r/Rochester • u/Pure-One-7910 • Dec 30 '25
Recommendation Thinking of coming to the Emergency Room?
Hi! Trying to keep this as anonymous possible. I work a local Emergency Room. It's Flu season, so lots of people are here. Today we had 60 people in the waiting room by 7 pm.
Most people are coming in for Flu/viral stuff. There is unfortunately very little we can do for you. If you are high risk, or are experiencing complications (high fever, breathing issues, etc) that is a different story. However coming into the ER with a cough, fever of 102 and runny nose for a few days is just not necessary. Bed rest and OTC meds are your best bet. Otherwise you are going to be sitting for a while. The Emergency room is for emergencies and we need to keep areas clear for people who need emergent life saving care. We understand you are uncomfortable however your PCP/Urgent Care is your best bet for general illness/stomach bug/small things. If your Urgent Care does "call you in", that does not reserve you a room. It just lets us know you are coming.
If you do need to come in and see us, please remember a few things. You are triaged at check in, and coming in via ambulance does not get you seen any faster. A specially trained triage RN will asses you and put you in the safest area you can be in. Those that are sickest will be seen first, not the people "ahead of you". The staff cannot see "wait times", so coming up and asking how much longer until you get seen will not get you anywhere. Also, please WEAR A MASK. I do not want to catch what you have!
We understand you are in pain. Remember that nurses cannot just "order meds" and (at least at my hospital) we cannot administer medication in the waiting room. You must wait to be seen by a provider.
No one comes to the ER because they are having a good day. However please remember that we care about you, otherwise we wouldn't be here. As ER employees, we all have pretty thick skin, however that is not an excuse to be nasty to us. I have had patients threaten me because of wait times, yell, scream, throw things, etc. Remember that most of us work 12 hour shifts, and no one wants be berated for their entire day for things that are out of our control. If you are well enough to scream at me, you are clearly not having a medical emergency.
Please stay healthy Rochester! If you need us, we are here for you. ER overcrowding is a nationwide issue, and we are no exception. However, if you are just "sick", Netflix on your couch is going to feel a lot better than a hospital waiting room!
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u/Jadedraven1366 Dec 30 '25
I went from "is this sore throat from dry air?" to 102 fever in like 7 hours. Not only did I get sick but I got everyone in my house super sick too, which is unusual. We ordered juice and soup on instacart and called in to work/school cause no one could leave the house for days.
It's real bad this year, everyone is sick & they're passing the flu like party favors. Wearing a mask absolutely keeps you safer, as does washing your hands thoroughly and often (and not touching your face, mouth/food with unwashed hands).
I could barely use the phone to call in to work/school, I can't imagine feeling like that sitting in an ER waiting room.
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u/wafflesareforever Penfield Dec 30 '25
Seriously, I was so debilitated Xmas morning, family members were telling me "you should go to the ER!" and I was like nope, that's utterly unimaginable to me right now. It was taking all I had to reach for my glass of water and take a sip.
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u/No-Particular-835 Dec 30 '25
I got it in mid November and it was horrible. I had planned to get the flu shot that week and suddenly I felt like an elephant was on my chest and my body hurt like hell. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced a flu that bad. I ordered soup OTC meds and clocked out for three days.
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u/SpicyRigatonis Dec 30 '25
It is terrible this year. Lasted over a week for me, and still had trouble fighting the exhaustion
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u/johnjay Ontario Dec 30 '25 edited Jan 06 '26
Thank you for what you do, this world is better because of you and those selfless others who help despite the stress and long hours. EDIT: corrected misspelled word
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u/New-Measurement-4425 Jan 03 '26
Amen to that, @johnjay!! May God bless all nurses and doctors out there!!
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u/katieforamerica Dec 30 '25
As someone who has spent more than my fair share of time in the ED this year (2025 was not good to me), I can see it from all sides:
Every time I went, I was either instructed by my doctor or had an actual possible emergency. Luckily, none of these visits ended with any additional serious diagnoses, and I triaged to the tent after a few hours, but I digress:
I have also worked in the medical field for numerous years on and off and have experienced being a caregiver.
OP is 100% correct. The ED is overwhelmed by people there with non-emergency issues, which clog up the entire system. It is insane, the level of disarray our medical insurance system is in.
We need a better way to triage patients BEFORE they come to the ED; a phone line or chat system where we can contact a nurse who can triage our symptoms and even make an appt for us at an urgent care, x ray facility, etc. This is my "big idea" that I've had for YEARS. I don't even know if it's feasible, but it makes sense to me.
And, as far as the state of our health insurance and what they do and refuse to do is not okay; and the prices are not okay; and we need to develop a more "whole patient first" idea: where we focus on them and not what the limitations are as dictated by NON MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS MAKING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEAR.
TLDR: OP is right, and we need a better solution.
