Emergency Room

[rhonda74]

It was 3am in the morning, I woke up with a stiff neck and lower back pain. After getting dressed I decided to travel to my nearest emergency room for treatment.  I safely arrived at the emergency room; things look differently since the last time I've been to the hospital; security has been upgraded!  Lets go further inside the emergency room.. yikes! everyone is wearing face mask again both staff and patients waiting to be treated, flash back of the pandemic quickly comes to mind, probably with the new reported measles outbreak the hospital is not taking any chances of spreading anything related or non-related to it. Hmm.. there might be other reasons the staff isn't talking about it such as the Proud Boys scare.  Anyway, after registering with the secretary, I was seen by a treating doctor. I was not mis gendered in any way, surprisingly the staff was nice to me. Strangely, no x-rays were taken to make sure my spine was okay? Within an hour I received my discharge papers, the patient tag showed no gender marker?  

[VickySGV]

Sounds like a successful visit with full respect and dignity, if not the expected diagnostic experience. Measles and new strains of Flu are popping up in these crazy times. 

[Carolyn Marie]

Did they provide a diagnosis, follow-up treatment, medicine?  I agree with Vicky, that it seems like they treated you well, which is great.

 

Carolyn Marie

[rhonda74]

1 hour ago, Carolyn Marie said:

Did they provide a diagnosis, follow-up treatment, medicine?

Yes, the diagnose is treated as a sprang or stiff neck, the treating nurse put a sticky patch on the back of my neck, the patch has numbing medicine (time released) as it is absorbed in the skin traveling to the effected muscles. The hospital wouldn't perform other test without my primary doctor's permission. The stiff neck is just the tip of the iceberg (so to speak) but spinal surgery would be the "cure" but there are risk. 

 

3 hours ago, VickySGV said:

Measles and new strains of Flu are popping up in these crazy times. 

This might explain why the cancelation of some social events; people are starting wear their face mask again.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

Thankfully you were treated well.  Just remember, common things are common.  Stiff muscles, aching joints, and such things just happen.  Are there no quick clinics (doc in a box) near you?  Hopefully the ER won't send you a big bill. 

 

Not sure why they'd be all masked up and acting worried.  Measles is in Texas, a long way from you.  And its not like the Black Death or something.  Back before the 60s, everybody got measles just like chicken pox or the flu....a week of discomfort and then on with life.  I guess we've just entered an on-again-off-again cycle of manufactured fear to keep Big Pharma in business. 

[rhonda74]

11 hours ago, awkward-yet-sweet said:

Not sure why they'd be all masked up and acting worried

Honestly, I was about to turn around and not go inside after seeing all the mask up faces staring at me from the outside window  like come on in sit next to me I'll keep you company. 

[Charlize]

On 3/23/2025 at 6:09 AM, awkward-yet-sweet said:

  Measles is in Texas, a long way from you.  And its not like the Black Death or something

That is true and yet up to 3 in 1000 children die after getting measles.  

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

[awkward-yet-sweet]

Just now, Charlize said:

That is true and yet up to 3 in 1000 children die after getting measles.  

 

Hugs,

 

Charlize

 

The rate in the USA in the 50s was actually around 1 in 1000.  Basically not much more than the common flu.  And we don't worry about the flu.  Just media hype.

 

 

 

[Ivy]

Just now, awkward-yet-sweet said:

Basically not much more than the common flu.  And we don't worry about the flu.  Just media hype.

Usually measles (and flu) is not fatal.  I grew up in the 50's, and yes, we all caught it.  But we also knew about the possible repercussions, I distinctly remember blindness being one.

 

Having said this, I do still think vaccines should not be forced on people, although I can see a health dept. having an interest in encouraging them.

 

As for the masks, I seldom wear one, but I have had the jabs.  It doesn't bother me when I see others with them on.  And they are useful if one is going to a protest.

 

Emergency Rooms…  At this point I would drive to the VA ER before the local ER if possible.  I just don't know how Ivy would be treated here.  Last I heard the VA would still give me some respect - although that may be changing in the future.

[awkward-yet-sweet]

11 hours ago, Ivy said:

Emergency Rooms…  At this point I would drive to the VA ER before the local ER if possible.  I just don't know how Ivy would be treated here.  Last I heard the VA would still give me some respect - although that may be changing in the future.

Wow.  That's exactly the opposite of what folks would probably say here.  My husband's mother was a military doctor and then a doctor for the VA.  His father is a veteran, but they have private insurance specifically to avoid using a VA hospital. 

 

Commercial hospital here is pretty good.  Even though it is Trump country, they're super friendly. I met one of my trans friends there, as she was part of the team that took care of me as I recovered from being assaulted.  Last time I was there, staff were still wearing rainbow pins and such. 

 

Probably later this year I'll be back there, getting my repeatedly-shattered ankle replaced. Trying to wait until my two pregnant partners have delivered, and maybe until the major harvests are over.  8 weeks of no walking and 6 months of painful recovery isn't something I look forward to, but at least I think the hospital is reliable enough to do the job right.