my advice is to stay out of the ED if at all possible. consider urgent care, or a virtual family doctor visit on demand first. people in the ED do not think unless there is a real emergency - it's a fast-paced human conveyor belt of triage and guideline-completion.
glad you got out quickly and didn't stay long. the vending machine is quite revealing of what the priorities of the sick-care is: to keep the conveyor belt going.
Yup, I’m with you on all the things to do first. This was something that required an oxygen machine. The urgent care we go to just says to take all respiratory stuff straight to the ED.
reply
having been to the belly of the beast, i constantly wonder what are some simple home-made ways to prevent illness from progressing. for example, when i got a cold with some wheezing, my mother would make me breathe over a pot of hot freshly-boiled potatoes under a blanket (a do-it-yourself sauna). with febrile pneumonia - wrap me up in cold wet sheets and read the bible to me. i'm still here. for people with breathing issues i recommend to go to the beach more often - instead of "saline breathing treatments" - inhale fresh marine air while bathing in the sun!
reply