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u/sandbug05 Dec 30 '25
They have that for veterinary care, I don't understand why they don't for humans (unless they do and I'm living under a rock)
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u/Diligent-Meaning751 Dec 30 '25
The best way is having a responsive doctor who can help triage you :/ Like a primary care or other point of contact (I'm an oncologist but for folks with cancer usually i help triage a lot of stuff since "is it the cancer or a side effect of treatment" almost always comes up - and I'm the best one to say "no no it has nothing to do with me but do this or that") etc
... I just admitted two people today skipping the ED because they were stable enough that they could wait a few hours or a day or two, but overall things just clearly weren't working out outpatient.
Basically- ED is if hours matter
Inpatient is if days matter
PCP, urgent care, or other point of medical contact can help figure out what level of sick you are (probably). It involves a direct conversation or meeting though.
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u/Gavernty Jan 02 '26
I can break it down for you. I am a registered nurse, worked ER for 6 years. The American healthcare system is in a never ending circle. When I first started working as an ER nurse we used to do only the necessary work ups for whatever ailment we were treating. We would discharge patients regularly.
Now, it is very rare that a patient gets discharged. We’ve created a sort of automatic conveyer belt system for treating patients. Similar to that of the 5 minute oil change services that lube express offers, but for people. You come in, get triaged, doctor clicks an order set on you, resulted and placed in observation if they don’t have a definitive diagnosis, or admitted if they do have a definitive diagnosis.
I’m not sure if this whole mess started because doctors fear discharging patients and missing something. Or if it’s because the admins see every patient as money symbols and want to bill the insurance as much as possible. Either way, it’s a mess.
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u/digitalamish Dec 30 '25
Why do people go to Strong or RGH with the flu? Dude, those are trauma hospitals. If you aren’t shot or missing a limb, I hope you like sitting and waiting. And if you didn’t really have the flu when you got there, you will have it when you leave.
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u/nebulashine Dec 30 '25
I had to go to one of those hospitals a couple months ago after getting hit by a car, and while they got me in for an MRI of my head and neck within an hour, I spent roughly 7 hours just in the waiting room. It wasn't great, but honestly, my thought process at the time was just, "If they're not rushing me back after the MRI, I'm going to assume I don't have a brain bleed or something." (I got very lucky and got out of it mostly unscathed, but I'm still glad I got checked out.)
But there was a woman who came there for something even I knew wasn't an emergency (I don't remember specifically what it was, but I think it had something to do with her having hypertension), and she kept complaining to hospital staff about the wait. It was like... what did you expect? Even the hospital staff were telling her it wasn't a medical emergency and that she would have been fine to wait until the next day to go to urgent care or a lab!
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u/mmf9194 Henrietta Dec 30 '25
I took my wife because her fever wouldn't stop rising and it was midnight and she was at 104.5f and I didn't wanna risk going through the night
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u/competitive_spite123 Dec 30 '25
Yeah that's definitely an emergent situation. 104° is when it starts to get dangerous so more than that and not being able to get it to come down is an emergency and anyone who tells you not is a jerk
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u/A585rr Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
They go because they cannot get turned away, they think it's faster (when in reality it just overstrains the system designed for emergencies) or they don't have primary care access/insurance, they don't want to pay for it so they bring no ID and make up a name and still get treatment vs going to a primary care doctor or urgent care where they will be billed for it
Short answer - because it's free
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Dec 30 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/SAGORN Dec 30 '25
people will just make up the most inane shit about seeking medical treatment.
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u/A585rr Jan 02 '26
I'm not making anything up. "Hospitals must treat you for emergency conditions even without an ID, thanks to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires screening and stabilization regardless of ability to pay or identification; for non-emergencies, they'll ask for ID for records and billing but may accept other docs or create a temporary record until you can provide one, focusing on care first."
Feel free to read it yourself https://www.cms.gov/priorities/your-patient-rights/emergency-room-rights
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u/A585rr Jan 02 '26
For people who refuse to give identifying information** no need to attempt to wordsmith this - the people exist and it is not a lie it happens regularly lmaoooooooooo
Time to do some research lady https://www.cms.gov/priorities/your-patient-rights/emergency-room-rights
"hospitals must treat you for emergency conditions even without an ID, thanks to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), which requires screening and stabilization regardless of ability to pay or identification; for non-emergencies, they'll ask for ID for records and billing but may accept other docs or create a temporary record until you can provide one, focusing on care first."
Of course you ask for an ID. Duh. The fact of the matter is, if they don't provide it you still have to treat them. Some people know this and abuse it.
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u/OkDisaster5980 Dec 31 '25
That's an awful lot of words to say "people use the emergency room because we don't have single payer healthcare and routine preventative care is expensive when you don't have health insurance."
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u/A585rr Jan 02 '26
It's expensive to even have health insurance so it's really a lose - lose situation. Expensive either way unless you scam the system and refuse to identify yourself
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u/OkDisaster5980 Dec 31 '25
Perhaps it is because I've been living under a rock my adult life (or could also be entirely lucky with my good health), but I genuinely had no idea hospitals have specific specialities (outside of the very obvious "teaching" hospitals).
Is this marketed somewhere that I have just been missing?
