ER staff professional, comforting and kind

In the last two weeks it’s been necessary for me to make two trips to the emergency department. Oh, yes, let me hear a collective, “oh no!” But actually, only one trip was for me, the other I was just the chauffeur for a dear friend who was reacting to pain meds, but that’s another story.

Because it’s all about me, I’ll tell you mine. I woke up during the night with a stitch in my side, right under my rib cage like I’d been running a marathon. Then I couldn’t get comfortable so I went to the kitchen, took some Maalox and then felt really dizzy on my way back to bed. I could doze, but the pain was getting worse and by morning I felt like a stabbing victim who’d overdosed on pepperoni pizza.

Now I read the words I write and I know I’ve said on numerous occasions to call 911 if there is any indication of a heart attack and being totally convinced that wasn’t it (I knew because I looked up symptoms) I enlisted a friend to drive me. He instantly assessed a gallbladder misfunction (yeah, he went online, too) and off we went to Emergency.

The reason I’m telling you this is that I want you to know what happens when you arrive at the emergency department.

If you’ve never been, you probably have an image in your mind of the old eponymously named television show. There, people with blood rushing and gushing were treated by equally rushing and gushing characters made up to look like medical professionals.

Well, on this Sunday morning, it was fairly quiet. I’ve been warned in the past never to comment that an emergency department is “quiet.”

However, despite other patients, there was no drama. Everyone actually seemed quite calm.

The receptionist (I apologize I didn’t get her name) looked as though she was actually pleased we came to visit. She asked for some brief information and it wasn’t two minutes before we were taken to an exam room, which was a good thing since I could barely move from the pain.

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Nurses Doug and Denis went right to work getting my vitals and current information. Now, it didn’t hurt that I was already in BGH’s system, but I can’t imagine verifying info being any more difficult than giving it and they both were quick, thorough, concerned and comforting.

Dr. Robyn Hitchcock agreed that it just might be my gallbladder and hooked up the portable ultrasound, which I have to tell you pleased me no end since it was the first apparatus that the Bonner General Hospital Foundation was able to purchase.

Again, professional, methodical, consoling and reassuring it really wasn’t her fault that she couldn’t find any gallstones. She ordered an IV and treated me with lovely drugs that stopped the nausea and made the pain tolerable and after a couple of hours I was headed home with instructions to return for more tests and prescriptions for more lovely drugs.

The staff does a great job of managing the triage. That means that the sickest or worst injured will be seen first. So, if you’re there with a non-life threatening issue you may be giving up a chunk of your day or night, but you can be assured that you’ll get excellent care.

Watch this space for more about gallbladders in the future, but as for mine, it seems to be “finicky” and my medical practitioner has advised me to wait for symptoms to happen again. I’m on the edge of my seat!

Kathy Hubbard is a trustee on Bonner General Hospital Foundation Board. She can be reached at kathyleehubbard@yahoo.com, 264-4029.