**WARNING** Ranting below

Thursday after work I spent 4-5hrs in the ER with my friend. (Turns out she's got a NASTY viral infection of some kind.) I was so aggravated by some of the other people in there though!! They were very busy and we found out later had NO empty beds. So that means a long wait. And I know (even though I have no firsthand experience) that it must be terrible trying to deal with a sick baby/toddler. But this one lady kept making a stink about waiting so long. Her son (somewhere between 1-2 yrs old), wasn't keeping down any food but seemed able to take liquids. And he was active and even smiling a few times. Yet she yelled and cussed at the charge nurse about not being seen quick enough and wanted them to just give him an IV so she could leave. We sat there for about 2 hrs before I saw him get sick at all and this was after she had fed him crackers. An hour or so later she again started raising her voice to the charge nurse. We actually got there an hour after she had but I think my friend was seen before the little boy. If you go to the ER you should be prepared to have to wait a while (unless of course you're bleeding profusely or something). So please quit complaining and yelling at the charge nurse and therefore distracting her from treating more patients!!!
Oh and another thing that irked me. Most everybody should know by now that medical office ask you to turn off your cell phones. If you don't know it, you should be able to notice one of the numerous signs they have posted outside and inside! There were quite a few people waiting that night who kept using their phones anyway. One person in particular though......she was on the phone for at least an hour and I heard just about every word of her conversation (of course she complained about how long she'd been waiting). Listening to your conversation makes my wait that much less enjoyable thank you!

This was only the 3rd time (thank God) that I think I have been to an ER (and it was never for me). The funny thing is, the time before this, I went with the same friend. It was the first time our husbands went to Afghanistan, and we had only known each other a few months. But she had such a bad migraine she was vomiting and couldn't drive. Her husband has also been to Iraq twice but she never had to go to the ER then. But both times he's gone to A-stan, I end up taking her to the ER.