imagine how small these things are. Were playing MGS and couch is right next to the kitchen unit, which contains a just boiled kettle. He caught the flex on his arm and the water went all down his back. Serious burnage on his back and arse. He couldn't sit down for months.

[Paj!]

Never been. Only been to hospital to have my tonsils taken out when I was 5, and last year to have my tongue-tie (that no one noticed for 17 years...) cut. Now I have a slightly longer, but still weirdly shaped tongue that I never learned to stick out!

[Serebii]

Just the numerous times I've had a severe asthma attack. Nothing special really. They only had to keep me in overnight (well a week) once.

 

Sometimes though, I went in and they made me wait. Struggling to breathe and all

[Raining_again]

i've been in surgery twice as well, one when i was 11 months and one when i was 23 months, both for squint fixing.

[MoogleViper]

I went in when I fell off my moped (some peeps here may remember this). It was about midnight in the middle of december and most of the people there were kids who just looked like they'd fell over and grazed themselves (stupid over-cautious parents). I walked in covered in quarry much with two swollen arms and was seen to before all of them.

[jayseven]

When I arrived at the reception I said i was struggling to breathe, not knowing that was my 'sore throat' more than the allergic reaction, but that did get worse as time went on. Last time, in sheffield, my reaction was far more severe and I was sat waiting for probably 45 mins or more.

The nurses (four of them, then another two as the shift-change occurred at 6.30) were very good about it all.

 

The main thing is that the sore throat wasn't caused by any reaction whatsoever, it's some virus/flu thing that I'll have to live with for a few days. Also, it isn't clear whether I had a reaction to potential MSG intake or to the aspirin as it was timed so that it could've been either, and it wasn't likely that the burger even had any MSG. I'm going back to that pub on tuesday so I'll be having a word with them and trying to wrangle a free pint or portion of chips or something.

[Ellmeister]

Went in for what turned out to be a fractured leg once. Went in on a school afternoon at 4, wasn't seen till 12. Told to go to xray so I hobbled there. No wheelchair or crutches or anything. Didn't get a cast put on till half 1 in the bloody morning. It was practically empty by then. Got to see some guy be sick near to me only for him to get so angry he shouted how he would rather die at home than wait here. He got to the electric doors and puked up so he just sat down again.

[Cube]

The only time I've been to a hospital (as a patient, not a visitor) was when I was around 4. It was quite late at night, and I had massive pains in the stomach area. My Dad phoned the doctor who said that to leave it until the morning.

 

My Dad ignored him and took me to the hospital anyway. Turns out that my appendix was about to explode and I was rushed into surgery.

[EEVILMURRAY]

Anyway. You guys ever experienced A&E?

Yes. Yes I have.

[Eenuh]

I don't know what A&E means (emergency department in hospital I guess?) and I don't know if I've ever been there. When I was about 5 or something, I basically got burned by a bath hose thing that exploded, with hot water coming out of it. I don't know if they took me to the hospital for this or some other place, all I remember from it is getting a "balloon" with a face drawn on it. The balloon was actually one of those plastic gloves they just blew up. =P

 

 

When I was about 6 I kept complaining about pain in my foot. So much that I couldn't really walk on it. So my mom took me to the hospital for x-rays. They couldn't find anything and said it was probably just growing pains heh.

 

 

Other than that I've been in surgery 3 times, with a 4th time coming up this week. And I've had x-rays, ultrasound images and scans taken, mostly last/this year. Fun times.

*hates hospitals*

[MoogleViper]

My parents never gave much sympathy when I was ill. One time when I was a kid I was trying on shoes I was complaining that they were hurting. My mum told me to stop complaining and bought the shoes. When we got home we found a nail in it.

[Paj!]

I don't know what A&E means

 

Accident&Emergency

[Fierce_LiNk]

Hope you're alright, Mr Seven. You need hot Brighton lovings to make you all better. I'll get your spongebath ready, avec doritos.

 

The only time I've been to A&E was on a Saturday night after me and my brother had been playing basketball earlier that day. I had caught the ball awkwardly and managed to "bend" my finger back the wrong way. It seemed fine, but it swelled up like crazy a few hours later.

 

So, off to the hospital we went. Me, my Mum and Dad. We were sat waiting for 5 hours, and I got really pissed off at the long wait, the pain and the fact that I wanted to be at home instead of in a hot and sweaty hospital surrounded by fools. So, I declared "Right, fuck this, I'm going home."

 

Went home, then went back with my brother the next day. We both sat there, watching the FA Cup Semi-Final between Arsenal and Sheffield United, and we watched David Seaman make the greatest save I have ever seen, even to this day.

 

I had my two fingers strapped together and in a sling for 2 weeks. It's about the worst that's ever happen to me, I've been relatively safe.

[jayseven]

EENUH; A&E stands for 'accidents and emergencies', which is pretty much the emergency ward where ambulances nee-naw their latest batch of drunken disasters and old, brittle, dying people. I think someone died while I was there. In the same room as me. I may have seen a dead body now.

[mcj metroid]

hmm just a druken episode recently where I thought I could fly and a fractured leg.

[MadDog]

I had a asthma attack when i was about 5, went to hospital then. Only other time was when i sliced my hand open, was about 8 years ago. Had to have 5 stitches put in my hand. The worst pain I've ever felt.

[Sparko]

Luckily I've never been in A&E to be treated myself, however I was there last week because my grandparents were in a car crash. They weren't badly injured, just a few bruises but they had to be seen as a precaution because of their age. Cue 8 hour wait in hospital. The only upside was the hilarious black woman nearby who proved to be a welcome distraction from the boredom, she was screaming for jesus to save her from dying a slow and painful death, she was being treated for a twisted ankle..