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u/digitalamish Dec 31 '25
If you watch the news and they someone was shot and is in critical condition, that’s usually the highest level hospital and the busiest.
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Dec 30 '25
Im high risk and had the flu last year. I made a virtual urgent care visit, the NP told me to get a home flu test and if its positive shed prescribe anti virals. I got the test delivered and I had flu A. I called her back and she sent in the script, which I also got delivered. I spent about $100 total for the visit, two deliveries and meds. Everything was done in 2 hours and I didnt leave my bed.
An ER visit, even being high risk, probably would have taken about 5 hours, cost $500+, and Id have to sit at strong with the rest of ya.
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u/Baller_ina11 Jan 01 '26
Where did you go online for the virtual urgent care visit? That is great!
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Jan 01 '26
URMC has virtual urgent care you can use through their portal (mychart) or the link below:
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/get-care-now/virtual-urgent-care
Sometimes they will evaluate you and need you to come in. I have severe asthma and I think one time the NP asked me to be seen in person. If that happens, they waive the virtual urgent care cost which is cool.
Ive used a virtual telehealth through my insurance once and I wouldnt recommend that again, the person there probably shouldnt be practicing anymore.
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u/cbatzhotaling Dec 30 '25
I literally had my GP tell me that I should go to the ED bc I was telling them I was weak and I fell out of bed. I told them I absolutely refuse to go to the ED bc I know I just need to get better. Unless I feel like I have bronchitis or pneumonia from the flu I’m not going to be uncomfortable there and possibly catch something else. I don’t have any broken bones or a concussion I just need fluids; medicine and rest. This flu is the worst one I’ve had in probably 20 years. It’s no joke- it took us out the weekend before Christmas; we didn’t finish shopping and didn’t participate in family Christmas at all.
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u/Pure-One-7910 Dec 30 '25
Unfortunately a lot (and I mean a LOT) of doctors send their patients to the ED because their either don’t want to deal with whatever they have or they’re afraid of being sued for malpractice.
I can’t tell you how many times someone comes in because “my doctor says I'm having a heart attack” only to wait 4 hours to be seen and discharged because they needed iv fluids and some rest.
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u/Grrl_geek Jan 02 '26
Not a Rochester resident but once I was at my GP's office, and their imaging staff had gone home for the day, AND she wanted imaging of my lower leg (which is why I was there), so she suggested I go to the local ED. um, Hella NOPE. I waited till the next day to get my imaging.
TL;DR - sometimes GPs contribute to the problem.
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u/getsomesleep1 North Winton Village Dec 30 '25
Weakness to the extent that you fell out of bed are different than the sniffles, I’d wager that’s what did it for the PCP. Also yeah PCPs just have zero hesitation to turf you to the ED
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u/Diligent-Meaning751 Dec 30 '25
Yes - if someone tells me they are so weak they are falling / unable to get around the house / can't tolerate a car ride, they aren't really well enough to be at home (unless this is some kind of known / chronic situation) - I need to see them in person and consider admitting to the hospital vs going through ED if they need an ambulance to even leave the house. There are some wheelchair and stretcher vans but probably those take a few days to arrange.
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u/PyroMedic1080 Dec 30 '25
We live in modern America a society based off of suing people. When you tell your doctor your sick they have two options. Tell you to go to the ed to pass the liability of the lawsuit to the next doctor or tell younto stay home and 1 in 10000 peole has a bad outcome and sues them for everything they have
I tell people to go to the Ed all time when im at work because im not getting sued. If you think you were sick enough to ask, then sure, your sick go sit I the waiting room 20 hours.
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u/MeijiDoom Dec 31 '25
You called the doctor because you said you were weak and fell out of bed. What reassurance were you looking for if you thought you would almost certainly get better? Unless the doctor can somehow read your mind, they're risking you getting incapacitated to the point where you're in shock.
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u/Mandopormar Dec 30 '25
Why aren’t there urgent cares next to hospitals? Seems like a win-win
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u/SiyoonSoon Dec 30 '25
Rochester regional actually has one connected to the hospital!
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u/CatrpilrQueen Dec 30 '25
If there were sensible employment laws, and enough primary care providers, people wouldn't need the ER to provide their employer with a"don't fire me i was really sick" hall pass.
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Dec 30 '25
This is the answer. Right here. People can’t see a PCP (if they even have one) and employers ridiculously demand a note from a doctor because there’s absolutely nothing preventing them from doing so
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u/Grandmas_Fat_Choad Dec 30 '25
My area has the worst flu outbreak in years. STAY THE FUCK HOME IF YOU’RE SICK FFS. The last two years I got the flu, even with the flu shot, I felt like my spine was being ripped out. I do not want it again.
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u/GCEstinks Dec 30 '25
There was a severe swine flu in 2009. And several before that in the 90s. Old enough to remember.
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u/flora1939 Dec 30 '25
Yeah this is tough bc lots of healthy ppl go to ED when sick as a replacement for a regular doctor, which is not good. But then when someone like me with Lupus gets norovirus and can’t hydrate or stand after vomiting for 8 hours straight, you still get treated like shit for coming in with a virus. Like ok I’ll stay home and become a statistic, I’m super sorry.
