Have you ever regretted a 911 call on your behalf or cancelled one?

[Liberal_in_LA]

One day a (very large) lady living in my apartment complex, passed out right in front of me. She was out like a light for 5 minutes or so. While others attended to her, I called 911 from my cell phone. It rang for 5 minutes without 911 picking up. At the time, the rumor was that 911 didn't pick up from cell phones because of the number of 'purse calls' they received. As she came to, the first thing the lady mumbled was 'don't call 911'. she was still lying on the cement with her eyes closed. She recovered and went to her apartment with help from a male resident. Even with good insurance, I'd feel the same way. Don't call 911 unless I lost a limb or something.


http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-hew-myturn21-2009sep21,0,3710399.story

You called 911? Without asking first?
Self-employed and uninsured, she's on the 'never-get-sick' plan. Calling the paramedics might not be doing her a favor.

By Jill Hudgins

September 21, 2009

I can't afford to get sick. Like 46.3 million other Americans, I don't have health insurance.

The government should issue identification tags for people like me. Call it a DND (Do Not Dial) order for the medically uninsured. That way, if strangers see us on the street -- injured, ill or otherwise ailing -- they won't be tempted to call 911. They'll spot the DND tag and keep on walking. They'll tell other passersby, "Don't bother, she doesn't have insurance."

When my mother saw me suffer a seizure four years back, like any worried parent, she ran for the phone. Later at the hospital, instead of thanking her for calling the paramedics, I asked, "You couldn't have waited until I stopped shaking?"

[Libertas1776]

1. Truly sad

the way so many Americans are being forced to live.

[CTyankee]

2. Oh dear god. That is terrible, but I believe it. However, I clicked on this to tell a sad/sweet

about my late mother.

She had just moved into a wonderful assisted living place and the phone I had had installed in her room had been used by someone to make overseas calls. The phone company had to charge her but suggested that she use a dial in code when she called me long distance. Since it would have to be something she would remember, I made the code the year of her birth, 1911, which she always knew. In a few days my phone rang. It was a young sounding male EMT who assured me that while my mother was OK they were responding to her 911 call. You can see what happened...

[bbinacan]

3. Similar story

that I have to tell on myself. I was at work where I have to dial 1 for a line. I was calling area code 919 but hit the 1 twice by accident. The result was that I dialed 1911. The other result was that the police showed up a few minutes later.:blush:

[sharp_stick]

4. One of my daughters friends in daycare

a couple of years ago decided to practice calling 911 after their teacher showed them how to use it in an emergency. As soon as the operator answered they panicked and hung up... About 5 minutes later the lot was filled with Police, Fire and Ambulance responders, there had to be 30 people there because there was no response from a daycare.

I keep telling myself that my daughter had nothing to do with convincing the other little girl to make the call.... I'm sure she didn't.

Luckily the responders took it all in stride.

[CTyankee]

8. That's good. My mother was billed $250. I paid it quietly so she

wouldn't know since I didn't want her to blame herself for the error. It must have terrified her for a moment when these big guys in full rescue regalia came crashing thru the door (altho I don't know why the ass't living people didn't at least escort them to her room quietly...

[sharp_stick]

9. I was surprised

I expected that somebody was going to have to pay, either the parents from the room or the daycare. When my company found out that there wasn't going to be a charge they donated a pretty decent amount of money to charities for each service.

[GodlyDemocrat]

5. I was expecting a thread where someone abused had just called 911

Or some other type of police intervention.

[TexasObserver]

6. EVERYONE is worried about having the money to pay for medical.

My dad is 80, and we have really good insurance for him, but even so, there are always things that don't get paid by any of the three levels of coverage.

When he had an episode with his heart and woke up in a hospital room, the first words out of his mouth when he awoke and saw where he was? "How am I gonna pay for this?"

This is a guy with good insurance and a good income. This is a guy who built his own business and ran it for decades.

EVERYONE knows that health care is the big bear in the woods that can devour in one meal anyone in our village that has the bad luck to encounter it. We are all afraid that the monster may get us, and know it's only a matter of time until it snatches someone we know.

[Better Today]

7. I have been asking for this for years. Regardless of insurance, some just don't want

to have their lives saved nor want to respond to medical issues. They should have that right. In my case, my life has been saved three times, all in youth, nonetheless, my life hasn't been that great, quite difficult actually. While I'm not suicidal, I can assure you I'd be really pissed off to wake up and find I had had the chance to die one more time, and someone interfered.

[TxRider]

10. I'm the opposite

If anyone sees me down and out of it, a 911 call would be appreciated.

[Better Today]

12. Each of our choices should be respected is all I'm saying.

[Bonobo]

11. An elderly friend of my mother...

Poor woman had a hard fender bender accident coming out of their driveway of their community. She told my mom no ambulance because she can't afford it.

Tragically, a few days later, she fell down the stairs as she was coming out to meet my mother for a lunch date. She arrived at the door bloody with a large gash in an arm and cut on head I am told. Still, no ambulance she insisted. Apparently she used to be a physician's assistant and felt she was ok. Her son-in-law came and helped treat her wounds, but...


Bottom line is whether it is due to long lines at emergency rooms or high cost of ambulances, we are failing. Big time. This is our country flushing down the toilets, folks. I, for one, have had it.