RE: Max's 9th cast....

[Guest guest]

Oh, Aekta!!! I am SO sorry you had to deal with that! When we were

there, we had similar experiences with that anesthesiologist. While

she didn't actually provide the anesthesia for Jack, she did do the

pre-op paperwork. I'll let Tina tell you what they went through with

this woman (far worse than our experience). But, when we told her

Jack had a fever 10 days prior (with ZERO other symptoms, not a cough,

not a cold, nothing) she widened her eyes and pursed her lips, writing

in the chart - like she was trying like mad not to say something.

Then she said, " Well, we always require 6-8 weeks after a virus to go

under general anesthesia because even if it's just a fever, it could

be an upper respiratory infection and that can make his airway

hyper-reactive when we put his breathing tube in there. Then, he may

have a respiratory reaction in the OR, and he's at a greatly increased

risk of having breathing problems in recovery and he may come out and

need to be on a ventilator for 24 hours. "

She seems VERY extremist in her approach. While I respect that she

needs to inform, explained that anesthesiologists are

*guaranteed* to be sued for med mal at some point in their careers. I

wonder if a search of recent suits would turn up her name - she's

obviously hyper-reactive in her own profession! And, you DO NOT need

to deal with that in light of being ready to pop and the emotions

running high for all of us when our babies are undergoing anesthesia.

I'm glad you set her straight!

Sandi

[Guest guest]

Aekta ,

I am so sorry that you had to go through that! I believe that is the same " doc "

that had me in tears and my husband ready to strangle her before they took

Sophia back. She basically gave us the same story she did you and had me in

tears. Poor Ruby just kept looking away. Thank God Dr. Strum popped in and they

ran like mice. I told him that the anesthesiologist didn't want to proceed with

treatment for Sophia and he shook his head and waved his hand saying, " No, no,

no. She is fine, she will be fine and we are going to proceed " . He said there

was no more risk now than any other time and that she needs the treatment- so

off she went. He normally doesn't come into pre-op, so I am so grateful he did

that day. I of course I was a wreck still though having to say goodbye and see

her wheeled back with that woman's words echoing in my head " Do you really want

to see your child on a ventilator? " , " She could very well die on that table " ,

" Are you willing to gamble your daughter's life to treat a minor condition like

scoliosis? " , etc. Please let me know if you end up filing a formal complaint

because I will certainly back you up that! I did not get her name, but she was a

Caucasian woman, ave height and had supposedly done Sophia's last casting

although it was the guy with glasses that talked with us, so I am no so sure

about that. There was a second anesthesiologist that was tag teaming with her-

they both were saying things to us. She was a more petite, African-American

woman. However, it was the first gal that was the more aggressive and attacking

in her manner. I think they need to go some training on their entire anesthesia

team there on how to appropriate inform parents of the risks without being

disrespectful or hurtful. Also, they need to educate them that infantile

scoliosis is not a minor condition- we are not doing this for cosmetic reasons!!

On a positive note, I am so glad Max's curve is holding and that he came through

OK. Please take care of yourself and we are wishing you a safe (and as painfree

as possible) delivery. Have a wonderful holiday!!!

Tina

Excerpt from 12/11 post:

" We just got back from Chicago where Sophia was cast this morning. I will post

more details later, but wanted to let you know that it is the anesthesiologist

doing the casting who makes the final judgment call usually. We had a to move

out Sophia's casting a week because of a low grade fever and sore throat. I

obtained written clearance from her pulmonologist and her pediatrician both and

sent to the casting RN who confirmed she was cleared to proceed with casting,

and still got a hassle from the anesthesia folks today. They didn't want to cast

her! They said you should wait 6 weeks for any illness, even a mild cold. I

explained that we had already removed her old cast almost 2 weeks ago. She is in

daycare with a 3 yr old older brother in cold and flu season. If we had to wait

6 weeks for her to be 100% healthy and not even a running nose, she would never

get her new cast! They did end up casting her, but not before making me feel

like I was signing my daughter's death warrant. She told me, " Are you really

willing to risk your daughter's life just to treat something like scoliosis,

that is so minor. " !!!!! I had to keep my husband from blowing his top. Bottom

line, she did just fine. I would suggest you get her cleared by her doc at home.

If in doubt, let your casting folks speak with your home doc and confirm that

you are good to go before traveling. Good luck!

Tina "

Max's 9th cast....

First, I need to apologize to , Sammy,and family. I know my

outburst to the anesthesiologist prolonged Sammy being casted. I

deeply apologize. I do hope Sammy is doing well and you got great

correction.

