This is a subject I debated about discussing.  However, it's so important I think I need to write about it.

It is about empowering ourselves as wise medical care consumers.

Within the past 24 hours I have heard two horror stories involving  two different people who are  of different races, economic and social groups.  Both basically have the same story to tell.  That is- having to wait far too long  in the emergency waiting room  for care. A ten-year old girl died as a result.  You  and your parents may also be in  danger of becoming a  tragic statistic.

The little girl was taken to an emergency room in Nashville on Tuesday, February 12th and had to wait four hours to be seen by a doctor.  Her case of meningitis was misdiagnosed and the child was sent back home.

After growing worse, her parents decided to take matters into their own hands, and  this time rushed her across town  to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.  They were speeding  in route when   a  metro policeman spotted them and pulled them over. He  took one look at the child  in the back seat and realized she had passed away.  It is heartbreaking to know this tiny angelic child spent some of her last hours on earth waiting for help  in a cold  hospital waiting room.

Here's another twist.

I was getting my hair fixed the next day and the lady in the next chair, a therapist, was talking about her husband going to the emergency room at another hospital on New Year's Eve with chest pains.  I'm not sure what his job is, but I gathered he was some sort of executive in the  health care industry.  She kept making references to  'us' and 'them'.   'Them' would refer to the family of the little girl and people like myself because we don't have the proper 'connections', regardless of insurance or background.

She said her husband was forced to wait for several hours even though he had complained of chest pains.  It turned out he wasn't having a heart attack, but he could have been.  She felt anyone complaining of chest pains,or stroke symptoms, should be checked out quickly. 

Then she said going to the emergency room is dangerous, and now her husband knows what it's really like for 'them'.  

What does that tell us?

We need to have our plans made before any crisis comes up with our elderly parents or with any one else we are caring for.

We'll talk more about empowering ourselves as good medical consumers in future posts since many of us are facing  the inevitable situations of dealing with these centers of healing or hospitality (where the word 'hospital' comes from, believe it or not).

But here are two clear rules for now.

Rule 1. It you feel your parent is growing worse, like the little girl with meningitis, call an ambulance immediately.  Get help to the  house now.  Don't risk wasting  any more precious time.  An ambulance  gets you  to the front door of an emergency room.  It gets more attention than a Ford Explorer with a 'My Child's on the Honor Roll' bumper sticker. Deal with the expense and explanations later.

Rule 2. Get real about hospital care.  Stay on top of everything.  Ask questions.  Get information. Have your list of professionals to call if you find yourself in trouble. Talk to your doctor before an emergency and get the facts.  If he doesn't satisfy you with the information you think you should be getting, go to another doctor and other sources.  Be prepared ahead of time and you can avoid the sudden difficulties you and your aging parents shouldn't have to go through.

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