Hospitals - when things go south - what's your plan?

I realize many of you are sitting at home tonight hanging out with family and friends and staring at your Wilderness Survival forums for the next thing to hit the fan. I just got a call from Dad, and my Mom is having some abdominal pain and it sounds like a bladder infection. So they went down to Christiana Emergency room in New Castle. It's now 10 PM and they have been there for hours and still not seen a doctor. They allege they are now in the hall waiting. Not impressed at all with this and not much I can do. I have visited there many times and well they appear above board although it is not my local hospital.

I thought it would be an interesting discussion about how much and what you store in the basement to avoid a catastrophe or what you do differently....med kits , drugs, gauze. I am under an odd impression without going into details that many Doctors & Surgeons, and specialists retired early if they could, in light of dramatic changes in our heath care system.

Well want to swap stories? How many here can do a removal say a bullet? Or a fix a broken arm? I have no Idea just thought this would be an interesting topic for the forum.

Good questions.

The medical service in our country is in dire condition. Most hospitals are shorthanded and many of the staff that remains tend to be more interested in their salary than the people under their care.

I have a Father-in-law who has been in the medical industry for many years now and even he feels that many hospitals are now dangerous places. Sanitation standards, proper drug handling, and basic patient care is more and more being neglected from many hospitals.

I know my wife and I were very unhappy about how my first child was handled in the hospital, which led to the next 3 being born at home. Honestly I did a better job delivering babies than the nurses did. (not knocking all the hard work that nurses go through, and I realize many of them really do care about their patients)

I've only been to the doctor 4 times in my life, 3 times for stitches and once for a tetanus shot. So not much experience there. No broken bones yet.

I used to be a member of my local EMS team and was a certified ETT. I recognize the importance of being prepared for medical emergencies. I keep a well stocked medical kit, complete with lots of gauze, tape, Iodine, Celox (clotting agent), assorted bandaids/bandages and a ton of other stuff. I even have a skin staple gun for those "Oh crap" moments. Thankfully haven't needed it yet. I don't require any prescription medications so the drugs I keep handy are simple painkillers, benadryl, nyquil and pepto bismol. I keep the kit in a very large tool box that allows one-handed opening and is fairly water resistant.

Putting together a medical kit is one of those very personal things I think everyone should do. Each individual has different needs and requirements and what works for me will be drastically different for someone else.

We (DW/I) have always had good insurance thru work ...until the factory we both worked at, closed.....
Both 51 and unemployed.....but thought health insurance was important enough to make it a priority,... just suck it and continue to pay for it my self

We didn't depend on any Government Plans, until Social Security...
If we needed insurance, I bought and paid for it, and if we had bills I paid them.

Now.....One good thing of being Geezer.....Medicare plus my supplemental self pay is still a good amount....but manageable.

Having my share of health related adventures most starting in the '60's.....DW as well....my experience has been mostly positive.
I have found most all actual ...Doctors, nurses, assistants, health care professionals or all sorts ..even that little blond candy striper that drew me, as the short straw......Cared for my/our needs very well.

I'm sure there are crappy, lazy, selfish crooked "health professionals" out there,....... but by and large, Doctor treat, nurses care, and candy stripers give you a bath....I haven't had to deal with any of crappy ones....
The administration that deal with insurance, billing, collection and the mirid of changing daily government rules and regulations....are more of an adventure.

As far as preps go....my/ meds are 90 day supplies...so not much point storing 2 years worth of beans and rice.
We both carry a a Med go bag......and also cross/med for one week....(DW forgot hers on a trip....so now each carry each other spares)

Although they pretty light in wound treatment, field surgical, and severe injury treatment ...they are heavy on meds and over the counter stuff for all sort of things.

These are carried with BOB...(actually more of a always packed, take with me everywhere bag).....
Trucks house, cabin all have a more extensive First Aid Kits for dealing with trauma.

I have an extensive trauma kit in the vehicle because that is probably where I need it most, to deal with accident scenes during travel. No surgical gear, just wound dressings and such to attempt to stop excessive bleeding until the paramedics arrive.

I had the standard combat first aid training and dealt with various trauma when it was necessary but it was not something I wanted to do then or now. If you get shot or have a spontaneous amputation when I am around you are going to get a tourniquet or quick clout and a wound dressing, a pat on the head and say a prayer for the quick arrival of the medics.

I have been fortunate to have many close friends in the medical industry due to my late wife's career choices. Many nurse practitioners and PA type people. Most of them can diagnose and treat better than the average MD.

One friend was head of the area FEMA medical response disaster team. He was constantly being sent to earthquake and storm disasters here and abroad. I learned a whole lot about SHTF management from him. things like water treatment for large repose teams, security situations and such.

Right now I have a good primary care MD and Medicare with the SS covers almost 100% of the standards stuff. It is when the primary care MD says I need specialized care, heart, bad back, bad foot bones, that the expense comes in. My co-pays are more than the insurance usually pays and I have to hit the deductible before that foolishness stops. But that is an insurance problem, not a hospital problem.

