You know, MsWhatsit’s right. This is the first I’ve heard of the pregnancy too! Congrats, Ruby! Is it your first?
Thanks, Anaamika. Yes, it’s my first and only.
The nurse isn’t crazy. She’s just erring on the side of the patient, or, to put it another way, assuming the worst. You said he’s not critical, but how do you know for sure?
I mean, he’s had a persistent fever for several days with a sore throat, and antibiotics have done nothing. I don’t know about you, but something like that would alarm me. I may not be thinking it’s critical right off the bat, but I’m not going to totally rule it out either. I’d want to know, with absolute certainty, that it’s not something more serious.
In an ER, they can perform a wider range of tests than a clinic can. There are many diseases that begin with fever-like signs and symptoms, then progressively get worse, if not properly treated. Why take a chance? Don’t get locked into the notion that ER’s should only be for people who are on death’s door step.
Just the other day, we had a patient who was complaining of only “slight chest discomfort.” We took his vital signs, hooked him up to our ECG monitor, and everything checked out fine. He wasn’t in any kind of visible distress. His wife actually called us out, not him, because she was concerned, and he was actually angry with her because he felt that this was unnecessary.
He thought the pain would go away and he didn’t want to go to the hospital. So we talked with him about the potential consequences of his decision, and after about five minutes, he gripped his chest, slumped over, and went into cardiac arrest. His wife lost it. We revived him and took him to the hospital.
My point is that there are many signs, symptoms, diseases, etc., that we may perceive as benign and consider minor. And, good news, most of the time, we’re right. But, if there’s doubt, why risk it? Now, I’m not saying go to the ER for every little scrape and scratch, or for every cough, cold, and congestion, but if you genuinely feel like whatever you have (or your husband has) cannot be fixed by over-the-counter remedies, then don’t hesitate about the ER.