3 ms·
I had a bicycle accident once. My arm got swollen. I called nearby offices and couldn't find a single doctor who could see me immediately. I went to ER hoping t
by iLemming 9y ago
I had a bicycle accident once. My arm got swollen. I called nearby offices and couldn't find a single doctor who could see me immediately. I went to ER hoping they'd give me some ointment or whatever to sooth the pain.
I refused to undergo x-ray scanning (somehow I was sure there's nothing broken). And it's a good thing that I didn't go to the radiology block.
After about 50 minutes of waiting, doctor came and offered me bacitracin. I asked if there's anything stronger than that, alas there was nothing else he could offer me. I shrugged and said "alright then". Doctor applied it all over my arm and said it should be like that: "don't cover it!".
With that I went home. Bacitracin didn't help a bit. The pain was so strong, so I couldn't sleep for a few days.
Week later I got a bill. They charged $2800. Insurance covered only $1200 of that.
I tried to dispute it to no avail.
I learned my lesson - in the US, you never, ever should go to ER. Unless there's a knife sticking out of your skull. But even then you should maybe re-consider.
- threatofrain 9y agoWhile your experience is shockingly expensive, I think if you refuse to get an x-ray following a bike accident and swollen arm, then you're basically omitting a major source of information.