Tips for Being In the ER for Asthma

Last week, a family member had an accident and we had to call the ambulance. 

While we were waiting for the ambulance, I asked my daughter to throw some snacks in my purse. Unfortunately, we have had LOTS of experience with the emergency room. When my kids were little, they were hospitalized 12 times for asthma. So I knew that there were a few things that would make our LONG wait in the ER a little easier.

Here are a few things I have learned:

• It can be unexpected and scary to be in the ER
• You are going to be there for a LONG time
• They are busy, so all they can help you with are medical problems
• Snacks like trail mix, granola bars, etc
• Grab your favorite water bottle 
• Don't forget a portable power bank/phone charger
• Humor can help - people are usually shocked and scared and may say or do things that normally wouldn’t
• The medical staff are your friends - treat them that way! 

 Our experiences with asthma hospitalizations 

With my kids, we first go through the triage area, then they usually put us in a holding room in the ER. Then it was 2 or 3 hours before we would go upstairs to a room in pediatrics. The staff  has to draw blood for the lab, call the respiratory therapist, and get an x-ray. 

 

That  takes time because there are other people in the ER who ALSO need labs, MRI’s, CT scans and x-rays. So……we wait.

 I don't leave my kid’s bedside (except to use the bathroom!) So I learned to throw snacks in my purse before we left for the ER. I grab candy, fruit, granola bars, trail mix, string cheese, raisins, nuts – anything I could find to get me through a few hours in the ER. I am nicer and can focus better if my blood sugar is stable. 

 

Who needs a tired, cranky mom in the ER?!

It seems like my kids asthma always got worse in the middle of the night, so grab some caffeine too! 

While you wait, there is the parade of people coming into your ER room (the registrar that wants me to sign paperwork, the lab gal, the nurse, medical assistant, respiratory therapist and the doctor.) You never know who is going to pop into your room,  so….you wait. 

I would walk back and forth and watch the oxygen monitor. Then check to see how many liters of oxygen my kids are on, rub my kid's cheek and forehead, text an update to a family member, look at their oxygen level (again), check the clock (again) and have a snack or caffeine.

When the tests would come back, and the doctor would come and tell us the results (usually that one of my kids had pneumonia) and then they would take us up to the pediatrics floor. 

 

Once my kids are admitted to the hospital

 

I was always relieved when the medical staff took over. I know when I'm in over my head and can't treat my kid's asthma at home. My kids would need oxygen, IV steroids, a respiratory therapist, doctor and nurse. Plus lots of monitors that beep all day and all night..

We usually stay in the hospital for 3 days when my kids have pneumonia. So Hubby and I take turns staying there. The other parent goes home to shower, change clothes, and spend time with the kids at home. 

 

Being admitted to the hospital is very different from being in the ER.

You may not be admitted to the hospital if end up in the ER, but think ahead – what might you want if you are stuck in the ER for 3 or 4 hours? I always carry a big purse with the usual mom stuff - Tylenol or Advil, lip balm, gum, tissues, etc. So I just throw in a few snacks and a water bottle. 

What have you found that helps you when you are in the ER?