Emergency Room Run

I was in extreme pain on Tuesday night so I decided to stop being all anti-hospital and go to the ER. I went to Mount Sinai for the 1st time ever. I was happy at how quickly I was triaged and about 15 minutes later, I was being taken to the back.

Surprise, surprise there were so many beds with curtains, only 1 room (just in case you needed more privacy then a curtain could provide) and all you can hear are the beeps of those machines (I hope you know what I am talking about). Well I experienced an ok visit I guess, happy that nothing was found by the docs, but as for things that I heard and witnessed were damn right reason to piss me the hell off!

Patient # 1 - An older lady sort of reminded me of my grandmother, can't breathe correctly and only speaks spanish. White doctor screaming very distorted spanglish phrases at her. (Now I understand that this is a Jewish Hospital, but damn not 1 person was available to translate.) She was fighting the tube that they were trying to put in her nose, practically crying (scared obviously) and all you hear is the white doctor shouting (maybe because spanish people are hard of hearing, or because all old people are hard of hearing, or maybe because she will understand him better if he SHOUTS) "Senora please calmate, el tubo is going to make you breath easier. (Ugh I wish I knew spanish to help this poor lady. Damn hospital needs to invest in a translater or a nurse that speaks SPANISH, you service EL BARRIO PEOPLE!!!)

Patient # 2 - A young Puerto Rican (hood looking) man, who is in extreme pain. He is moaning and waits about a half hour before a nurse comes to his bed and tells him she can't give him anything until the doctor see's him. About 20 minutes after that the same white doctor comes over and says, "Hey can you tell me why you're here." The guy then explains that he is in PAIN and that he has LUPUS and was just here a week ago. He goes on to explain that his medicaid was cut so he hasn't been on meds and he is waiting for the social worker to help him get back on medicaid. The doctor is like "Not having insurance is a problem guy." (And I'm like "duh". What kind of freaking society do we live in that allows people with LUPUS or any other incurable DISEASE to walk around with NO MEDICATION because they don't have insurance? How doesn't he have insurance? Shouldn't there be some damn law that gives people insurance when they have DISEASES that can only be controlled with EXTREMELY expensive but necessary medication? And ok now he told you he's in pain, can you get him some pain medication and allow him to take it while you continue to ask stupid questions?) Well needless to say they were going to send him home with no medication just the one that WHITE DOC administered to him about 20 minutes later.

This leads me to be THANKFUL that I have medical insurance and speak english, but once again I live in el barrio which means most of my neighbors do not speak english and/or don't have insurance, and I am not too sure I like how they are being treated in the hospital.

I also think that I should've just went to metropolitan! I am still convinced something is wrong with me but now I know it aint something detectable by blood, urine, or cultures.

Well that's all for now...