[Diageo]

Only recent hospital related activity was when my friend fainted and was taken to the hospital, and I went with her. She had low blood sugar or something from not eating. Girls trying to lose weight eh?

[Ganepark32]

Been to A&E a few times. Broke my wrist in gym when I was in primary 3. Took hours to get seen. For some reason though, when I went back to school the next day, I had to stand up in front of the class and talk about it, kind of like show and tell

 

Next venture to A&E happened when I was 12. Playing rugby from my high school down in Galashiels. Tackled someone high up, hit my head off of theirs and apparently put one of my bottom incisors through my top lip. Blood everywhere but I thought it was the guy I had tackled until I saw everyone was looking at me weird. Well, more weird than normal Obviously had to bus it back to Edinburgh and then went to a hospital on the way home before waiting a few hours and getting sorted. Only time I've been in one of those hospital cubicle things with the beds.

 

And the last time I went was a year or two after that. Again, playing rugby. Scored a try (which won the game ) and got dumped on my side, breaking my right collar bone and hitting my head hard on the ground. Thought I'd only done something to a muscle, so rotated my shoulder. Most horrible feeling I've ever had. Wasn't sore as such as the adrenaline had kicked in. After some stupid first aider put some deep heat on the break (seriously, how stupid can they be. It made the pain worse) I shot off to hospital where I was going to be classed as a case 4, i.e. not serious, under the triage admittance thing. When they were told I'd hit my head and couldn't stop trying to fall asleep, they bumped it up to a 3. Still a 2 hour wait. So hard to stay awake for those 2 hours.

[Murr]

A&E.... spent many hours in there.

 

 

2 Broken collar bones, Broken Arm, Cracked Ribs, Torn cruciate ligaments, hairline fracture to previous broken arm, Slicing my hand open at work in Safeway....

 

 

Collar bone break 1 - at a car show, was drunk, was pushed from behind, fell on the floor chest down, landed more on the left shoulder, SNAP. - As it wasnt so serious meant waiting in A&E

 

Collar bone break 2 - same collar bone left side, this time due to car accident. Car accident was treated as higher priority, but still spent some time in A&E

 

Broken Arm - Skating (Blading) accident, posted pictures of X-ray of that here before, but both bones penetrated through my skin, 2 metals plates and 12 pins now in my arm.

 

Cracked Ribs - Skiing, not to toot my own horn, but i'm a good skiier, but on this occasion... going off piste, go over some jumps.. approach one jump but my skis dont go over it, but into it... so they stay in the jump, i'm slung out of the skis as my boots detatch (is that even good english?) and my poles are out in front of me, i land on my poles and sort of buckle over them. best part of this was getting air lifted off the mountain in a helicopter. 1st time in a helicopter and so far only time in one.

 

Crugiate Ligaments Torn - Playing football, seems to be the case for most of these type of injuries. Simpy put... OUCH! this hurt as much if not more then bone breaks.

 

Hairline fracture of previously broken arm - so the arm with the plates... it's some what weaker with the metal work in. at a gig.. Enter Shikari are on... i'm not soba, neither are my friends... it gets a little hectic in the crowd, i hit the deck, 2 people land on my arm, theres your fracture story.

 

Cutting hand open / Stiches on hand - Working in Safeway (way back in the day) working the late shift so didnt finish till 11pm, so unboxing products, got a knife to open the boxes... lack of concentration and i just cut the palm of my hand badly. pass out due to the shock of seeing that much blood piss out of my hand.

 

 

I think that about covers it, not had to visit A&E for any allergies, or sickness so to speak, just stupid accidents.

 

wow that was a long post, sorry guys.

Edited September 6, 2010 by Murr

[Ellmeister]

I've done the going over a jump and skis dig into snow rather than follow me thing. Luckily I had my poles by my sides like a good skier should (I jest :p) and just went flying on my sides as I turned just about. Bit bruised but nothing major. It wasn't a huge jump anyway.

[Murr]

I've done the going over a jump and skis dig into snow rather than follow me thing. Luckily I had my poles by my sides like a good skier should (I jest :p) and just went flying on my sides as I turned just about. Bit bruised but nothing major. It wasn't a huge jump anyway.

 

Cheeky Mare!!

 

It's put me off jumps whilst skiing, but still a big fan of off piste skiing

[Shorty]

I was knocked off my bike as a kid, lots of blood coming from my head etc, nothing as awesome as I'd have liked. The clearest thing I remember from the incident is one of my school friends walking past, doing a paper round, asking "are you alright?" as I sat there with mangled bike and blood soaked hands. I muttered a sort of "err... yeah.." which he took as his cue to carry on with his paper round.

 

I also cut my finger open on a window. This was super gross-brilliant. It was a really clean cut and you could see muscle and bone really clearly. The thing is, I was out camping with some friends in a field near a sort-of friend's house. I had to hobble across this muddy field in a... less than sober state... and ask for first aid from random-guy's-parents, which consisted of TCP in water in a bucket outside in a you're-not-coming-in-my-house-getting-mud-and-blood-everywhere kind of way.

 

Both incidents involved a wait far too long in A&E, surrounded by children with their hands stuck in teapots.

 

It's like when you stand in a really long queue for a tube ticket or a cash machine. The queue moves down soooo slowly, but when you get to the screen it's a few buttons a 5 second wait and you're done. You never understand what takes everyone else so long.

 

In this case probably dying or something equally inconsiderate.

Edited September 6, 2010 by Shorty