My experiences with the big hospitals has always been positive except for the last one, when it appeared that getting a medical history and background check of every medication in sight was more important that treating the life threatening illness in front of them. It seems that in this point in history every case entering the ER, whether young or old, is viewed as a drug overdose first and sickness second if there is not an obvious broken bone or bleeding.

Just let it be know that if any of you even think about removing a bullet from me you get the next one. Call 911 for pity sake.

Most everyone will still depend on medical care being available...at least after a fashion.

SHTF, depending on situation medical help may or may not be available.....
Carrying a surgical kit in you BOB won't do you any good unless you have training...or hang out with some one the does..

Some people are just gonna be SOL.....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rick

Just let it be know that if any of you even think about removing a bullet from me you get the next one. Call 911 for pity sake.

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No one is going to waste a bullet on you Rick.

The worst that might happen is that 6 or 8 big people might have to hold you down and let you bite on a stick while they dig buckshot out of your butt with needle nose pliers.

It would not make any difference if it was SHTF or tonight in the modern ER, they do it the same way.

I happen to know, from hearing the nurses and med people talk, that situations like that are ER legends.

Everyone should know at least one nurse that works weekend night shift!

Heck....I have an old friend of 25 years..... Had been a bartender ...for my favorite saloon out at "The Place"...turned ER nurse
She gave me her phone numbers to carry in my wallet, and have for years.
Joke was ...she took care of us back when...and is still doing it...and we call her Mom.

She now works ER 3 shift in the small local hospital in Viroqua Wi, the ER that shocked me and sent me on to the bigger hospital.
She wasn't there....but came in to pick up the key for the cabin to bring over to some friends to take care of our dogs.

Ky - I saw similar a couple of times when I was first starting work. Guys (lineman, 'cause head linemen never climbed) would burn a pole and wind up with splinters in their chest. No hospitals for those head linemen. They took 8 inch lineman pliers and pulled the big ones for the lineman, grab the bottle out of the cooler and take a swig. The head lineman, not the poor shmuck that had the splinters. The head lineman would never waste good booze on a lineman for any reason.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rick

Ky - I saw similar a couple of times when I was first starting work. Guys (lineman, 'cause head linemen never climbed) would burn a pole and wind up with splinters in their chest. No hospitals for those head linemen. They took 8 inch lineman pliers and pulled the big ones for the lineman, grab the bottle out of the cooler and take a swig. The head lineman, not the poor shmuck that had the splinters. The head lineman would never waste good booze on a lineman for any reason.

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The Swig was to settle the "nerves before surgery"....LOL

Back in my nightshift boss days....Forman did first aid on guys in the factory.....mostly easy stuff or "keeping pressure" while waiting on the RS.

Funny part is I could do all that stuff till it was over....sight of blood was fine on some one else....my own not so much. (where's that swig?)

I had asked the company nurse (retired Navy) for some pointers......Her rules were...
Call 911 if serious...If not:

If You can see it...put a bandaid on it.
If not.. give then an aspirin.

Everything else...Kiss the BooBoo and send them back to work.

Oh and ...Don't bleed on the floor.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rick

Just let it be know that if any of you even think about removing a bullet from me you get the next one. Call 911 for pity sake.

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One of my neighbors shot himself in the foot while cleaning a gun with alcohol...he said the cartridge fell out and rolled into the fireplace... He was able to keep his toes.

Just spent yesterday picking my 79 year old dad from Jefferson Hosp in Philadelphia and helped him transition into a hospice/nursing home in Wilmington DE. I still have my apprehensions.
I keep thinking Surgeons, not doctors, are considering deep pockets and good insurance as to weather or not to do some surgery. This is not a reflection of Jefferson. Two or three weeks ago the experts & teams of specialists did two separate camera explorations and completely missed an obvious growth of cancer encompassing the posterior & critical arteries and veins that supply blood to the legs. 8 hours into the removal and repair they discovered that they could not complete what they proposed. In short in order to remove the obvious polyp of size was beyond modern surgery. Just makes me wonder.

Aw Man...Sorry to hear that....
.
Hang in there..tough times.
....you know we all are praying and sending good wishes...

in a post hosp' world with lack of a real trauma center.
many wil perish,if thingsgo that south.
learning now medicnal plants and thier preperation and use
would do one well.
we should learn wound care, treatment of infections
put by items such as bandages& dressings, tape
vodka/grain alchihol not for drinking but for herbs to help them keep.
mustard for plasters, activated charcol for poisining or drawing out
infections,thread and needles for sutures.learn to prepare and use salves.

make your own co-silver many uses there.
now the disclamer this information is ment for information and entertainment
it is not ent to cure ot treat. this is to satisfy big pharma.

I'm sorry to hear that, WOO. I will add your father and your family to my prayers.

it's known. You will be seen quicker in the ER, if you are delivered by a meat wagon.

........and down here, in the South, we don't say 'if things go South'. It is more likely to be 'if things go North'. laughing

down here, we say "if things go NORTH". :)