Reflections from the Pediatric ER

So I'm nearing the end of my rotation in the Pediatric ER.  Now I have two fourth year rotations under my belt, which feels like a pretty good accomplishment.  Only a few more required selectives (specialty surgery, internal medicine, and an osteopathic manipulative medicine rotation) and a couple electives are standing between me and graduation, which is officially less than an year away.  That and my boards that I'm taking this summer.  I'm starting to feel like there is a finally light at the end of the tunnel.
Even though I've mentioned snippets here and there about cases I've had in the Pedi ER, I figured I'd reflect on some of my more memorable experiences over the past four weeks.... The scariest thing I saw was an infant in anaphylaxis brought in by ambulance.  The baby apparently had an allergic reaction to a new food.  And the mom was so amazingly calm, loving, and attentive.  The doctor told me later that he almost "pissed himself" after seeing how swollen the baby's face was.  Thankfully we got things under control with some epinephrine, benadryl, and steroids.
I saw a lot of kids in respiratory distress from asthma, bronchiolitis, or pneumonia.  One little girl in particular had the worst retractions I've ever seen.  She actually came in about 10 minutes after the anaphylactic baby and the doctor I was with was worried we were going to have to intubate them both.  We were happy to see her improve with back to back nebulizer treatments, but still admitted her to treat her pneumonia.
I helped an ENT surgeon drain a peritonsillar abscess (some nasty stuff there).  I got to reduce a few nursemaids elbows.  I mastered my suturing skills by stitching up some lacerations, splinting some broken bones, and stitching some more.  Let's not forget the myriad of foreign bodies I removed from ears - a popcorn kernel, a gem, a rolled up piece of paper, and my all time favorite: a tooth.
I think I've seen more than my fair share of head traumas.  If I learned anything it's that kids hit their head ALL THE TIME!  And 99% of the time they leave with nothing but a bump.  I only saw one occipital fracture and one blow out fracture of the orbit (but that was due to a baseball to the face).  A tip for moms: don't fight with the doctor if they recommend not getting a CT scan.  Too many kids are getting unnecessary radiation to their poor little brains.
And it wouldn't be an emergency room if you didn't have just a few not-so-smart parents every now and then.  Let's just say it's not a good idea to leave your bag of pills you bought off the street out where your two your old can eat it thinking it's candy.  Oh, and if you're child's running around like they ate a dozen packs of fun-dip then most likely they didn't swallow a sharpie marker like they told you.
As you can see, I learned a lot the last few weeks.  Most importantly though, I learned what NOT to bring your kid to the ER for.  Here's a few examples: bug bites (that aren't causing an allergic reaction), diaper rash (that's what pediatricians are for), and a "fever" of 99 rectally (that's not a fever) with no other symptoms.
If anything I certainly gained a better understanding of how hectic it can be in the pediatric ER and how hard the doctors really work to help the kids that come in there.  I took Killian to the ER a few months ago for a horrible stomach bug he had.  I remember getting so annoyed while sitting in the waiting room for close to two hours, and then feeling silly when the doctor told us he just had gastroenteritis.  Seeing what goes on behind the scenes and knowing how crazy busy it can get, especially when there's a really sick kid to attend to, totally makes me think differently.  I think it also helped me having been in that situation to relate to the frustration and fear the parents feel coming in.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed my time there and I'm super appreciative to have had the experience.  The doctors were all excellent teachers and great physicians.  I'd certainly trust any of them with my little guy.