What I Saw During Five Hours In An Amarillo ER Was Eye-Opening

I'll tell you what, going to the ER is a wild ride here in Amarillo. Unfortunately, my wife and I had to make a trip to the BSA ER for an issue that popped up with her, and when we walked in, we were absolutely shocked at how busy they were.

We joked about it being a full moon because there was a heavy influx of people there. We've been there a couple of other times for issues with our kids, but never anything like it was last night. Naturally, you people watch while you're in the ER, and we were shocked at some of the things we saw and heard.

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Babies, Elderly, & Snacks

I know that is pretty wide-ranging, and the last one probably throws you for a loop. Now, I'm not going to sit here and judge anyone for anything, because I don't know what anyone's real issues were, so that would be unfair of me. I can only go off what we saw while we were there. I'll start with the snacks.

No, they weren't snacks we ate. We saw a family of three who had time to stop at the Dollar General to grab a bag full of snacks before they came in. Smart, honestly, they knew the wait could be a while. I've just never seen someone do it before, but I had to give them props. The majority of the waiting room was elderly people waiting for care. Some appeared relatively fine, and a couple seemed like they were really struggling. The rest? We saw one baby who was most likely struggling with a big fever, and some younger people.

We also saw what appeared to be a couple walk in together, go to the check-in desk, both of them got called back, and they both had the blood pressure thing on their arm. They both appeared to be moving around ok, and we couldn't figure out what was wrong, considering neither of them seemed to be suffering from anything visibly. We joked they were just on a date night and wanted to try something new.

Understanding Urgency & Condition

One takeaway I had from the LONG evening was this...there are some that go to the ER for some very mild things. Now, I know there's a multitude of reasons for this. One could be their insurance will cover a trip to the ER, but not the urgent care, so I get that. There are others who simply don't understand their condition or are hypochondriacs and will go at the slightest sign of anything wrong.

We heard everything from stomachaches to seeing child patients bouncing all over the place like nothing was wrong. It just made you wonder, especially after you had been sitting there for five hours waiting for an answer on something serious. Again, no judge, it was just stunning to see how many people utilize the ER for some very basic symptoms is all.

I can tell you, though, I have a newfound appreciation for ER nurses and doctors. They're constantly moving and helping people, no matter how big or small the issue. They also deal with some very agitated people, typically around the time they've been diagnosed and told they'll get to leave shortly. We saw several people who were told that and, within minutes, were hunting down someone to discharge them, and being aggressive. So kudos to those in the ER I couldn't do what you do.