Went to ER & all went well

[TonyaW]

So I posted recently about how to handle an ER situation with my unvaccinated boy. This subject has worried me endlessly, and I really feared the day we had to go to the ER. We had people over for dinner last night and my son was playing with a little girl that somehow knocked him over and he busted his head open on a chair. It was a deep cut. So we went to the ER for stitches. The nurse asked if my son was up to date on vaccinations (and up until this point I was really decided if I was going to say yes or no) and I ended up saying no. Then she asked if he had a tetanus and I said no. She didn't blink an eye and continued on with the necessary questions. No one else mentioned a thing about it. I was pleasantly surprised. No one told us we needed one or even asked if we wanted one. I am sure it was the kind of wound that didn't need one, with lots of blood an all.

[Marnica]

glad you had a good experience. It varies so much. Some people have no problems, some have had CPS called on them and there have been every reaction in between mentioned on here as well.

[TonyaW]

Yeah, I find it interesting that they never offered a vaccine or even suggested it. Do you suppose that means that they thought he didn't need any tetanus protection for that particular wound? The wound is above his eyebrow. It's not a wound likely to contract tetanus right, and he didn't fall into a pile of horse manure. Its not one of those wounds that I could let heal from the inside out, so I am wondering if I need to do anything special. I used hydrogen peroxide right after his fall and they cleaned it in the ER. I was going to go ahead and apply neosporin to it and keep a bandage on it so he doesn't rub it. The doc said the stitches are thinner than hair and can easily be broken if rubbed. He did need those stitches though since it was a serious bust.

[JBaxter]

ER situations are very subjective. It really all depends on the staff you get. You would be suprised to know there are ER staff who delay/dont vaccinate

[DiannaK]

Originally Posted by JBaxter

ER situations are very subjective. It really all depends on the staff you get. You would be suprised to know there are ER staff who delay/dont vaccinate

I agree -- I'm an ER nurse, and we do selective/delayed vax

[Jen_in_NH]

Originally Posted by JBaxter

ER situations are very subjective. It really all depends on the staff you get. You would be suprised to know there are ER staff who delay/dont vaccinate

Ditto. I've seen it from both sides. We delayed / selectively vaxed DS, and no one in the ER batted an eyelash at us. I also work PT as a PA in the ER, and your child's vax status is good-to-know info, but certainly nothing that would even make me raise an eyebrow. Maybe that's just a regional thing?

[Anastasiya]

Every one of my kids (4) has now been to the ER, and all had different staff. Not ONCE did anyone bat an eye or question us when they realized that kiddo was not up to date on shots.