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| - I'm a college student, and I'm dealing with my second kidney stone right now. The pain started yesterday, and I knew what it was almost immediately. If you've never had a kidney stone before, trust me, it is some of the worst pain you can possibly experience. Mothers who've had them say they'd rather give birth again than experience another.
So I had my mom drive me to an urgent care, where we were told we should go to an ER instead. The lady working there recommended a Banner location, but gave us the wrong directions, and we ended up at Dignity instead. It was so small we didn't recognize it as a hospital at first (it looks more like an urgent care from the outside), but since I was in agony, we went inside to check.
Inside the waiting room was completely empty, on a Friday afternoon. I was seen almost instantly, before we could finish filling out the paperwork. Immediately they got urine and blood samples to test, hooked me up to an IV with morphine, anti-nausea and anti-inflammatory medications, and did a quick CAT scan. After just an hour and a half there I was able to leave, feeling perfectly fine, with prescriptions for more medication to control my pain at home.
All of the staff were incredibly kind and helpful, and the doctor took his time informing me of the details of my condition and what I should do following the visit.
Now, compare this to my first kidney stone experience, toward the end of 2014. That time, I did go to a larger Banner hospital, also on a Friday afternoon, and spent ages waiting around to be helped as my pain and nausea grew more and more unbearable, until I was groaning and crying and unable to speak. The facilities were crowded and busy and, although the staff was friendly and helpful, it was clear I wasn't the top priority. I went through the exact same processes I did at Dignity, yet I was there for at least 6 hours total--and every second feels like an eternity when you're in that kind of pain.
So, in short, if you're in the area and need to go to an ER--especially if you need your pain controlled ASAP--this place is your best bet.
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