Shortly after I was assigned a bed in the ER, I was joined by "Rebecca". Rebecca is in her 40's, was transported via ambulance and was suffering from a dislocated prosthetic hip. Rebecca was also soused and spoke of drinking a bottle of vodka prior to her 5AM trip to the ER. She had fallen as she reached for her pack of cigarettes she had dropped under her bed. Rebecca did not have insurance, except for some worker's comp she kept bringing up, lived in a board and care facility, is married and moaned a lot. Board and care is non-medical custodial living for adults and can be state subsidized.
During Rebecca's time in the ER she received x-rays and then left to sleep off her buzz before they could relocate her hip, for which she was sedated. She frequently asked for Ambien and pain medication, for which she was refused or offered Tylenol. Her husband eventually showed up to be by her side, left and returned. It was also revealed that this was her 4th trip to the ER for this same ailment and that she was waiting for hip replacement surgery. Upon leaving, Rebecca was offered a special pillow to help with her hip. Rebecca and her husband said she had one but wanted another. The nurse said that if they had one they don't need another. The husband said it would be "perrrrfect" if they had a 2nd, one for the bedroom and one for the living room, so he wouldn't have to worry about moving one. The nurse gave in and gave him one. They also went home with a clean, new pair of scrubs, pillows and everything else they could grab that the nurse would let them take. You and I just paid for their shopping trip.
Oh, and one more thing. As Rebecca was leaving, she asked about positions that should could have sex in. So, this wasn't the first and definitely not the last time we'll be paying for Rebecca and friend's medical care and shopping spree.
My other roomie, "Richard" was also a board and care resident with a bit of mental illness. Richard was also in his 40's, also did not have insurance, was transported via ambulance for chest pain and was asking for pain killers. Richard also made numerous claims against his facility including that they were not giving him all his meds and would not allow him to use the phone. No-one was buying it, after all he did call an ambulance and the meds he wasn't receiving were narcotics. He did receive a chest x-ray, CT scan and some meds. I was gone before Richard was released but I wonder what his goody-bag included.
Both Rebecca and Richard received all their tests expediently while I waited for insurance to approve the last one of mine and for my surgeon to return a phone call. After 24 hours of care, I was finally allowed to return home and am happy to say that I am doing better today.