Update on Max:

He did great. Doing a little better each time. We didn't get our

miracle cast, but did find out the curve did not progress. Max will

still have surgery Jan/Feb. Date is TBD.

The anesthesiologist we had, Dr. Mastbrook, was so RUDE, I

ended up screaming at her in the pre-op room/holding room. Max had a

mild cold last week, so I decided to be a pro-active parent and get

him to his pediatrician 8 days before his casting date and a follow-

up friday before we headed to Chicago for his cast cut-off on

Monday. Max was symptom free for Sunday and Monday. Tuesday at 10:30

am in the pre-op room/holding room, Dr. Mastbrook comes in and reads

the notes I requested from the pediatrician. She was so wishy-washy

about wanting to proceed with anesthesia that since Max had a mild

cold he should wait 4-6 weeks before anesthesia. I tried to explain

to her, that he was symptom free and had clearance from his

pediatrician. I know the ultimate decision is that of the

anesthesiologist. I was getting very irritated with her. I tried to

stay calm, but when she made the comment to me " You want me to take

your child back as if you don't care what happens to him. He could

die on the table! "

I was so taken by her comment (not sure if it was pregnancy hormones-

9 months pregnant), I yelled at her very loudly " How dare you speak

to a parent like that, being so rude and insensitive, don't you know

I know my child can die on the table whether he had a cold or not.

How dare you accuse me of not caring about my child when all I was

trying to do was get him well! " The room cleared very quickly. She

instantly took the defense (which is a natural reaction)and she was

taken by my response. Ultimately she apologized (not sure if she

really meant it).....I didn't apologize and won't.

I had explained that I didn't want Max to take the versed because

not only does he end up spitting it out, he gets very gassy and

vomits during recovery despite be given Zophran. Dr. Mastbrook

stated, " I require all children this age to take the pre-med because

if they start climbing out of the bed and don't cooperate, they'll

have to give him a shot! " Nice threatening anesthesilogist, huh? We

ended up givign him the versed and he spit it all out. Surprise!

Surprise!

I plan to write a letter to the director of anesthesia, Dr. Sturm

(chief of staff), patient advocate of Shriners Chicago and anyone

else who needs to know how Dr. Mastbrook treated a parent whose

child has been under general anesthesia 9 times in 17 months. I am

requesting she no longer particiaptes in Max's care as we will have

a long road at Shriners Chicago. Dr. Sturm and his resident was very

compassionate and asked if everything was alright, which by that

time I had calmed down and didn't want to prolong his day any longer

than I had.

I do have to say this was one instance and is an unusual experience

for us. Regardless of being 9 months pregnant, no one should ever

talk to a parent so disrespectfully.....not even a doctor.

I wish everyone a very Happy Holiday!

Thank you for everyone's prayers this past year.

Aekta

[Guest guest]

Aekta,

I am sorry you guys had such an awful person to deal with. SOunds like you

handled it pretty well though. After reading posts from Sandi and Tina I think

you ladies should really talk to someone about her.

I am happy Max's curve held in this last cast. Please let us know when his

surgery is scheduled............I would like to add him to a prayer list.

Right now I pray all goes well.

How are you feeling? Ready I am sure. C-section or natural?

Take care and keep us all posted on you, baby and Max.

Merry Christmas.

Tasha

babymaxpd wrote: First, I

need to apologize to , Sammy,and family. I know my

outburst to the anesthesiologist prolonged Sammy being casted. I

deeply apologize. I do hope Sammy is doing well and you got great

correction.

Update on Max:

He did great. Doing a little better each time. We didn't get our

miracle cast, but did find out the curve did not progress. Max will

still have surgery Jan/Feb. Date is TBD.

The anesthesiologist we had, Dr. Mastbrook, was so RUDE, I

ended up screaming at her in the pre-op room/holding room. Max had a

mild cold last week, so I decided to be a pro-active parent and get

him to his pediatrician 8 days before his casting date and a follow-

up friday before we headed to Chicago for his cast cut-off on

Monday. Max was symptom free for Sunday and Monday. Tuesday at 10:30

am in the pre-op room/holding room, Dr. Mastbrook comes in and reads

the notes I requested from the pediatrician. She was so wishy-washy

about wanting to proceed with anesthesia that since Max had a mild

cold he should wait 4-6 weeks before anesthesia. I tried to explain

to her, that he was symptom free and had clearance from his

pediatrician. I know the ultimate decision is that of the

anesthesiologist. I was getting very irritated with her. I tried to

stay calm, but when she made the comment to me " You want me to take

your child back as if you don't care what happens to him. He could

die on the table! "

I was so taken by her comment (not sure if it was pregnancy hormones-

9 months pregnant), I yelled at her very loudly " How dare you speak

to a parent like that, being so rude and insensitive, don't you know

I know my child can die on the table whether he had a cold or not.

