So right now I’ve had the flu for 72 hours. I’ve done all home treatments available and my partner keeps insisting I go to the ER. I compromised with him and scheduled a video appointment with a doctor to see his opinion. My fear is he’s right and the doctor will tell me to go in. In past viruses I’ve had swelling of my liver and spleen. Currently I’m having pain and pressure in my upper right quadrant just under my bottom front rib as well as similar pain on the left under my back ribs. Along with bad rib and sternum pain. And kidney pain as I haven’t been able to keep much in terms of fluid down. I honestly and trying to avoid it as much as possible. Firstly, social obligation dictates that I shouldn’t go out in public spreading it when there’s not much they can do for the flu. Secondly, the thought of getting out of bed, putting clothes on, the drive over, ect ect. I’m just too exhausted to go through the process. So will I be judge for going in with the flu and showing up in pajamas?
Update: thank you all for your quick and kind replies. I guess the fear of the judgement came just after I got out of the military. I was given sulfa antibiotics for the first time and spiked a 104.5 fever with the worst headache of my life. I waited 2 and a half hours to be seen. By the time I was taken back the symptoms were getting better. I was resting my eyes and the staff thought I was asleep. They went on about how overdramatic I was for showing up in pjs and another pointed out a few sores (OCD picker) saying I was drug seeking and should be sprayed down with a hose and released. I was completely mortified.
Update 2: Got some new meds sent to me as a cautious option with my medical history. I have to go in tomorrow for some imaging, but we worked out a plan to try and keep me out of the ER if possible. Yes I plan on going in the second anything changes. Thank you all again. I was stuck in my head and being silly. I now totally understand what you were saying because I just saw a post I can’t unsee about injecting a penis with Novocain for UTI pain đđ¤Łđ¤Śââď¸ don’t worry as a UTI expert I told him the correct steps to take and begged him not to do it lol
Comments
Wear a mask and no one even think twice that youâre wearing pajamas
Just go. They have seen everything. From people in the middle of cardiac arrest to people shitting themselves violently to people with just the most unusual things lodged in places that it’s better to not think to hard about how they got there. Just go. Your health needs outweigh everything else.
People these days go to the supermarket in pyjamas. Nobody at the ER will judge you. If anyone looks at you funny tell them you came from the supermarket.
Negative itâs an emergency room and with the the other symptoms itâs your call at this point. just mask up because you donât know whoâs immunocompromised and the flu can mess people up.
hey, first of all, Iâm really sorry youâre feeling this way. flu on its own suck, but when add pain, exhaustion, and worry into the mix? itâs overwhelming. youâre not being dramatic, and youâre not weak for struggling, youâre just sick. full stop.
about the pajamas, literally no one at the ER is going to care. theyâve seen people show up in hospital gowns from other hospitals, no shoes, full costumes. you being in pajamas is completely normal. if anything, theyâll see you immediately know, âyep, this person feels like crap and needs helpâ. no judgment, just care.
Pretty sure the er staff is happy you aren’t naked and covered in your own feces
I went to the ER in a long t shirt and underwear that was covered in shit and socks.
They don’t care.
The ER sees people whoâve shoved light bulbs in their asses, a sick person wearing pajamas wonât cause judgment
No judgement but you may feel alot better after a hot shower and new, clean PJs before you go.
I donât work in the ER, but I do home healthcare visits. For AM appointments, itâs common for family to answer the door in their PJs absolutely mortified/apologetic that theyâre in their PJs.
Iâve said, more than once, âIf you hadnât said it, I likely wouldnât have noticed! But Iâm working in your home, so you make yourself comfortable and donât worry over what I think of your clothing!â
Honestly. I see people in all states of dress/undress throughout any given work day. Iâm looking at bodies clinically, which means that Iâm looking for evidence of skin breakdown or mottling, etc.
Unless you were wearing something that raised alarm bells (covered in blood, inappropriate for the temperature, so dirty that it was indicative of possible neglect/abuse, etc.) – I wouldnât even clock your clothes. Itâs not really what weâre interested in – we care that youâre safe.
ETA: Itâs also not a fashion show. You feel like shit. Itâs totally OK and appropriate if your outfit reflects that you had low energy. But also please tell triage about your history of swelling and the severity of your RUQ pain. Donât dismiss it there like youâre doing here with the âitâs only the fluâ. If you have relevant medical history and pain thatâs consistent with it â the healthcare team needs to know.
Pain and pressure in RUQ = ER.
Nobody is gonna judge you for jammies. It’s the ER. At least you don’t have a foreign object stuck up your rear end.
Last time I was in hospital, I didn’t have a chance to get showered and dressed before going. And most of the other patients I saw also looked a mess.
Hell, most of the staff looked like they’d been working all night too.
They wonât judge you. Itâs not uncommon for people to come in their PJs. Youâre sick and probably spent a lot of time in bed. Itâs no big deal. Youâll change into a hospital gown later
Yea i went last month in a hoodie long John’s and athletic shorts. Had 3 nurses say they were jealous bc i looked comfy as hell
Not ER staff but medic. I promise no one cares what you go in. We see everything and I mean everything, babies coming out covered in amniotic fluid, meth guy with his hand still jacking himself off, random fluid from the abdomen spraying out of the belly button, eye jelly, trust me a clean person who doesn’t smell like death is a treat.
