So I'm sitting here in the Emergancy Room...

[red-beard]

What can I say to convince my Mother that we'd be better off going to an urgent care place?

She has twisted her foot, and has either a twisted ankle or a sprained foot or maybe a Jones fracture...

With the pain she claims, I think it is Jones. I expect we're gonna site here 4+ hours.

[masraum]

Wow, yeah, Emergency Room is only a good alternative if there's no where else, or it's a life threatening emergency.

Sucks, you can't just drag her someplace else?

[Joe Bob]

Bring guns...........

[LWJ]

Faster.
Cheaper.
Less nasty sick people.

Only reason for an emergency room is if you are REALLY bad.

[Hugh R]

My 81 y/o live in MIL fell last week over her own two feet and hit the pavement face first. Broken nose and cheek bone. She used to be the Chairwomen of the local hospital foundation, no lines for her, and private room in the Emergency. Be glad it's not Saturday night at around midnight.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by masraum

Wow, yeah, Emergency Room is only a good alternative if there's no where else, or it's a life threatening emergency.

Sucks, you can't just drag her someplace else?

I think it would take tow chains. Before we left the house, she called the doctor next door, and he suggested to go to the ER, because we'd get an Orthopedic. BS. We'll get a resident. It's Friday after 5PM.

Appearently, my suggestions to leave and go to the urgent care place, a mile away, annoyed her enough that she told me to leave her and dad at the ER and to pick her up when they were done. And so I left.

Do you think I'm out of the will now?

[rfuerst911sc]

Don't assume you're in the will .

[bivenator]

What was the outcome?

[red-beard]

Picked up from ER at 9:30 PM. We arrived at the ER at 4:45PM.

Only a PA saw her (as I had suspected).

Jones fracture.

[Tobra]

That will be tough to get that to heal, depending on her age, start working on getting a bone growth stimulator for her now with her insurance, if a true Jones fracture, might need it fixed surgically.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Tobra

That will be tough to get that to heal, depending on her age, start working on getting a bone growth stimulator for her now with her insurance, if a true Jones fracture, might need it fixed surgically.

She is 76 1/2 and will see her orthopod on Monday. Yep, I expect it will require surgery.

[Tobra]

There are some really groovy plates to fix that. If you put a bone stim on, it will almost certainly heal much faster and get her going quicker. Tell her doctor you would like an insiration spirometer and make her use it. Much less likely to get pneumonia using one, which kills a lot of little old ladies when they break something doing the trip and fall. Less time she is off her pins the better

Does she smoke, how is her diet?

[red-beard]

She smoked up to about 1960, but only socially. Her diet is actually very good. They never buy prepared food. She does have elevated blood pressure and cholestoral. Otherwise, she is in very good condition.

She stepped down onto an un-even surface, which put pressure on the bone. I have already fixed that situation.

I'll print this out so that she takes your suggestions to her doctor. Thanks!

[glewis80SC]

Originally Posted by red-beard

I think it would take tow chains. Before we left the house, she called the doctor next door, and he suggested to go to the ER, because we'd get an Orthopedic. BS. We'll get a resident. It's Friday after 5PM.

Appearently, my suggestions to leave and go to the urgent care place, a mile away, annoyed her enough that she told me to leave her and dad at the ER and to pick her up when they were done. And so I left.

Do you think I'm out of the will now?

The DR is just CYA himself that is the universal answer for them, its saves them the long conversation with the patient,the know you will be stuck there for hours and out of the doctors hair. I get that all the time, i'll go on a call for a "sick" for two days,they called the Dr and he told them " you should go to the ER just to be safe" even if they justhave a cold. I tell them how long they will be waiting but some think the ER is the answer to everything, then they sit in the waiting room for hours *****ing at the nurse why it is taking so long.

[Tobra]

Thumbnail sketch, two types of bone growth stimulator, ultrasonic and electromagnetic field.

The EMF one totally makes sense that it would work, but does not so much and you have to wait until it is a non-union or delayed union before you can use it, couple of months at least.

The ultrasound one has the published studies now, and Medicare will pay for it to be used on an acute fracture, if concomitant conditions are present.

here is an article about them
http://www.healthandnutritiontips.net/bone_growth_stimulator/bone_growth_stimulator.html