Two ER Stories, Different Outcomes, Lessons Learned
LouLou posted a heart-breaking story in the Patient Empowerment forum. Her 12-year old son had complained of a variety of symptoms, highly unusual for him. So she and her husband took him to the Emergency Room where he was examined, tested for strep throat, and discharged fairly quickly. Several hours later, at home, her son collapsed, then died the next day.
I can't even imagine....
Then this story came to my attention. A 4-year-old named Brook was in a great deal of pain, headachy, spiking a fever. Her parents took her to the ER, too. After looking her over, running a strep test, and giving her some IV antibiotics, the doctors decided to discharge her.
Brook's mother "pitched a fit" demanding they admit her child to the hospital, which they did. Many days, many more strange symptoms and several frightening events later, Brook was accurately diagnosed with Kawasaki disease which is an infection-induced cardiac problem that usually strikes very young children, and when left untreated, causes death. Perhaps the most well-known child to have suffered from Kawasaki's disease was Jett Travolta, John Travolta's son who died last year, who had suffered from Kawasaki's disease when he was a toddler.
Two examples of children with grave illnesses being taken to the Emergency Room. And two VERY different outcomes.
And the lesson for us?
In both these cases, the parents KNEW their children desperately needed help. LouLou knew it - she wrote about it. Clearly Brook's mother knew it -- she put her foot down and got the help Brook needed.
Trusting one's intuition, then acting on it is very powerful. If you have a feeling you (or a loved one) needs care you aren't getting, then be insistent! Be assertive if necessary. Be persistent. But act! And don't back down.
It might be a matter of life and death.
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I cannot even imagine the pain that accompanies losing a child. There must be nothing worse. I hate to bring up money in this sad situation but with the current state of healthcare it needs to be done. Insistance by parents to admit their children to the hospiatl happens all of the time. Of course, the two scenarios that you include fit well with the intended plot of your story as they should. But in the real world parents’ insistance on admission is usually for uninformed reasons/fear and they need to be prepared to pay thousands of dollars out of their pockets when the insurance companies (if they have insurance) refuse to reimburse for an unecessary admission. As all intelligent folks should be learning daily…somebody has got to pay when it comes to healthcare! There ain’t no free lunch. And it’s going to get worse.