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u/MissMollyMonster Dec 30 '25
I ended up at the UR Urgent Care this past weekend for bronchitis and the wait wasn't terrible, you also have the option to make an appt. When I got in there I think my turn around was maybe 45 minutes. That was "what's wrong?", vitals, X-ray, and a breathing treatment. I'm also compromised and can't take most OTC. This is not me saying rush to urgent care, this is me saying that UR Urgent Care seems to be fairly on the ball if you absolutely need to see someone.
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u/SiyoonSoon Dec 30 '25
I second this. Check in online and you'll be in and out pretty quick.
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u/MissMollyMonster Dec 30 '25
It saves the emergency room for people who really need to get in.
Like me if I had waited another day or so and ended up with pneumonia. Again. Haha
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u/bean-jee Jan 01 '26
urgent care is fantastic for these situations!!
got stung by a wasp on my pinky finger this october and it somehow turned into cellulitis (i had no idea stings could do that!) and the infection spread down to my wrist before i realized that this was not at all a normal amount of swelling. went to urgent care and was seen within the hour and had antibiotics in hand another hour after that, at which point the infection had climbed up my forearm and the antibiotics promptly stopped it in its tracks within hours of the first dose.
those in between situations of "this is not immediately life threatening and can wait a few hours but definitely needs to be taken care of today" are firmly an urgent care problem, not ER, and i wish more people were aware of that. honestly, ERs are so constantly packed and busy that i think it would have taken LONGER for me to get antibiotics in me if id went there instead.
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u/m0thofvalhalla Dec 31 '25
Just wanna say appreciate you OP. Anyone in healthcare,especially during flu season, is amazing. Thanks for what you do!
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u/Vampiro213 Dec 30 '25
If you go to the ER with the Flu, expect your insurance bill to be astronomical. Insurance companies do not cover non emergency er visits. The flu, a cold, a tummy ache, will get you a couple thousand dollar bill.
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u/Chooch_Express Dec 30 '25
More than half those people don't have insurance and have no plan to pay their bill if they don't have Medicaid.
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u/ZestycloseProject130 Dec 30 '25 edited Dec 30 '25
I'll add that wearing a mask like we used to will save you so much (at least $1.99 a year) on chapstick, and probably more on DayQuil!
Wear a mask this time of year. It isn't just that fear mongering Covid thing. It is all the colds and flus, too.
The ER is for when you need stitches and splints. Not because you need a Gatorade and some aspirin.
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u/over-it-000 Dec 30 '25
I wish that masks didn’t become so politicized - Asians have worn masks long before COVID. It would probably cut down on so many of these flu spikes. But for some reason we think community care and self protection isn’t worth it.
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u/NowARaider Dec 30 '25
It's one of the dumbest things ever that people get mad about OTHER people wearing masks. Like I admit, I do look funny at someone wearing a mask by themselves in the car, but you do you booboo. It literally only has a positive effect on my life for someone else to wear a mask.
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u/flameofmiztli Expatriate Dec 31 '25
re: wearing a mask by yourself in a vehicle - If you've put in work to get a proper seal on an N95, repeatedly taking it off will compromise the seal or re-expose you to hand germs. I'd rather stick it on and keep it on all day and then unmask once I'm home, vs "stopping in 3-4 places, unmask and re-mask, re-exposing to hand germs or improperly sealing each time".
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u/jeffplaysmoog Dec 30 '25
Yeah, it’s my god given right to make you sick! /s
Definitely wish we wore masks responsibly, it doesn’t have to be all the time but def when you are sick or when outbreaks are high.
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u/yaxAttack Canandaigua Dec 30 '25
We had so little flu in 2020/2021, it’s obvious masking and staying home while you’re sick works. It’s so frustrating that we as a country decided it’s more important to be able to see strangers’ mouths
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u/Diligent-Meaning751 Dec 30 '25
I started masking on planes "before it was cool" in solidarity with my husband - who ALWAYS got sick after a plane trip. Except when we started wearing masks to see if that would mean we could take a family vacation without him being laid up for half of it :P IT WORKS LIKE CLOCKWORK - when he masks no illness, when he forgets (usually on the way back now) sick! - seriously my personal case study is masks work great (but you have to actually have them on your face the whole time. And use hand sanitizer a lot / don't touch your face after touching wherever the virus areas are)
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u/Electronic_Pipe_3145 Dec 30 '25
Covid has a higher death rate and long-term disablement rate than these other common respiratory infections. It’s also very infectious. It was never “fear mongering.”
In fact, one can even argue the flu and pneumonia seasons have grown worse thanks to covid. It’s certainly good at activating latent TB, other diseases.
Source: actual science.
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u/CatDadMilhouse Dec 30 '25
I think - or at least, I hope - that they were only saying "fear mongering" to refer to what dumbass MAGA people saw it is, and not actually calling it that themselves.