How dare you accuse me of not caring about my child when all I was

trying to do was get him well! " The room cleared very quickly. She

instantly took the defense (which is a natural reaction)and she was

taken by my response. Ultimately she apologized (not sure if she

really meant it).....I didn't apologize and won't.

I had explained that I didn't want Max to take the versed because

not only does he end up spitting it out, he gets very gassy and

vomits during recovery despite be given Zophran. Dr. Mastbrook

stated, " I require all children this age to take the pre-med because

if they start climbing out of the bed and don't cooperate, they'll

have to give him a shot! " Nice threatening anesthesilogist, huh? We

ended up givign him the versed and he spit it all out. Surprise!

Surprise!

I plan to write a letter to the director of anesthesia, Dr. Sturm

(chief of staff), patient advocate of Shriners Chicago and anyone

else who needs to know how Dr. Mastbrook treated a parent whose

child has been under general anesthesia 9 times in 17 months. I am

requesting she no longer particiaptes in Max's care as we will have

a long road at Shriners Chicago. Dr. Sturm and his resident was very

compassionate and asked if everything was alright, which by that

time I had calmed down and didn't want to prolong his day any longer

than I had.

I do have to say this was one instance and is an unusual experience

for us. Regardless of being 9 months pregnant, no one should ever

talk to a parent so disrespectfully.....not even a doctor.

I wish everyone a very Happy Holiday!

Thank you for everyone's prayers this past year.

Aekta

---------------------------------

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

[Guest guest]

Hi Tina,

I remembered your encounter from the week earlier. The African-

American anesthesiologist is Dr. . We had he in October and

thought she was great. She took Max back after he spit out the

versed and was reassuring that he'd be okay with threatening us with

a " shot! " Dr. Masbrook also indicted she treated Max in the past,

but I have no memory of seeing her before. Dr. Masbrook's picture is

on the staff page of Shriner's Chicago website. I'll never forgot

her glowing blue eyes.

Dr. Sturm always meets with us atleast once before Max goes in the

OR. Usually it is in the pre-op/holding room since Max never really

goes first. Otherwise it is in day surgery if Max is first. He did

tell us when they took Max to the OR on our way to the waiting room

as we bumped into him in the hall, that this casting is basically to

buy Max a few weeks until I can recover, which I appreciate his

efforts in working with us.

Ruby kept looking at me like I lost mind, which I had at that

point. She did remain postive and smiley as always!

Thanks for the well wishes.

Have a great holiday!

Aekta

>

> Aekta ,

> I am so sorry that you had to go through that! I believe that is

the same " doc " that had me in tears and my husband ready to strangle

her before they took Sophia back. She basically gave us the same

story she did you and had me in tears. Poor Ruby just kept looking

away. Thank God Dr. Strum popped in and they ran like mice. I told

him that the anesthesiologist didn't want to proceed with treatment

for Sophia and he shook his head and waved his hand saying, " No, no,

no. She is fine, she will be fine and we are going to proceed " . He

said there was no more risk now than any other time and that she

needs the treatment- so off she went. He normally doesn't come into

pre-op, so I am so grateful he did that day. I of course I was a

wreck still though having to say goodbye and see her wheeled back

with that woman's words echoing in my head " Do you really want to

see your child on a ventilator? " , " She could very well die on that

table " , " Are you willing to gamble your daughter's life to treat a

minor condition like scoliosis? " , etc. Please let me know if you end

up filing a formal complaint because I will certainly back you up

that! I did not get her name, but she was a Caucasian woman, ave

height and had supposedly done Sophia's last casting although it was

the guy with glasses that talked with us, so I am no so sure about

that. There was a second anesthesiologist that was tag teaming with

her- they both were saying things to us. She was a more petite,

African-American woman. However, it was the first gal that was the

more aggressive and attacking in her manner. I think they need to

go some training on their entire anesthesia team there on how to

appropriate inform parents of the risks without being disrespectful

or hurtful. Also, they need to educate them that infantile scoliosis

is not a minor condition- we are not doing this for cosmetic

reasons!!

