In pain

[jefferybranson]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Missouri

i recently went to the emergency room..i was in extreme pain.i have a cyst on my tail bone..since i do not have insurance they refused to numb it befo draing and packing with gauze..is this illegal..or do they have the right

 

[ecmst12]

They didn't give you any anesthetic? Or they didn't give you any pain meds (morphine)? Not the same thing...

 

[lealea1005]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Missouri

i recently went to the emergency room..i was in extreme pain.i have a cyst on my tail bone..since i do not have insurance they refused to numb it befo draing and packing with gauze..is this illegal..or do they have the right

Since the cost of Lidocaine (topical and/or injectible) is negligible, probably less than $5.00, I find it hard to believe your insurance status was a factor in their decision.

Sometimes the added pressure of injecting 2+ml of Lidocaine causes the already infected cyst to rupture or cause additional pain to the patient.

None of us were there to see your cyst, so it would impossible to second guess the treating Physician's decision.

 

[Adam G]

lealea's explanation sounds like a winner.

 

[justalayman]

it's not illegal. It isn't malpractice. You could have said "whoa, stop. You ain't doing that without numbing me first!!!"




You had the right to refuse the treatment as they told you they were going to perform it. If you did not want the cyst drained without novacaine, all you had to say is "no thank you. I'll take me and my cyst elsewhere. Have a nice day"

 

[betachains]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Missouri

i recently went to the emergency room..i was in extreme pain.i have a cyst on my tail bone..since i do not have insurance they refused to numb it befo draing and packing with gauze..is this illegal..or do they have the right

They may have given you a local anesthetic, but the efficacy is low in an inflamed, infected area (pH, pKa and all that). They could have given you a systemic shot of morphine, or equivalent, beforehand but that practice variable in a busy ED.

I strongly doubt that your insurance status had anything to do with your treatment received.

 

[OHRoadwarrior]

Actually. your lack of insurance, results in lack of additional care, such as the anesthesiologist, who charges a separate fee. Would you have been willing to plunk down $180 in fast cash to get him there for a shot? The hospital is only required to provide you the minimum emergency care needed. They did so. They are not required to wine, dine or drug you. Why didn't you fix it at home, before it became so bad? I have 2 insurance policies and I would have sterilized an needle, punctured and drained it, then periodically cleaned it with alcohol, instead of going to the doctor after it became a major issue.

 

[ecmst12]

First of all, a simple poke and drain is NOT what needs to be done for a pilonidal cyst.

Second of all, you would have been able to accomplish all that on your own tailbone? Personally, I don't bend that way.

Third of all, we do not perform surgery without anesthesia on patients just because they are uninsured. If a patient is going to be treated at all, they need to be treated to the same standard of care regardless of ability to pay. IF it was appropriate to use lidocaine for the procedure he had done, then not using it would be inappropriate. We're just not sure what exactly happened - either it was not appropriate clinically to use lidocaine, or it WAS used and just didn't work that well (pilonidal cysts are extremely painful).