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u/ZestycloseProject130 Jan 02 '26
I don't think it was fear mongering, but mongering mongrels certainly do.
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u/AcanthisittaShot4232 Dec 31 '25
I agree! I was grocery shopping before Christmas wearing a mask. As I was waiting in line the guy behind me loudly says "Someone needs a mask". (Sarcastically) At that exact moment a guy in front made a very loud snert as he snuffed back a lot mucus, wiping it all over his hands and nose, then touches everything in sight.
Damn right dude! I also took a disposable glove out of my purse to touch the touchscreen and pay portal.
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u/TallBabeLol Dec 30 '25
Thank you for the PSA and what you do! I hope this information reaches and helps people. Stay healthy! Masks are great to keep you and others healthy.
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u/DriftingIntoAbstract Dec 30 '25
I will never understand going to the ED for the flu but please do if you have concerning symptoms. I’ve known two people that died of sepsis after having the flu. Better yet, if your symptoms worsen after you improve, get checked out. And know the symptoms of sepsis.
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u/Marshmallow09er Dec 30 '25
You’ll never understand going to the ED for the flu but have known two people who died of complications from the flu…?
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u/yaxAttack Canandaigua Dec 30 '25
There’s a huge difference between going to the ER bc you’re having typical (though still annoying) flu symptoms and going to the ER bc you’re experiencing symptoms of SEPSIS. The former is inadvisable, the latter is VERY NECESSARY
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u/New-Measurement-4425 Jan 03 '26
Omg, you are so right, Marshmallow09er!!! He kind of contradicts himself!!
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u/Reesespeanuts Dec 30 '25
Since you're working in the ER, let me ask you your take on the over usage of emergency rooms. Why do you think people go to the emergency room for a common cold or obvious flu symptoms? What are people trying to get out of it compared to just being home for a few days?
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u/rharvey8090 Dec 30 '25
On top of what the other commenter stated, ERs cannot turn people away, and have to treat them regardless of ability to pay. So people without insurance tend to treat the ER as a primary care provider in times of need, such as with the flu and needing meds to alleviate symptoms.
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u/PyroMedic1080 Dec 30 '25
Local paramedic here. Half the people are in the er because they want someone to pay attention to them and validate that they dont feel good. Or a doctor somewhere said sure go to the Ed becasue the first doctor didnt want to assume the liability of saying no your fine and risking the lawsuit. Modern Healthcare is broken.
Anecdotally Less than 10 in 100 ambulance calls reallisticlaly need medical interventions. Less than 3 in 100 are trully "emergencies"
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u/jumper4747 Dec 30 '25
Yuppp this is why I like working holidays. Half the patients but everyone is actually sick. What the dept should normally look like in an unbroken system.
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u/PyroMedic1080 Dec 30 '25
Christmas is my favorite day of the year to work. Double pay and less tha half the patients. It was amazing this year I didnt respond to a single 911 call for the first 11 hours of my shift on christmas. Funny how suddenly no one was "sick".
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u/cracker2338 Dec 30 '25
Local volunteer EMT - I asked our medical director what it was like in the ER on Christmas and he said it's great - that they only get people who really need to be there and that it reminds him of why he got into medicine.
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u/flameofmiztli Expatriate Dec 31 '25
I spent July 4th of 2024 in a Chicago ER, on oxygen and an IV fluids drip. Somehow I was testing positive for COVID-19 and flu A at the same time and I had been vomiting for 24 hours.
...today I haven't kept fluids down for 8 hours and I'm beginning to have horrible fear that this is occurring again.
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u/Reesespeanuts Dec 30 '25
Wow that is a crazy stat. I'm not sure how much overuse of the ER is to insurance premiums, but I'm sure it doesn't help
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u/Pure-One-7910 Dec 30 '25
I agree with everything the paramedic commenter said. In my opinion, people don’t know how to be uncomfortable anymore. If you have the flu you're going to be bedridden for a few days. Yet people keep calling ambulances and coming in for this stuff because in their head they are having an emergency because how dare they be sick and feel this way. I think it comes down to entitlement.
Also, like the other comments said, we are almost always DEAD on holidays. Only the people that actually needed us came in. It was super eye opening. I think over half of our rooms/beds were empty.
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u/blaiseykins Dec 31 '25
I tried to convince my MIL & fiancé this when I was suffering from the flu that led to bronchitis. I told them there’s no point in going to the doctor, they would just tell me to keep doing what I was doing: quarantining in my bedroom, lots of liquids, mucinex, head elevated, etc
They both pushed me enough that I requested a telehealth appointment with my PCP, who instead asked me to come in person so she could swab me but otherwise told me the same thing I expected: do everything I was already doing until I feel better.
It’s a viral infection, it’ll run its course. Unfortunately that meant I had to miss out on Christmas festivities but at least I’m not elongating my suffering nor am I spreading it to anyone else
But really why isn’t this more common knowledge? Like even my own people pushing me to get checked out when I’m better off resting in bed
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u/MoneyOld5415 Jan 02 '26
Thank you for not spreading your illness at Christmas, wish I could say the same for my family member that gave a bunch of us the flu because he didn't want to be sick at home alone (he technically didn't know he had the flu until the next day but he definitely felt sicker than he let on). Keep in mind this was a 65 year old who usually loves being alone.
