Thursday, February 19, 2009

Bleeding & Dr. & Lawsuit for Back?

The Dr. who saw me last told me he'd be available all night as he was working at the hospital all night. He went back on his word, and neither I nor any of the nurses can reach him. He'd said he would assist me in getting the pain medications to where they should be and he helped once, on a one-time additional mg. of Diauldid, but that was it. He also said he'd contact a doctor to consult with me about my back and neurological issues with the increasing numbing and pain. He was saying it should be outpatient but I was admitted for both the miscarriage and the back problems and I was told someone would see me about my back and no one has. Several of the nurses thought it odd.

I just went to the bathroom now, and I'm in a lot of pain, and there was a lot of blood in the toilet with some of the white stuff I'd mentioned earlier, sloughing of skin or tissue or something. I didn't have any blood all day until now.

One nurse came in and said no one could help me with my pain because I had "fired all the doctors", the "hospitalists" who were on call. I told her this was not true. I didn't fire ANY of the hospitalists, I had only asked that another doctor besides Skinner be the attending OBGYN. The only doc I didn't want in charge of my care was Skinner, and that was it. I talked to the patient rep and some nurses and it wasn't a big deal. It's a big deal if someone wants to make it a big deal. I still think they didn't remove her from being my attending though, and that's what I requested, because she's with a group of OBGYNs. At any rate, I didn't "fire" anyone and Skinner had only seen me one time and I just asked for someone else. Any nurse who heard WHY I didn't want her to be my doctor, said they would have done the same thing and felt the same way. I don't know, it seems sometimes that certain people like the idea of punishing me or making me suffer through refusing to treat my pain properly. If sadists they be, so be it. I think it only makes the U.S. health system seem problematic and doctors ignorant about how to properly care for and treat pain.

I was just given, a couple of hours ago, the following solution, and I'll have to look it up to see what it is:

Cefazolin sodium, 1 mg.
5% dextrose 50 ml. water

My best nurses have been this Vietnamese guy who was a very hard worker and running around, on top of everything, and keeping to everyone's schedule--he was amazing. And then I had a really good professional by the name of Heidi who has worked here for years. I liked Corryne, the jewish nurse (her whole family, both sides, for generations upon generations) but then she got either backed up with work or something and then too, I liked the Jewish doc from that night, but no one out of all these people, bothered to do anything about evaluating my actual pain and changing the meds even though they all promised to. The last doc decreased time of wait for IV meds from 4 to 3 hours and added Toradol. Then did a one time increase to 2 mg. Diauldid, but that should have been increased permanently because I feel barely any relief with 1 mg. I was at home taking 2-3 Percocet with no relief so that should say something and then my pain has been WORSE, and no one has done anything about it. I guess there's a surgery tomorrow, but my back is not going to be any better. I'm leaking urine and having increased numbness, but no one wants to do an MRI, because maybe they already know I'd need a surgery to fix a herniated disc or cauda equina.

I have not been able to work because of my BACK, not the recent worsening of miscarriage problems. It's been my back until the last week.

I did not want to sue for damages to my back, against that woman who assaulted me, but if no one is going to treat my back, I may HAVE to sue her, though I would only ask for enough money to cover medical bills. She probably has people trying to ensure I don't get any records of damages. I'll have to pay for my own MRI if the ER doesn't do it, and then be reimbursed. I would totally let her off, and I would choose not to press criminal charges or anything else, like a retainer, but I would consider suing not for all the loss of work and things she knows I could sue for, including distress, but I would sue just to have the basic medcial costs paid. I intend to give her grace and mercy and not get her back for everything, but what she did has screwed up my body and if the only way to get help is to ask her to pay something, I would consider asking her to pay for the basic medical bills.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Your back is probably related to the sciatic nerve. You need a REAL good massage therapist who can deal with that or a chiropractor.