A home repair ends up in the emergency room

[curlyoak]

The laundry room needed a new florescent fixture. In the process on the ladder a razor sharp edge makes a big gash in my hand. Blood everywhere. I was no handed because the good hand was applying pressure on the cut hand. I was able to get out the door and solicited my neighbor to transport me. The emergency room was mobbed with people and I was told to was normal. So many people use the emergency for routine care because they need a doc and an appointment takes weeks. Also indigents use it a primary care. So I waited hours. Finally I got 3 stitches on the palm of my right hand. Lucky part was that I am left handed. So the hand must stay dry for 24 hours until I can take the bandage off. I can't get an appointment to any medical source other than urgent care clinics to remove the stitches one week later. Fortunately my neighbor is an emergency nurse and has agreed to help.

The work was almost done on the lamp. Tools and mess every where .  I had to finish it. When you fall off the horse you got to get up in the saddle again. Probably should have waited but all went well.

[Tom King]

So sorry!!  I hope it heals quickly, and doesn't put too much of a dent in your family's holidays.

[JohnG]

Sorry to hear about your injury! Hope it heals up well. The edges of those fluorescent fixtures are definitely treacherous.

Yes, the emergency department is heavily abused. People know they can’t turn anyone away and there are many people that use it as their primary care. It has been abused for a long time, but in some areas is much worse after Covid. Many outpatient and non-emergency doctors offices were closed during covid, and started referring everyone to the emergency department if they’d call in. Even after they began to reopen, some continued to push off their patients to the emergency department, and still do.

Plus, after covid, a lot of people are very quick to worry that previously common symptoms are now emergent symptoms. 

Tragically, around the holidays are also super high traffic times at the emergency department. Kids of aging parents see them for the first time in 6-12 months and are surprised that they have continued to age and rush them to the hospital.

[gee-dub]

Ouch! Heal quick.  The current state of ER's has made me reassess my level of injury to make me go to one.  Don't get me wrong.  When, like yours, the injury calls for it, definitely go.

[curlyoak]

I appreciate the kindness and concerns. It is medicinal for me. Thank you! I think the worst part is mostly over. I am required to keep the bandage on and dry until this afternoon. Later getting it wet will be OK. I think by tomorrow I will be  2 handed with the injured hand about 50%. My guess. 

We will be having a serious cold front in local terms. Saturday morning will be 40. Which means a winterizing for my orchid collection. It is 2 or 3 hours with 2 good hands. I am soliciting neighbors for help. The first request was anxious to help. I am unsure of what my ability will be then. 

 

[pkinneb]

What a bummer! Hope you heal quickly!

[Ronn W]

I sure do appreciate the effort to inform us of you rmisfortune since you are typing one handed.  Hope it heals well.

[curlyoak]

On 12/18/2022 at 12:04 PM, Ronn W said:

I sure do appreciate the effort to inform us of you rmisfortune since you are typing one handed.  Hope it heals well.

I type poorly. I am typing challenged. I type with 2 fingers with my eyes on the keyboard. I am using one finger from each hand. The bandage comes off this afternoon. Stitches next week. All fingers are good.

[Coop]

Glad it wasn’t any worse!

What precautions do you take to protect your orchids? 
I once got a wild idea to protect my tomatoes by covering them with old sheets and added several old smudge pots between the rows. It ended up not freezing that night and the tomatoes tasted like creosote! Young, dumb and didn’t have a clue!  

[wtnhighlander]

Glad your visit to the hospital wasn't more serious! Hand injuries are never more than a fraction of an inch away from debilitating. Take care, and heal fast!

[legenddc]

Damn, glad you're okay!

Getting the stitches out shouldn't be too hard. Had a friend who convinced the nurse at the ER to give him the kit to remove his stitches on the palm of his hand. Watched him do it by himself without any issues.

[curlyoak]

On 12/18/2022 at 8:22 PM, Coop said:

What precautions do you take to protect your orchids?

I have a 9 x 14 space. It has a lexan roof. 3 sides are screen enclose and the 4th wall is the back of the garage. To winterize I have greenhouse pvc that I roll down and lock in place on the 3 sides. I jam as many plants that will fit and add an electric heater. The goal is to keep 50 or higher. Blooming plants come in the house. Nobody minds the inside plants because of the flowers. The orchids that are established on trees should survive. The trees are mostly water and are always warmer than the lows. Trees are like a heat sink. I just heard a forecast that calls for 35 on Xmas eve...brrrr

 

On 12/18/2022 at 9:29 PM, legenddc said:

Damn, glad you're okay!

