Dorothy's situation seemed to worsen during the night so we made the decision to seek medical help. I called our insurance provider who directed us to the hospital in St. Lucie, FL even though the locals recommended one closer. However, it was only about 20 minutes away. We were about to experience one example of American health care. We arrived about 5:30 AM. The security guard allowed us to park right by the door to the emergency unit. Within one minute of entering, Dorothy was being interviewed by a nurse and having her vitals take. Within 10 minutes, she was in a room in the ER and being seen by a medical doctor (who also knew about the Edmonton Oilers). Dorothy had blood work, a chest x-ray, and a CT scan all within the first hour. Meanwhile I was on the phone to the insurance company representative who, it turned out, was in Montreal. He had trouble understanding English and concepts such as what a postal code should look like. However, eventually we exchanged faxes. By this time, Dorothy had been diagnosed as having acute bronchitis, and had received two bags of antibiotics via IV. The doctor again met with her to discuss the diagnosis and the treatment, prescriptions for antibiotics and cough syrup. He left the room saying "Merry Christmas, and God Bless." The only delay we had in the process (other than the insurance guy in Montreal) was when it came to discharging Dorothy which took about half an hour. This was our experience and it contrasted sharply with our last visit to ER in Edmonton where I had waited more than five hours before I saw a doctor.
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| Dorothy in the ER unit in St. Lucie Hospital, St. Lucie, FL |
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| Emergency Room entrance - St. Lucie Hospital |
Dorothy felt well enough that we decided to stay with our plan and move to Lake Worth, FL (actually our hotel is in West Palm Beach, FL) less than two hours away.
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| Publix is a popular supermarket chain in this area. |
In the evening, Dorothy was not all that well but we went over to our friends home in Lake Worth for dinner and a short visit. This will be our furthest point away from home and Heather and Kevin have very kindly included us in their family's Christmas celebrations.
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Our friends Heather and Kevin live in Lake Worth, FL
We will be celebrating Christmas with them this year. |
OMG! I leave you two alone for a couple of days and something happens!!! looks like Dorothy got very good care and so hope she will be well enough to enjoy her visit with your friends!take it easy, and rest up, your out of the cold at least! Merry Christmas & God Bless!
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