Jasper's First Trip to the ER

I arrived home on Friday afternoon looking forward to picking up Erica's sister Brittany at the airport later that evening. When I turned toward the house, I saw Jasper in the driveway to greet me. I knew something was amiss when Diane asked me from the door, "Does he feel warm to you?" I responded that he felt fine, and Jasper and I proceeded into the house together. Upon entering, Erica began to explain to me the situation. It was highly likely that Jasper had eaten from one to a few peanuts. Erica didn't see him eat them, but there was evidence that this occurred at around 4 PM. By 6 PM, Jasper had thrown up his dinner, and he had a wheezing cough. Erica had made a call to our health insurance company to talk with a nurse. Originally she recommended that we go to the ER, but not very strongly. That nurse called us back shortly after my arrival. She more strongly recommended that we head into the ER.

We had Jasper's pediatrician paged, and upon hearing Jasper's wheezing cough over the phone, she confirmed that Jasper needed to be seen quickly. Some of you may be suspecting that our pediatrician is ultra concervative, but I'm confident that she isn't. In the end, I trust her judgement. She added for emphasis, "Some of my colleagues will look down on me for not forcing you to call an ambulance." She requested that we give Jasper some Benadryl before we rush out the door.

We loaded up in the Passat, and I made that drive that no father wants to make. We arrived at the hospital within 10 minutes of leaving our home, and we checked in at the desk. Our pediatrician requested that we let the ER know that he is likely having an allergic reaction, and that she wanted him to be seen ASAP. They got a pulse oxygen reading on him right away, and we sat down to wait for triage. Contray to all the concerns of overunning ER's across the country, this ER was nearly empty. We waited...and waited...until I went back up to the desk. I reiterated the request of Jasper's pediatrician, and they showed us back to triage.

Meanwhile, the Benadryl had continued to work, and Jasper's condition continued to improve. Once we met with the triage nurse, she asked us about Jasper. When we explained the situation:

Eating a peanut was suspected but not confirmed
Vomitting up dinner
Wheezing cough (which Jasper demonstrated for the nurse)
Calls to nurse and pediatrician

...the nurse looked at us like we were crazy for being there. Her look was rude as she appeared annoyed to be dealing with us. We hadn't abused the system. We had gone through a system of checks, and she was annoyed that that system produced us in her triage. Erica and I both felt very uncomfortable as she appeared annoyed to be helping us. The annoyed attitude continued through all of the staff of the ER upon which we came in contact. The ER doctor asked us some questions, and he started talking to us about how respiratory infections can cause the same symptoms. No empathy from anyone. At one point in the evening, Erica and I more fullly realized why my father spends so much time working with the ED to improve patient satisfaction.

On our way out of the hospital, the registration desk told us our bill, and we paid a portion of it. After talking with our insurance company the next morning, they stated that would negotiate with the hospital before we see the final bill.
In the end, the ER did nothing but look at Jasper and get annoyed that we were there. I walked away very disappointed in the way that we were treated, and I'll do my best to never darken the door of that facility again. Fortunately, this is not the same hospital at which Jasper and Benjamin were born, but it is the closest by a couple of minutes. If I'm afforded the luxury next time, we will be driving an extra couple of minutes to a different hospital.