FYI it was the only thing on my list for the day...

[Chestnut]

Yikes! glad you were able to get it stitched up.

It's not a fun time to have a child under 6 months. RSV is running rampant, urgent care and emergency room waits are through the roof. I've already heard 2 stories about the deaths of a 1.5 year old and 2.5 year old child dying from a combination RSV Covid.

It's really making me pause and think about going in if Hazel gets sick. Do i take her to Virus land to get a double or triple infection, or keep her home?

[wtnhighlander]

@Chestnut, I'm not usually a fan of such services, but your case seems like the perfect time to take advantage of a Tel-A-Doc, before running the in-person risk.

The forcast is calling for zero degrees F here on Friday morning. I almost hate to ask, but what is it looking like up there?

[legenddc]

On 12/19/2022 at 8:28 AM, Chestnut said:

Yikes! glad you were able to get it stitched up.

It's not a fun time to have a child under 6 months. RSV is running rampant, urgent care and emergency room waits are through the roof. I've already heard 2 stories about the deaths of a 1.5 year old and 2.5 year old child dying from a combination RSV Covid.

It's really making me pause and think about going in if Hazel gets sick. Do i take her to Virus land to get a double or triple infection, or keep her home?

When that was really high here we went to the pediatrician, a pediatric urgent care and regular urgent care based on availability.

Hope you have some meds on hand just in case. If you end up needing some and can't find any I'm happy to look here and ship it to you. We even have a nebulizer if you were to need it.

[Mark J]

1 hour ago, Chestnut said:

It's really making me pause and think about going in if Hazel gets sick.

The first defense is not bringing any illnesses home.  e.g. Mask when you go out.  Limit visitors (and maybe do masks).  etc.  Then like others have suggested look at alternative care sources like urgent cares.  Talk to your doc's office about the availability of tele-medicine if you should need it.  And remember, too, you've "heard stories" because they are extraordinary, not because they are ordinary.   Hope that helps .

[curlyoak]

On 12/18/2022 at 8:22 PM, Coop said:

What precautions do you take to protect your orchids? 

In Winter with cold weather below 50 I fill this space. This is a rectangle added to my pool area connected to the pool cage. Structure is aluminum typical for pool enclosures, completely screened. I added a plastic called lexan to the roof. It will stand up to cat 1 hurricane. It is 50% shade. I have UV grade pvc rolled in place in the pic.  There are 7 panels that roll down. In the middle there is an aluminum extrusion that is used to lock down the plastic. Another component is called wiggle wire. https://www.amazon.com/Bootstrap-Farmer-Spring-Wire-Channel/dp/B01N75VZ6D/ref=sr_1_4_sspa?keywords=wiggle%2Bwire&qid=1671466158&sr=8-4-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzUlY2UVcwVlc0VFk4JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTQwNjI0M1ZVNDBDWDUwTTYyNCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTA2Mzg3MjZMOUI3M0IyOTdHTCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU&th=1  It works well.

[Chestnut]

7 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

@Chestnut, I'm not usually a fan of such services, but your case seems like the perfect time to take advantage of a Tel-A-Doc, before running the in-person risk.

The forcast is calling for zero degrees F here on Friday morning. I almost hate to ask, but what is it looking like up there?

The hospital that we go to has a lot of great resources that allow you to skip the ER if you don't need to be seen right away. Every day the open up a large number of pediatric appointments at 5PM for the following day. This essentially allows you to skip the wait room and come at your appointed time.

There are also tele visits and ways to leave notes with your doctor with questions and allow them to get back with you. My comment was more just a comment about how I'm thinking about how severe things are before we go and make sure that it's truly an emergency before traveling that path.

21 hours ago, Mark J said:

The first defense is not bringing any illnesses home.  e.g. Mask when you go out.  Limit visitors (and maybe do masks).  etc.  Then like others have suggested look at alternative care sources like urgent cares.  Talk to your doc's office about the availability of tele-medicine if you should need it.  And remember, too, you've "heard stories" because they are extraordinary, not because they are ordinary.   Hope that helps .

Yeah ... I'm not worried about that as much. Daycare is the great petri dish of the world and if anything comes home it'll be from there. I can't just quit my job and stay home. I have to afford wood and new tools somehow... Also yes i know it's super rare and that they are extraordinary but unnecessary risks are still unnecessary. See above if she is sick and needs care she's going in, we're just not going to go in for every cough.