Long story short I hurt my lower back middle of last week. Fought through it for a couple of days But had to go to the ER on Thursday ( wonderful help the doc was there) after being examined for about 30 seconds ( that's right 30 seconds ) he said it was either my hip or my lower back . Gave me something for pain and told me to update with my Family Doc. Well I go to my Doc. Yesterday and after xrays and some poking around my back he tells me it was my back. He tried to get me to take 2 weeks off but I could not for 2 reasons ( #1 just got back from surgery on left hip #2 no sick days left ) After getting a shot of cortisone and a couple of scripts I am hoping to make it back tonight. Which I hope goes ok seeing my job requires a lot of lifting. So guys take care of your bodies because once you get hurt you are never 100% ever again and it just goes down hill after that.
Just curious... you seem peeved at the ER doc. What exactly were you expecting from him?
I guess I was expecting to be treated like a person and not a number. I think he could have spent a few more moments and tell me what was really wrong. I mean someone says here are some pain meds now off you go. How does he know if I was really in pain or just some druggy wanting pills . He would not know that without further testing.
With all due respect, when i hurt my back it finally took a bone scan and an MRI to reveal the two fractures and herniated disc. Even my sports injury doctor, who ordered the tests, couldn't tell from an exam and an X-ray. With the back, there are no easy ways to tell 'what was really wrong'.
I'm not saying your feelings should be dismissed, especially about being treated as a number, but unless it was very obvious, he wasn't going to be able to tell you exactly what it was.
I'd suggest you seriously consider getting a weight belt or tight elastic back brace before going into work. Any extra support you can get will (likely) help. Take your time and use good form, as well.
Already had the hip surgery. Had that done back in February. I had been back to work about 1 1/2 weeks when my back went out. So tonight will be my first night back since the back went out.
With all due respect, if you had any idea how much BS and how many druggies your ER doc had to sift through before getting to you, you might see things differently. Not to mention that even WITH further testing he probably wouldn't have known much if anything more about you.
I regularly send people packing with back pain with instructions to follow up with their regular doctor with no testing whatsoever. And alot of the time no drugs either, so count your blessings you got anything. The possibility of finding something in your back causing your problems is next to zero in the ER... just so you know. Plain xray films will help rule out a broken vertebrae, that's about it. And the odds of a broken vertebrae outside of a fall or a relatively major auto accident are extraordinarily slim.
And time is also short in the ER... ER is there to treat acute problems, save lives and get people through until they can see their regular doctor. In-depth investigations are more appropriate for your regular doctor.
Matter of fact... I think I'll make a thread about appropriate use of the ER... our country in general needs a whole helluva lot of education about that, and even this board, which is generally filled with a lot of common-sense-type folks, often still have misconceptions.
<edit> You also said your doc told you it was your back... but you didn't say WHAT it was. What did your doc find that you think could have been treated differently in the ER? Seriously, I'm asking what is the problem and I will explain to you MY philosophy of how to treat that in the ER and as an outpatient, as I've done both.
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Unless, of course, you have excellent medical insurance, then ER will order every conceivable test they feel they can get reimbursed for. St Francis is notorious for this practice...must be a way to offset the patients they treat and then get stiffed for the costs.
Actually, you might be surprised that EVERYONE seems to get every test known to man in the ER. It's called CYA, not padding the billing.
Most of us don't even KNOW what your insurance is in the ER, because we don't bother to look. We don't care... you're there, you need treatment, we need protection from maggots looking to sue our asses off, so everyone gets the $10,000 workup. It sucks, but this is the system Americans have chosen and decided they want.
Most of us don't even KNOW what your insurance is in the ER, because we don't bother to look. We don't care... you're there, you need treatment, we need protection from maggots looking to sue our asses off, so everyone gets the $10,000 workup. It sucks, but this is the system Americans have chosen and decided they want.
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