I went to the ER once for heavy bleeding as a teen, was assessed by triage nurse & asked to wait. When I was called I remember standing up, flooding my pants and keeling right over. Apparently I didn’t even make a full stand up AND I whacked my head. My mom took pleasure in telling me when I woke up what a mess I’d made BUT the nurses were 100% sympathetic and repeatedly said not to worry about it. I needed 2 units of blood or some such thing and was on bed rest for a week and had an iron prescription after that.
I had to call firefighters to my grandmas hoarder house once. Even the inexperienced guys barely batted an eye. I donât think the ER cares about PJs
I once rolled up to accident and emergency (ER for you) in a tiger onesie that belonged to my ex who was over a foot taller than me with nothing underneath (titties swinging in the breeze) stinking to high heaven after not bathing for over a week!!!
I saw 2 people in dressing gowns and slippers onea woman with hairy legs and a messy top bun and one a bloke with flip flops.
They’ve seen it all
104 fever in an adult is not, in any way, âdramatic*. Itâs life threatening. In fact, there is no way in hell you sold have been waiting 2 hours to be seen. Thatâs seizure territory!
I doubt they’d even notice, let alone care or judge. Like many others said, im sure they’ve seen far far worse then a person who dares to dress comfortably while they’re sick.
Also i dont know what country you live in, but at least here in the US, I’ve seen people go shopping in pajamas just because they felt like it. Its your life, if people judge you because of those clothes you wear then fuck em.
Real talk – ER staff don’t judge. They’ve seen it all. I’ve seen half naked people on bath salts roll up and they just get to work like any other patient.
I promise, they will not judge you. They will just help you đ
I’m not ER staff but I’ve been in the ER more than I’d like. Last time I was sweating profusely and literally collapsed on the floor. I had on sweats and a sweatshirt.
They did not care one bit about what I was wearing. They cared about ME.
Pajamas? No problem!! Trust me, the ER staff has seen it all.
X-ray tech here! Please donât bother putting your bra on. Weâll just take it back off anyway
homie people show up to the ER with random household objects lodged in their ass you’re fine go take care of your health
Just saw your edit.
Fuck those people. Seriously. Those kind of people literally judge everyone. Itâs not you. Itâs them.
My mom is an ED nurse and I spent so much time growing up at the nurseâs station/break room after school hanging out waiting for my dad, who worked in another department, to get off work and take us home. Pjs are totally appropriate for the ED. Really.
Some people are just super judgy. Theyâll comment on everyone. They tend to be miserable and have the worst attitude about doing their actual jobs.
Do not let it dissuade you from future care. You needed to be seen. You likely needed the IV fluids and antibiotics.
Ignore people who do not know you and know nothing about you. Get some rest and hopefully feel better soon. 24-48 hrs on antibiotics usually makes a huge difference.
Cover your privates, wear a mask and literally nobody will give a fuck. The hospital is the last place I expect to see anyone looking put together.
I remember a Reddit comment from an ER nurse who said she wished the ER had a big sign saying, “WE DON’T JUDGE. WE’VE SEEN IT ALL.”
Never be embarrassed in the ER. Those people have seen some shit.
Doctors won’t care. ER doctors work rotating shifts, the people treating you are asleep all day some days.
No judgement at allll. In fact, saying “I’ve been violently ill for 72 hours and couldn’t get out of bed” while wearing your best outfit and a full face of makeup doesn’t add up.
They would judge you more if you needed help and didnât seek it because of fashion.
If your doctor says go to the ER, ask for a referral to an ER near you.
And wear what’s comfortable. If all you can manage are PJs, go in that. Definitely wear a mask since you’re sick.
As for your prior case: That you waited two and a half hours in a hospital with 104.5 fever means they must have had some serious other shit going down that night. Was it a weekend with a bunch of drunken idiots coming in? (I once got a bit grumpy about a long wait at an ER, and the triage reminded me that I didn’t see folks coming through the back. as well as the ambulatory ones coming in the front. Then there was the time I had a gallbladder attack and ended up at an ER around 4:00 in the morning on Saturday. I think I was the most pleasant patient for the medical staff to deal with because I wasn’t on anything.)
I hope you feel better soon.
Sick people wear pajamas. Itâs normal.
We don’t care what you wear, as long as it covers your private parts, and you are polite to us.
I don’t recall what anyone wears, just whether or not they treated us poorly.
People go to the ER with large objects stuck in their rectum. You think they’re even going to blink at you wearing pajamas?
Get yourself to the ER ASAP! I literally went to the ER in my pjâs a couple of weeks ago. I was in so much pain. Awoke in middle of the night. Hubby drove me. it turned out that I needed emergency gallbladder surgery.(removal)
You have all these symptoms and you’re worried about being judged for wearing pajamas?
i came in dressed as a clown once. it was a clown party, so i had 2 other clowns w me đĽ˛
Just make sure you include pants.
Not what u are asking but please make sure to mention the reaction to sulfa meds at future appointments
Last time I went to the er I had been sick with the flu for over a week that hit me harder than any flu of my life, which ended up with me having pneumonia. I could barely breathe without making my own conscious effort. That was months ago and I’m still dealing with it and seeing a pulmonary specialist, have had 2 strong rounds of antibiotics and steroids so far, and getting CT scans because they found 3 large clusters of nodules in my lungs.
I could also barely walk around at all without feeling like I was gonna pass out, let alone take a shower. But I really wasn’t concerned about that, like literally the last thing on my mind, because I needed help and was legit concerned that I could die if my breathing got worse. They’re doctors. They’ve seen it all including people at their absolute worst. They don’t care what you look like.
Hospitals are generally clean but still dirty places with germs so please change your pjs after you get home, donât sit on the lounge or get back into bed in those same clothes.