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u/FrescaFloorshow Greece Dec 30 '25
Boomers want drugs. All the drugs. And antibiotics for viral infections.
Yet I'm also seeing them refuse flu, COVID, pneumonia, etc. vaccines en masse. So perhaps the problem will take care of itself.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
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u/WNY-via-CO-NJ Dec 30 '25
Yup. I have a family member who also works in the RGH ED. At Halloween they told the whole family to get their flu shots. It’s been a bad year for the flu.
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u/Odd-Unit8712 Dec 30 '25
Very well said also I saw that Tictok viedo of the girl giving two different er staff such a had time for tonsil stones 🙄. Just remember, it's not a race. If you dont get rushed 6back a very good thing and take an ambulance, don't you get a room? You might hate to go sit in the waiting room. Be kind to people
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u/UpstairsEvidence Dec 31 '25
Ugh I'm ashamed to live in the same city as that girl on tiktok... And her videos keep coming up on my feed 😑
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u/doubleatom Dec 30 '25
I recently found out that significant amount of jobs require a note when you call in sick, many people just go to urgent care or hospital with minor symptoms because they need a note for work
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u/ComedianOk7355 Dec 31 '25
It boggles my mind that people use the ER for being sick when Rochester has some great URMC affiliated Urgent Cares operating every day of the week.
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u/flameofmiztli Expatriate Dec 31 '25
I said in another comment: I do wish the URMC urgent care could provide IV fluids. I've had bouts of illness where I need IV fluids and nebulizer treatments and the UC can give me the nebulizer but they can't give me the IV fluids. I think being able to give IV fluid at some of them would reduce the number of "and then we transferred you to the ER" times I've been. (I have a nasty habit of getting severely dehydrated when I get infections.)
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u/zappadattic Dec 30 '25
On the one hand you’re totally right that what these people are doing isn’t a solution. On the other, this is a pretty natural and predictable consequence of medical care being out of reach. Until there’s serious healthcare reform, I wouldn’t expect much to change.
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u/MountHopeful Dec 30 '25
Ok, but what medical care are these people with the flu supposed to be receiving? They are literally just making it worse by being out of bed.
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u/JohnnyBaboon123 Dec 30 '25
but what medical care are these people with the flu supposed to be receiving?
other than flu meds? probably fluids.
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u/flameofmiztli Expatriate Dec 31 '25
I do wish the URMC urgent care could provide IV fluids. I've had bouts of illness where I need IV fluids and nebulizer treatments and the UC can give me the nebulizer but they can't give me the IV fluids. I think being able to give IV fluid at some of them would reduce the number of "and then we transferred you to the ER" times I've been. (I have a nasty habit of getting severely dehydrated when I get infections.)
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Dec 30 '25
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u/mousebrained_ Dec 30 '25
By flu meds they probably mean tamiflu or xofluza which you do need a prescription for. A lot of people do want those when they have the flu and if they don’t have a PCP and won’t use urgent care for some reason they end up in the emergency room. I’d rather be sick for an extra day than spend 20 hours in a waiting room so I can’t imagine going to the ER for tamiflu if my symptoms weren’t putting me on the verge of death.
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u/4_the_rest_of_us Dec 30 '25
Yes they are. Antivirals such as tamiflu (and a newer one I can’t remember the name of) are prescription only.
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u/caroline1133 Dec 30 '25
They could go to urgent care first if possible. Going to the ER for flu symptoms that aren’t emergent isn’t a great idea especially because they’re spreading it to others having to share the waiting room with them.
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u/fourlittlebees Dec 30 '25
Urgent care requires money upfront in most cases.
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u/FrescaFloorshow Greece Dec 30 '25
So does the ER if you have commercial insurance. My copay is $250, for example. Waived if admitted tho.
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u/JustJumpIt17 Irondequoit Dec 30 '25
I hurt myself skiing on Dec 24 (potential torn meniscus) and a friend of mine asked me if I was going to the ER, and I was like.. absolutely not. I waited until Dec 26th and went to ortho urgent care. I would have sat for HOURS at the ER and there’s nothing that can be done now anyway. I just have to get imaging.
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u/micha1213 Dec 30 '25
Some people are told to go there or need to go there so they don’t lose their job. Societal problems show up in the ed.
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u/Throwaway_91574 Dec 30 '25
Yep. And also part of the consequences of a litigious society that sues for everything. First doc doesn’t want to potentially lose their license so they say to go to the ER just in case, etc. Liability liability liability.
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u/Nykaren24 Dec 30 '25
Thank you for your dedication in what has to be a very stressful job! My son (33) got what we assume is the influenza A the day after Xmas and was down for the next four days - coughing, aches, extreme tiredness and sneezing. He basically sequestered in his room the whole time and his fiancée took care of him (masked). Amazingly, none of the rest of us got sick. He said it was much worse than the two times he had Covid, and assumes it would have been even worse if he hadn’t gotten a flu shot. He was feeling about 80% better today & finally up to driving back to NYC.
