re: What would it take for you to go to the ER?

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I laugh my arse off after transporting a patient with minor complaints and can walk/drive themselves to an ER thinking they will get seen faster only to have the hospital staff send them to the waiting room to await triage

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I love the ER walk of shame from the stretcher to the waiting room. And the sad part is out tax dollar pays for a lot of these

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gave it a solid 9.

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This is reasonable.

Unfortunately pain is the fifth vital sign now. I regularly hear 12/10 pain or 50/10 in which case I realize poor coping mechanisms are present and simply divide 50/10 and arrive at a level 5.

Everyone also expresses that they “have a high pain tolerance”. Never met anyone with a low pain tolerance.

Could be a recent change, I’m not sure. Age of the child matters a lot too, like fever in an infant is much more serious than fever in a toddler. I think maybe for higher fevers you are supposed to call and check in with the on-call, but if your child isn’t an infant, odds are they will say just keep them hydrated and treat with Tylenol and motrin. I have a child who responds to infections with high fevers so have spent a lot of time reading this stuff every time I call in the middle of the night they tell me the same thing.

From what I’ve gathered as a mere mortal and not as a doctor, fever is the body’s normal response to infection and it helps fight off whatever bug. Fever in itself is not a reason to worry. High fevers themselves do not cause febrile seizures; rather, a rapid RATE of rise in temperature CAN cause a febrile seizure but only in a small percentage of children. Even if a child does have a febrile seizure, it’s short and does not cause any damage. So, this should be heartening info to parents and make them not freak out at every high fever.

This Seattle Children’s Hospital page has helpful info for anyone interested.

LINK

Here’s a snippet, but there’s some more helpful info at the website.

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MYTH. All fevers are bad for children.

FACT. Fevers turn on the body's immune system. They help the body fight infection. Normal fevers between 100° and 104° F (37.8° - 40° C) are good for sick children.

MYTH. Fevers above 104° F (40° C) are dangerous. They can cause brain damage.

FACT. Fevers with infections don't cause brain damage. Only temperatures above 108° F (42° C) can cause brain damage. It's very rare for the body temperature to climb this high. It only happens if the air temperature is very high. An example is a child left in a closed car during hot weather.

MYTH. Anyone can have a seizure triggered by fever.

FACT. Only 4% of children can have a seizure with fever.

MYTH. Seizures with fever are harmful.

FACT. These seizures are scary to watch, but they stop within 5 minutes. They don't cause any permanent harm. They don't increase the risk for speech delays, learning problems, or seizures without fever.

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Never met anyone with a low pain tolerance.

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My only ER trip was due to sudden onset of vertigo. I pulled over at a fire station and they checked my blood sugar and blood pressure. My blood pressure was very high so I agreed to transport to the ER. Ended up getting an MRI, several test and an overnight stay at the hospital. After everything was said and done my wallet was about 2500 dollars lighter even with insurance. Fortunately the issue wasn't cardiac or neurological. Turns out it's possible for Crystal deposits to form in the inner ear and then break loose. These loose crystals brush against the little hairs in the inner ear and produce a false signal that you are moving. It's pretty strange to be lying on a gurney and look at a clock on the wall and see it move.
The ENT that diagnosed me said that it's not uncommon for people to go to the ER for this condition since it can happen without any warning.

Here’s a helpful chart I recently saw from a pediatric clinic (scroll down a little and click to view in full screen) for people with little kids:

Wait Worry Panic Chart

Whenever you need to go, DO NOT go to BRG ER unless you are ready to die. OLOL ER is MUCH better.

In the past two years I’ve been to both enough to make this call.

That said, both ICU units were very good.

OLOL ER is MUCH better.

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OLOL ER is MUCH better.

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Since I left BRG you are correct

I've been to the ER for kidney stones that did eventually require the Dr. to physically remove them 4 times over the years.

The only other non-kidney stone visit was when I came down with a real bad staph infection in my right knee that had me close to losing my leg.

I had let it go for a couple days too long. Spent a week in the hospital with a leg cut open and drain tubes hanging out the leg and getting an IV of antibiotics 24/7 for the week.