Stupid mistakes/ER Visit

[I Should Coco]

As a vet of at least 10 ER visits for shoulder dislocations (from diving for balls while at SS, had two surgeries), I learned the louder you scream, faster you are seen in ER.

Not an ER visit, but a stupid mistake about 10 years ago that caused shoulder damage.

Went to pick up my then junior high age daughter from a sleepover at a friend's house. A few blocks away from our home, she had risen her bike so I rode my old Trek mountain bike to get her.

There was a small curb cut that allowed us to go onto a well worn path from the street to the sidewalk. My daughter navigated it without a problem; I didn't pay attention well enough, smacked the curb with my front tire and was thrown off the bike.

Because my right shoulder was in severe pain and I could barely move my arm, I went to the local walk in clinic. They sent me the imaging department at the hospital, where a cute MRI tech practically yanked my arm out of its socket and caused me to scream and whimper like a baby.

Turned out I was lucky — just had some AC joint damage that I was able to work through with physical therapy — but I'll never forget the pain when that young woman yanked my arm straight for the MRI. And all because I didn't watch where I was going on a relatively slow bike ride.

 

[BitterYoungMatador2]

When I was 18, I mouthed off to a guy once (I'm sure no one here is stunned).

He broke my nose in two places (pretty sure he had motorcycle gloves on).

Got in my car and drove to the ER with blood pouring down my shirt.

It was the last day of spring break. Got back to my dorm a couple of days later and no one was stunned there either.

 

[playthrough]

I have a fresh ER story ... Christmas evening we all packed for an early flight to Florida and got to bed early. About 10 p.m. I start to get a searing pain in my abdomen. Toss and turn for an hour or so, it's not going away and it's getting worse. Wife says we better get to the ER and grudgingly agree. By midnight I'm checked in and in a room and the pain is insane. Took three painkillers to get it to subside. After blood tests and a CT scan they found a 5 mm kidney stone. Yeehaw. Went home with a bunch of drugs and a urologist appt, we'll see what happens next. And had to cancel the Florida vacation -- the stupid mistake would have been to try to tough it out, I think my innards might have exploded on the plane.

 

[I Should Coco]

Kidney stones are no fun — it's impossible to find a posture or position that doesn't hurt.

You just have to drink a lot of fluids and hope you can eventually pish it out.

 

[BTExpress]

They gave me three stitches. I removed them myself about a week later, which made me feel like a bad ass. Also have a small scar from it.

Shoulda skipped the ER visit. Just staple the wound together like Mark Watney did in The Martian.

 

[BurnsWhenIPee]

Can regular Super Glue be used for the smaller cuts? Feels both like an easy fix and a recipe for disaster.

A bad part about the staples in my head wound was the fact that enough time had passed to where the clotting was taking effect. So the doctor had to peel out the clotting blood, then rinse out the wound and pull the skin together to staple it in place.

 

[Batman]

Can regular Super Glue be used for the smaller cuts? Feels both like an easy fix and a recipe for disaster.

A bad part about the staples in my head wound was the fact that enough time had passed to where the clotting was taking effect. So the doctor had to peel out the clotting blood, then rinse out the wound and pull the skin together to staple it in place.

For some minor cuts, I think it can.
They also sell a product called New Skin that is sort of a medical version of Super Glue. It has some Neosporin-like antibotics in it and brushes on like fingernail polish. It works pretty well as a first-aid item.

 

[qtlaw]

For some minor cuts, I think it can.
They also sell a product called New Skin that is sort of a medical version of Super Glue. It has some Neosporin-like antibotics in it and brushes on like fingernail polish. It works pretty well as a first-aid item.

New skin was not a substitute for my head laceration. It's for small cuts on your fingers, etc.

BTW great medical daily (weekly actually) double, getting colonoscopy today. And staples out tomorrow. So fun.

 

[Twirling Time]

I had to get nine stitches in my left arm as a kindergartner because I was following a friend outside at his house and he slammed the storm door behind him. I went right through it.

 

[Wenders]

Two years ago, I had a pretty bad kidney infection that after six days of antibiotics during which I felt progressively worse, I finally went to the ER.

Two hours in the hospital, a bag of fluids because I was dehydrated (I couldn't keep food or water down for a few days), a CT scan, some really good IV meds and I was good to go. Then I got the bill and discovered that the CT scan that would have been $400 across the street was $4000. Let's just say I wasn't pleased.

 

[Driftwood]

Fun ER story:
I don't know how old I was but young. My older cousin got a weight set. I decided I could pump iron, too. My mom told me not to mess with it because I'd "rupture myself."
Obviously, I didn't listen. A few hours after my Mr. Atlas session, I developed major lower abdominal pain. My mom was livid that I had ruptured myself.
My folks load me up for the ER. We check in, wait and wait and wait. After a very long while, I cut about 12-second, 8-octave fart. "Oh, wow. I feel much better now." I wasn't ruptured. I just had gas.
However pissed my mom was before, she was beyond nuclear pissed now.

 

[qtlaw]

New skin was not a substitute for my head laceration. It's for small cuts on your fingers, etc.

BTW great medical daily (weekly actually) double, getting colonoscopy today. And staples out tomorrow. So fun.

Just got home, all is well in QT land. Not a good start, get to surgical center and they don't have me on schedule. Luckily they got it straight. Not happy at prospect that I did prep for nothing and may have had to redo and reschedule. Thankfully no. About to murder a burger and fries.