Journal
ER Wait

It was the first time the pain was so much I couldn’t sleep all night.
Sometime in the spring I hurt my back. I’m not sure what did it. I remember testing out a new air mattress for camping and being sore after. I remember having a few more “lean in’s” when looking at my computer screen with my glasses on. But I went camping on that mattress and was fine waking up after. It might not have been that. It might not have been a specific injury at all. Just wear and tear on a near 40-year-old body.
Originally it would go away and come back. Any time I was working that meant 8-10 hours a day sitting on a computer chair. If I worked four straight days the pain would be at a high, but three or four days off? The pain would go away.
I’ve been stretching more than ever. Using a roller every chance I got. Doing what I could to strength my core and lower back. I wasn’t ready for the winter.
The first day I recall it was really cold I could barely get out of bed. My back felt locked. I could barely stretch it a few degrees forward. It hurt to sit, it hurt to lay down. I got some comfort standing but not a lot. It would takes hours and over the counter medication for me to just feel a little better and a little more limber. Every day felt like a race against the clock. My days off were not helping the way I had hoped. Being off the computer wasn’t giving much comfort either.
They say if your medication isn’t giving comfort after five days to speak to a doctor. They also say if you are feeling numbness in your foot to call a doctor. I was definitely at the limit for both. My left foot was a little numb and Monday night I could barely sleep.
I finally got out of bed around 6am and planned to hit the clinic after I had something to eat. Just the process of getting out of bed, showering, putting clothes on, heading downstairs, making something to eat, then getting ready to head to ER? That took me around 3 hours to accomplish. This was hardly doable.
I made it to the clinic just before 10am and registered. The clinic meant more time sitting down. Not much of a day off if I can’t get some respite from sitting but that’s my situation.
Warm in my mind was the asshole from Montreal who waited six hours in ER and then said fuck it and went home, days later dying of an aneurysm. How it sparked people angry about having to wait so long to get healthcare.
Unlike big_figgit (that was his Twitter name, real piece of work) I didn’t wait six hours. I waited seven.
Once you actually get in from the waiting room there’s more waiting. Sitting on a chair, waiting for a nurse or doctor to talk to you. It’s frustrating but you should be prepared. I brought my phone charger. I overate so I wouldn’t be hungry when I got there. I was quiet and patient.
I saw a lot of people thinking they could just bother the doctors and nurses into getting help. One lady kept asking people for more water. She was told she had to wait a few minutes but would just ask the next person. To some people this is a simple request. I got to watch the first nurse she asked that to. She said she would get it after a few minutes and proceeded to perform five tasks for another people necessary. And then go back to the computer because there’s another five tasks to do. She did not have time to get that water and remember her tasks.
For your wanting the water this sucks, but if she stops to get you the water and breaks her routine that’s going to slow everyone down. Not just the people who need help now but also the people in the waiting room trying to get in. Delays are part of why the system is so slow.
I’ll admit when it was 5:30 I was also getting a bit ansy to leave but I didn’t bother anyone. I was asked to go sit near my chair waiting for my prescription to be written up. No problem. Eventually I was diagnosed and out.
The doctor told me that based on the X-Rays and urine sample I didn’t injure anything. It’s an aggravation. Same doctor who figured out my gout. I was given ketorolac for the pain and cyclobenzaprine as a muscle relaxer. First day taking it I feel a lot better.
It was frustrating to be told which exercises I need to do since I do exercise but he’s only doing his job. I could be lying. I could be not doing enough or not doing them properly. I’m believing I don’t do them enough based on how much I sit every day.
I don’t disagree with people that the wait times at Canadian ER’s is way too long. Of course it is. It sucked that most of my day off was spent waiting to be seen. I wish our healthcare system was better. I wish medication and eye care was covered. I would be fine paying more taxes to get those covered. I am sure there’s ways for us to allocate our tax money better to ensure a more efficient system.
But if this is the system we have? You have to listen to what you’re told when in ER and what you’re told talking to the doctors. Don’t try to claim it’s someone else’s fault because you thought you were too important to wait.
I’ll see how I feel a few days on my medication but I don’t regret spending that time. Besides, I didn’t have much to do on Monday. I was off work. I got myself some Popeyes chicken and had a food coma. Can’t find a better way to sleep than that.
Go to the doctor when you need to. Go to ER if you have to. Respect the people in the hospital while you’re there. Follow what you were told when you depart.
That’s it. That’s all. Have a good day. And if I die a few days later like the Montreal guy did? At least I didn’t spend my final days on this earth hating trans people and Palestinians while pretending I’m a good person.