>

> On a positive note, I am so glad Max's curve is holding and that

he came through OK. Please take care of yourself and we are wishing

you a safe (and as painfree as possible) delivery. Have a wonderful

holiday!!!

> Tina

>

> Excerpt from 12/11 post:

> " We just got back from Chicago where Sophia was cast this morning.

I will post more details later, but wanted to let you know that it

is the anesthesiologist doing the casting who makes the final

judgment call usually. We had a to move out Sophia's casting a week

because of a low grade fever and sore throat. I obtained written

clearance from her pulmonologist and her pediatrician both and sent

to the casting RN who confirmed she was cleared to proceed with

casting, and still got a hassle from the anesthesia folks today.

They didn't want to cast her! They said you should wait 6 weeks for

any illness, even a mild cold. I explained that we had already

removed her old cast almost 2 weeks ago. She is in daycare with a 3

yr old older brother in cold and flu season. If we had to wait 6

weeks for her to be 100% healthy and not even a running nose, she

would never get her new cast! They did end up casting her, but not

before making me feel like I was signing my daughter's death

warrant. She told me, " Are you really willing to risk your

daughter's life just to treat something like scoliosis, that is so

minor. " !!!!! I had to keep my husband from blowing his top. Bottom

line, she did just fine. I would suggest you get her cleared by her

doc at home. If in doubt, let your casting folks speak with your

home doc and confirm that you are good to go before traveling. Good

luck!

> Tina "

>

>

> Max's 9th cast....

>

>

> First, I need to apologize to , Sammy,and family. I

know my

> outburst to the anesthesiologist prolonged Sammy being casted. I

> deeply apologize. I do hope Sammy is doing well and you got

great

> correction.

>

> Update on Max:

>

> He did great. Doing a little better each time. We didn't get our

> miracle cast, but did find out the curve did not progress. Max

will

> still have surgery Jan/Feb. Date is TBD.

>

> The anesthesiologist we had, Dr. Mastbrook, was so RUDE,

I

> ended up screaming at her in the pre-op room/holding room. Max

had a

> mild cold last week, so I decided to be a pro-active parent and

get

> him to his pediatrician 8 days before his casting date and a

follow-

> up friday before we headed to Chicago for his cast cut-off on

> Monday. Max was symptom free for Sunday and Monday. Tuesday at

10:30

> am in the pre-op room/holding room, Dr. Mastbrook comes in and

reads

> the notes I requested from the pediatrician. She was so wishy-

washy

> about wanting to proceed with anesthesia that since Max had a

mild

> cold he should wait 4-6 weeks before anesthesia. I tried to

explain

> to her, that he was symptom free and had clearance from his

> pediatrician. I know the ultimate decision is that of the

> anesthesiologist. I was getting very irritated with her. I tried

to

> stay calm, but when she made the comment to me " You want me to

take

> your child back as if you don't care what happens to him. He

could

> die on the table! "

>

> I was so taken by her comment (not sure if it was pregnancy

hormones-

> 9 months pregnant), I yelled at her very loudly " How dare you

speak

> to a parent like that, being so rude and insensitive, don't you

know

> I know my child can die on the table whether he had a cold or

not.

> How dare you accuse me of not caring about my child when all I

was

> trying to do was get him well! " The room cleared very quickly.

She

> instantly took the defense (which is a natural reaction)and she

was

> taken by my response. Ultimately she apologized (not sure if she

> really meant it).....I didn't apologize and won't.

>

> I had explained that I didn't want Max to take the versed

because

> not only does he end up spitting it out, he gets very gassy and

> vomits during recovery despite be given Zophran. Dr. Mastbrook

> stated, " I require all children this age to take the pre-med

because

> if they start climbing out of the bed and don't cooperate,

they'll

> have to give him a shot! " Nice threatening anesthesilogist, huh?

We

> ended up givign him the versed and he spit it all out. Surprise!

> Surprise!

>

> I plan to write a letter to the director of anesthesia, Dr.

Sturm

> (chief of staff), patient advocate of Shriners Chicago and

anyone

> else who needs to know how Dr. Mastbrook treated a parent whose

> child has been under general anesthesia 9 times in 17 months. I

am

> requesting she no longer particiaptes in Max's care as we will

have

> a long road at Shriners Chicago. Dr. Sturm and his resident was

very

> compassionate and asked if everything was alright, which by that

> time I had calmed down and didn't want to prolong his day any

longer

> than I had.

>

> I do have to say this was one instance and is an unusual

experience

> for us. Regardless of being 9 months pregnant, no one should

ever

> talk to a parent so disrespectfully.....not even a doctor.

