The ER doc put the XRay on the lightbox and said, "Her lungs are a mess. I can't help her." I said, "She has no heat." He said, "That isn't a factor. If you can get some other doctor to admit her, fine, but I can't do it." Unfortunately, it took the better part of a day to get in touch with another doctor because doctors' offices were closed due to the storm and phone lines were down. Once admitted, she was treated as any normal patient would have been, with great care and dignity. But those hours in the ER arguing over her admission left me with a bitter taste.

I don't know enough about medicine to know one way or the other but I can imagine that a physician judged that outpatient dialysis would be adequate.