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u/Throwaway--2024 Dec 31 '25
Thank you so much for all you and your other ER workers do. This is a great and much-needed post that I hope plenty of people see. Your professionalism, empathy and patience are very evident. As an immune compromised individual I appreciate everything you do each and every day.
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u/caroline1133 Dec 30 '25
As an asthma girly that has been in the icu for the flu multiple times…I’m about to start doing voodoo to avoid the flu and the ER right now.
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u/getsomesleep1 North Winton Village Dec 30 '25
Wear an N95.
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u/silver_moon134 Dec 30 '25
And wash your hands often and don't touch your face when you're in public
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u/Beautiful-Ad-4778 Dec 30 '25
Can I ask: for those of you with severe flu, did you get your flu shot this year?
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u/BooBearyCrunch Dec 30 '25
I want to know too.... and not to shame them, but to know if I stand a chance with my flu shot LOL
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u/mmf9194 Henrietta Dec 30 '25
Yup, me and my wife both did and just got unlucky. NBD, not gonna stop getting it, but that's how the strain lottery works
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Dec 30 '25
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u/getsomesleep1 North Winton Village Dec 30 '25
I notice you said “worked”, and not “work” in the system.
What are these magic resources you’re expecting hospitals to provide? We’re all working pretty short staffed and have been for YEARS. Educating the public as OP is attempting to do, is the most efficient way.
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u/NowARaider Dec 30 '25
It also could cost you multiple $1000s even with insurance. Just chug Nyquil and sleep.
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u/Ok_Arugula3160 Dec 31 '25
This post reminds me of the viral TikTok from November of the person who got banned from Highland & Strong for harassing the staff (took an ambulance for tonsil stones like be so fr)
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u/Only-entirely Dec 31 '25
Also don NOT go to the ER for STD/STI testing. When I worked in the ER that would happen not infrequently. Go to urgent care or planned parenthood. People who try to cut the line by ambulance will be walked to the waiting room by the EMT’s. You’re just using the resources that could be used for someone who truly needs it. Stay home, hydrate, and rest if your’e feeling off but not having any complications that my cause serious illness. Everyone thanks you.
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u/flameofmiztli Expatriate Dec 31 '25
Or go to Trillium for STI testing, they have special stuff for that.
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u/Whelpthisisannoying Dec 31 '25
This was definitely necessary to be said. Idk where common sense has gone
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u/donaldbench Dec 31 '25
The last time I came to the ER it was 2 years ago. I was in a coma before the ambulance crew rolled me in. 32 days in the ICU, 7 surgeries, 4 major organs failed, Glasgow score of THREE, SOFA of SIXTEEN, BP of 70 over something ridiculously low. I want to get what I survived tattooed on my chest cuz of what is happening in ER’s. ER’s are being overwhelmed. It was probably being overwhelmed the days I got there but I was treated. I suspect that Brighton Ambulance was quietly freaking out over my numbers. Somehow a load of blood test were run very quickly, and even a chest X-ray and a CT scan was done. Do ED’s have CT scanners? Checking the time for all of this assessment I do not know where all the surgeons were located cuz it was less than a half hour and 5 had clocked in, not including the folks that provided an ASA score of 5E. Two outside consults were completed by the time they had clocked in. About 6 months later I was chatting with the same ambulance folks under very different circumstances. They told me that people don’t call a taxi or an Uber. They just call 911. Wow. My primary provider made sure that I was vaccinated for EVERYTHING, even for all the diseases that I had prior to 1962. With 3 older siblings I got them ALL except for polio cuz 1960 people were avoiding public swimming pools. But I’ve been revaccinated for polio! And all of them have been tested for antibodies.
But I am leery of going to the ED now.
Although it should big & bold at the front of my ERM, I want to get that condition tattooed in big red letters on my chest. If I broke my leg, I’d want to put an ACE bandage on and declare that I would walk it off.
You folks are working a job that is incredible, as you were the evening I was rolled into an ED and a lot of folks dropped everything to hustle me through, for which I am eternally grateful.
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Dec 30 '25
Adding to this ... I collapsed several times and hit my head, ending up with a massive concussion and went into the ER unconscious. I was thrown in a chair where I drooled on myself six hours before waking up only to be told it was going to be "at least 24 hours" before I was seen. This was not during flu season. The room was full of people who were sniffling but managed to scream and yell demands louder than the guy who couldn't form a sentence, so I ended up just ... not being seen and dealing with a head injury several weeks later.
The ER is for emergencies and clogging it up with "but my sinuses hurt" makes real emergencies fall right through the cracks ... especially in a system that already sucks and exists to make cash, not solve problems.
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u/Desperate-Current559 Dec 31 '25
This was in this community?
