Friends With RSD/Chronic Pain And Illnesses

The Emergency Room Travel Guide
by Stacy Stone
Monday, July 2, 2007

Going to the emergency room does not have to be a nightmare. Preparing beforehand can give you the confidence to go to the ER when your pain is out of control, rather than suffering at home. Hopefully these tips will help to make your next emergency room visit easier, and your care in the hospital better.

Do you have any tips for chronic pain patients and emergency room visits? What has worked for you?

I have lived and traveled all over the United States. Being a chronic pain patient, this also means that I have needed to visit an emergency room in pretty much every city I've lived in, and many that I've traveled to.

Going to the ER is a hard decision for every pain patient. How bad do things have to be before you break down and visit? What time is best to go? What do you tell the doctor once you're there? Unfortunately, some of these questions I can't answer for you, but I can give you some tips to make your emergency room visits easier.

1. Always have a copy of your medical records available, including any imaging and/or radiologist reports. If a new doctor can take a look at your history and documentation of your pain problem, he or she will be more comfortable treating you.

2. Visit the emergency room where your treating physician has privileges. This way, if a doctor needs to be called in, maybe it can be one that you are already familiar with. If anything, just telling the doctor treating you that you see a physician affiliated with the hospital regularly might help establish some credibility.

3. Discuss and form an emergency room "plan" with your doctor. This could mean just discussing what to do when your pain gets out of control (maybe you can form a plan that allows you to avoid the ER all together!), or actually establishing an emergency room prescription. An emergency room prescription would be a letter written by your doctor, stating your problem and how best the physician in the ER can assist you. It also has your doctor's contact information in case the emergency room staff need to discuss your problem with him or her. An ER prescription can be very helpful when the emergency room doctors are not likely to know much about your health problem.

4. Take a family member or friend with you. When you are sick or in a lot of pain, sometimes your head gets fuzzy. Someone who is familiar with your heath that you would allow to speak for you in an emergency can be very helpful. Discuss with this person before you go to the ER what the problem is and how they can help.

5. Try to avoid visiting the hospital on major holidays and late at night on weekends. They are very busy during these times and chances are you will have to wait a long time to see a doctor.

If appropriate for your problem, find out if there is an emergency room nearby with a "Fast Track" program. These programs are alternative areas in the hospital set up for less trauma-oriented emergencies. You can be seen more quickly and treated by perhaps a nurse practitioner or physician's assistant, but still have access to the hospital's myriad tests and medications (and of course have access to the trauma areas or in-patient facilities if needed).

Going to the emergency room does not have to be a nightmare. Preparing beforehand can give you the confidence to go to the ER when your pain is out of control, rather than suffering at home. Hopefully these tips will help to make your next emergency room visit easier, and your care in the hospital better.

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