HEALTH CARE OUTRAGEI just read an article in aarp bulletin about a 78 year old AA woman who in 2008 went to a hospital for rectal bleeding and returned home with only one arm. She was given an injection of a generic drug in an iv( not the muscle) and her arm became infected and had to be removed. She sued the hospital but lost the case because the supreme court ruled that" generic drug makers cannot be sued under state law for failing to warn patients about a drug's dangerous side effects"..In other words, if the incorrectly administered injection had been with the brand name drug, her lawsuit would have continued. This article, together with scores of others dealing with the health care system acutely reminded me of my own personal experience of health care gone wrong. (I am only giving you a summary of the events because it pains me to even think about this..let alone write about it). Daughter Joy was due to have her 3rd son in/around memorial day weekend. When her contractions were 10 min. apart on that Sat. she reported to the hospital. She was told that she needed to walk for an hour around the hospital because she was not dilated enough. After walking and being examined by her dr. she was given the choice of going home and waiting or staying in the hospital. Because she had delivered her other sounds (both naturally) quickly, she decided to stay in the hospital. At this time, she was texting me of her progress….The texts were received within a 30 min. period: Pain more intense…thinking about epidura l Dr. broke my water Now she is giving me drug to make labor come faster Really hurting now, contractions 3 min. apart The next text was from her husband advising me that she had been rushed into OR because the dr. discovered the cord was around the baby's neck and Joy had to have emergency c section . I waited by the phone listening to my own heart beating, praying that they would both be ok. Josiah is ok..Joy still in OR. An hour went by, nothing from her husband. I called the hospital and got the usual can't tell you anything response from the nurse but I explained that I was out of town and was extremely concerned. She would have husband call me. After an hour in surgery, Joy was transferred to recovery. I put on my clothes and drove to northern va. For the next 10 days I witnessed what can only be called a travesty of physician treatment and medical care. I alternated days/nights with her husband in the hospital during that period because Joy was unable to care for her newborn (and he was in the room). The first travesty was the transfusion issue. She lost a significant amount of blood during the emergency csection. The dr. confirmed this but yet did not want to give her a transfusion. After an entire day of watching Joy's condition deteriorate, (even the technician taking her blood every 4 hrs. asked her if she was getting a transfusion) I called her dr. and asked why she was not giving her a transfusion. Too much paperwork, had to go before blood bank, nurses orders, etc. I was speechless. I gave her a list of symptoms that I had seen (I'm not a dr.but have medical/legal background) that clearly indicated Joy was anemic …Ten minutes later, the dr. called reported the transfusion had been ordered. Joy improved immediately. The next day, her blood pressure which has never been an issue (117/78 throughout her pregnancy and before) spiked and was 198/101. All of the nurses on the floor rushed to her room and tried various methods to get it to down. ..fear of stroke,throwing a clot..words I heard whispered among them as they positioned her on her side, frantically consulting each other. She was given an rx for med to lower pressure and it did come down after several doses of this very potent drug. That night when her pressure was lower , reading 110/78, a nurse administered another dosage of the med (500 mgs of one; 100 mg of other)..I was asleep, Joy barely awake but she rememberedgroggily asking nurse if she still needed bp med since it had gone down…nurse said Yes. Her pressure plunged to 97/53. When I awoke to feed the baby, Joy was sitting in a chair barely able to hold her head up. I got her to walk the halls and drink fluids (advice I received after hurried call to friend in MD whose sister was a nurse) because the new nurse that came on duty told her to take a nap and put a cold towel on her wrist. From hypertension to hypotension in less than 24hrs. The final horror involved an ileus which was causing her belly to swell with gas. While this is not uncommon following abdominal surgery, Joy had been advised by her dr. that she could have liquids on day one followed by soft foods. According to my sources,he should have been eating ice chips for 2 days. Her body reacted by alternating between vomiting every 5 min. to having diarrhea all night. This went on for 48 hours. By now,her OB had gone away for the weekend and left her in the care of one of her friends who managed to exam Joy without ever so much as touching her. The surgeon who had been called in said that it was just a matter of nature taking its course. Another said, she needed a tube inserted in her nose to release the gas. She was so sick she could barely hold her new son. Finally, I called the chief nursing supervisor(at 5.a.m) My second call to him;The first was the day I had the discussion with her dr. about the transfusion, I also called the chief medical officer, the hospital administrator (in main hospital), and of course God because I could not believe how my daughter was being mistreated in this facility that had placques on the wall expounding we provide excellent care. By 9 a.m. Four administrators converged on the room together with a surgeon. After much terse discussion, and profuse apologies from all present, it was decided she did not need the tube inserted, they had less invasive ways to help expel the gas (like calling in a nurse to massage her stomach and put her in special positions on the bed) and if she could manage to hold down regular food (first time in 10 days) she would be released because they said collectively we know you want to get out of here. One administrator came over to me and confessed he had never heard of anyone being treated this way in this hospital…he was shocked.. Of course, her dr. who no one seemed to know the whereabouts would have to weigh in on this decision to release her.. Magically, her dr. appeared in an hour. and had her midwife actually sign the papers to release Joy. Thankfully, the baby was doing well. In fact, he was released from the hospital 2 days before Joy. He, of course, did not get the benefit of nursing while in the hospital and has now become a formula fed baby despite her efforts to nurse him when she was released. Reader, Every person who enters a hospital MUST have an advocate. The patient cannot do it. He/She will be under the influence of various drugs and will be trusting in the dr/ nurses/ staff to take care of them. It may happen or as in Joy's case and the 78 year old who lost her arm, It may Not. Comments, questions, responses, etc..: mpubl@aol.com http://lindagoss.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/health-care-outrage/ |
Monday, July 2, 2012
HEALTH CARE OUTRAGE - Linda Goss (mpubl@aol.com)
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