When should you go to the ER?

When should you seek emergency care because of your chronic pain? Most of you have probably experienced going to the ER only to be questioned by doctors, nurses or paramedics who don't think you belong there. How do you know if the ER is the right place to turn?

The ER is for people who require urgent medical attention. The doctor will only tend to the problems you need help with right then and there. They will make sure that you don't have any serious or life-threatening issues (and treat those), but that's pretty much it. They also don't like to meddle with your current pain treatment plan since they don't know you and only have a limited amount of time for each patient.

The most important thing to remember is that the pain itself isn't dangerous, no matter how severe it is. There are 2 reasons to seek emergency care when you have chronic pain:

1. You're worried that the underlying disease might require emergency care, eg. because of new symptoms like fever, or because the pain is different than usual.
2. The pain is so severe that you can't handle it at home, and might need IV medications.

My advice is that if you go to the ER, be clear about why you're there. If you aren't, the doctors and nurses are likely to say that they don't deal with chronic pain at the ER and send you home. If you're worried something might be wrong, tell them. If you're there because you can't handle the pain at home, say it straight out. Tell them exactly which medications you've taken at home and how much.

If you repeatedly have to seek emergency care because of severe pain, ask your regular physician to write a treatment plan that you can show to the doctor at the ER. This way, they will get a better view of what has helped you in the past. They might also feel more secure by reading what a physician who knows you better recommends. If you can, bring a friend or family member for support.