Update: Would I be the AH for submitting a complaint against a couple of gossipy, rude nurses in the Emergency Room?
Hi all! So it’s been a while since I posted! I completely forgot about my post (see link below), and I have been with school and finals.
Well I have an update that y’all are not prepared for because trust me when I received the letter last month, I wasn’t prepared for it either. I’m still like wtf happened.
So like many of y’all suggested I submitted my complaint (aka grievance) through member services and completed the survey about my visit. I also had my appointment with my allergist, who is the head of the allergy department. When he heard about my Emergency Room visit, he was livid, but he also calmed my nerves down and explained that every doctor does things differently. He said the bedside swallow isn’t mandatory. It depends on how swollen the throat is, but it also depends on how the doctor perceives you, your vitals, and if they believe you are stable after several hours. He prefers the bedside swallow because it lets him know that I’m not struggling to swallow, breathe, or have normal functions because anaphylaxis can still flare up after initial treatment within 24 hours. But it’s up to us as patients to ensure we advocate for ourselves and let them know right away if something feels off because we know our bodies the best.
Well I didn’t hear anything after my appointment. In all honesty, I thought my grievance was swept under the rug. I’m like okay. Well at least it’s on file. Might as well go on with my day. Ha! That was a lie!
Last month I received a letter of resolution from the Grievance Department AND a letter of apology from the Emergency Department, Department Head and Charge Nurse. I’m not going to explain everything in detail of what happened, but an internal investigation happened in the department and the entire department must undergo a mandatory re-education 2-year program and re-certify every year thereafter.
Let me tell you this, when I read that the first words that came out of my were, “HOLY SHIT!” I honestly felt like I opened Pandora’s box. I also felt like being a little nosy and wanting to know what in the world did they find in the internal investigation for an entire department to have to undergo a mandatory re-education program with re-certification every year. I honestly never heard of anything like this happening before.
I’m glad that they took my complaint serious, but now it has me concerned as to what was going on in that Emergency Department.
Regardless, I haven’t been to the emergency room since. I have been avoiding it as best as I can, reading all labels, refusing to try new places, and stay home and cook for me and doggos. If I’m going to the ER, then I better be dying.
Posted Dec 7, 2025, 4:51 AM UTC