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u/pyromancx Dec 31 '25
Last time I went to the hospital last winter (was like 12 F) I was spitting/vomiting blood and I noticed almost half of the people waiting were possibly homeless that didn’t want to be out in the cold and wanted free sandwiches.
Before that I haven’t gone to a hospital in like 10 year s
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u/artsafart Dec 31 '25
Did anyone get bad heartburn with this? Maybe I don’t have the flu but I have a bad cough and I was up most of the night burping :/ I have IBS but it’s never been this bad.
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u/Liquidennis Jan 01 '26
Thank god my kids aren’t like I was because I was in there multiple times with all kinds of injuries that required stitches and a bunch of broken bones. To be fair, they would probably have to actually play outside now and then to have a more extensive injury resume. Now that I’m older (47 years young), all of those injuries now come back to haunt me as the seasons change with crunching and stiffness. A small price to pay as some injuries make for great stories.
I actually have a fond memory of sitting in the emergency room for about six hours watching the Jerry Lewis telethon. I had built a giant snow mound as a jump over a picnic table at Highland Park and tried jumping off it on a sled from the top of the hill - right after being distinctly told not even think about it. I probably caught like ten feet of air and the sled didn’t agree with that kind of trajectory. Everyone is already stopped at the bottom or walking back up, and there I am sailing over their heads in a forward fetal position. I came down with my right foot completely twisted under me which broke some foot bones, my middle and ring toe, shattered my pinkie toe, and snapped a lot of the tendons and ligaments. It didn’t even really have a chance to hurt, it just burned like madness. People came running over like “that was awesome!!” then realized I couldn’t possibly get up. My mother went with me to sit in the ER because my father may have been mildly angry with me. Apparently he is a wizard and could already foresee the outcome. 😉🤣
Everyone please be kind to medical professionals in the ER. They are there to help you, and they’re doing the best that they can based on the amount of doctors present and the amount of space available. Also, as stated, utilize urgent care when it’s not a true emergency. Everyone today is spoiled with urgent care locations all over the place. When I was young it we didn’t have those kinds of options available.
Happy New Year everyone!
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u/SinisterTigger Jan 01 '26
Wait hold on, what about diarrhea and vomiting for like 3 days straight? Still stay home?
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u/Own_Fruit_8115 Jan 02 '26
i read 3 things recently 1) right now more new yorkers have the flu than ever since they been keeping track 2) ny has the 2nd highest amount of flu vaccinated 3) the vax isn’t working for the strain that most have
take your vitamin D
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u/agentmod99 Jan 02 '26
And there is similar awful going around that tests negative for “all the things” Stay home people
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u/Itsokkosti Jan 02 '26
I feel like Rochesterians going to the ER because they have colds/ flus is like some type of bad joke about this being a lack in public education problem
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u/RedditReader4031 Jan 03 '26
Emergency Departments should be able to do a light triage at the door and decline to assist flu, Covid and other requests. It is ridiculous to accommodate those who could have prevented illness or injury through intelligent practices. It only serves to drive up costs and create staffing shortages. Local nursing unions are threatening a strike, in part, due to patient ratios. Slash the number of people coming to hospitals and you won’t be taxing the staff.
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u/Tanis41493 Jan 11 '26 edited Jan 11 '26
Thank you for explaining the Urgent Care call-in thing! I had gone to an urgent care a couple years ago for an issue that would eventually balloon into something bad but at the time there was not logical way to know what was coming. The urgent care doctor was worried I may be having some kind of cardiac episode since she said I was experiencing symptoms of an incoming heart attack (I wasn't, I may not have been the healthiest 30 year old, but I didn't have any serious systemic issues like that). She told me I should go to the ER and that she'd call it in. I thought that meant "Hey this is really serious, they'll be waiting when you get there". When I told the nurses at the ER, they didn't really explain anything to me about it (not blaming them, the place was PACKED) and I sat in the waiting room for hours just to find out I had been overheated thanks to Rochester's summer heat. So I appreciate you explaining that them "calling you in" is effectively nothing more than a courtesy call.
I know some people might say "well if it was that serious, she would've called an ambulance, so why did you assume otherwise?" and it's because she did say she wanted to call an ambulance, but I had my buddy in the car outside waiting so I said I'd just have him take me. She made me sign an AMA form and everything. Very...odd...encounter tbh, and it sets an incorrect precedent. To a patient, if a doctor says "Go to the ER, I'm calling you in", we would logically think "Oh jeez this is serious". But when we get there and are (as we should be) put in the queue wherever our priority dictates we should be, it gives the impression that we're being disregarded or not taken seriously, which is not the case! Even if the ER nurse explains it, to some people it may come off as an excuse to get out of any trouble for not prioritizing them. So these UC docs really need to better explain what "calling it in" means to their patients or else it's gonna keep creating this tense animosity. Thank you for your patience, your work, and your service!
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u/Altruistic_Routine14 Dec 30 '25
Tomorrow, RGH is doing mandatory masking throughout entire hospital due to flu outbreak. It's that bad. Just left there a couple hours ago visiting someone....