>

> I wish everyone a very Happy Holiday!

> Thank you for everyone's prayers this past year.

>

> Aekta

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Tasha,

From my experience anesthesiologist are something else. I do plan to

make a formal complaint. Working in helathcare, if there's no

documentation it didn't happen.

I am so ready to have this baby physically. Mentally not ready. I

have to take everything one day at a time. Just trying to get thru

Chirstmas first. Scheduled c-section on 12/31/07 at 7:00 am. Max

will be at daycare. Dave will pick him up after nap time to meet his

new sibling at the hospital. I plan to keep Max's routine the same

each day. He enjoys daycare, so I plan to still send even though

I'll be home.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Have a great Christmas. I'm sure the boys are very excited.

We're expected to get 7-10 more inches of snow tonight!

Aekta

First, I need to apologize to , Sammy,and family. I know my

> outburst to the anesthesiologist prolonged Sammy being casted. I

> deeply apologize. I do hope Sammy is doing well and you got

great

> correction.

>

> Update on Max:

>

> He did great. Doing a little better each time. We didn't get our

> miracle cast, but did find out the curve did not progress. Max

will

> still have surgery Jan/Feb. Date is TBD.

>

> The anesthesiologist we had, Dr. Mastbrook, was so RUDE,

I

> ended up screaming at her in the pre-op room/holding room. Max

had a

> mild cold last week, so I decided to be a pro-active parent and

get

> him to his pediatrician 8 days before his casting date and a

follow-

> up friday before we headed to Chicago for his cast cut-off on

> Monday. Max was symptom free for Sunday and Monday. Tuesday at

10:30

> am in the pre-op room/holding room, Dr. Mastbrook comes in and

reads

> the notes I requested from the pediatrician. She was so wishy-

washy

> about wanting to proceed with anesthesia that since Max had a

mild

> cold he should wait 4-6 weeks before anesthesia. I tried to

explain

> to her, that he was symptom free and had clearance from his

> pediatrician. I know the ultimate decision is that of the

> anesthesiologist. I was getting very irritated with her. I tried

to

> stay calm, but when she made the comment to me " You want me to

take

> your child back as if you don't care what happens to him. He

could

> die on the table! "

>

> I was so taken by her comment (not sure if it was pregnancy

hormones-

> 9 months pregnant), I yelled at her very loudly " How dare you

speak

> to a parent like that, being so rude and insensitive, don't you

know

> I know my child can die on the table whether he had a cold or

not.

> How dare you accuse me of not caring about my child when all I

was

> trying to do was get him well! " The room cleared very quickly.

She

> instantly took the defense (which is a natural reaction)and she

was

> taken by my response. Ultimately she apologized (not sure if she

> really meant it).....I didn't apologize and won't.

>

> I had explained that I didn't want Max to take the versed because

> not only does he end up spitting it out, he gets very gassy and

> vomits during recovery despite be given Zophran. Dr. Mastbrook

> stated, " I require all children this age to take the pre-med

because

> if they start climbing out of the bed and don't cooperate,

they'll

> have to give him a shot! " Nice threatening anesthesilogist, huh?

We

> ended up givign him the versed and he spit it all out. Surprise!

> Surprise!

>

> I plan to write a letter to the director of anesthesia, Dr. Sturm

> (chief of staff), patient advocate of Shriners Chicago and anyone

> else who needs to know how Dr. Mastbrook treated a parent whose

> child has been under general anesthesia 9 times in 17 months. I

am

> requesting she no longer particiaptes in Max's care as we will

have

> a long road at Shriners Chicago. Dr. Sturm and his resident was

very

> compassionate and asked if everything was alright, which by that

> time I had calmed down and didn't want to prolong his day any

longer

> than I had.

>

> I do have to say this was one instance and is an unusual

experience

> for us. Regardless of being 9 months pregnant, no one should ever

> talk to a parent so disrespectfully.....not even a doctor.

>

> I wish everyone a very Happy Holiday!

> Thank you for everyone's prayers this past year.

>

> Aekta

>

>

>

>

>

>

> ---------------------------------

> Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo!

Mobile. Try it now.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi sandi,

I'm not sure I set her striaght, but did take her off guard. I

understand their role and necessity to inform us of the risks, but

for crying out loud, you don't have to be so rude and insensitive.

I plan to talk to Dr. Sturm about perhaps having anesthesiologists

evaluate our children before casts are cut-off and before our

children have to starve for hours. I wouldn't have had the problem

to reschedule, but no cast and no food for many hours and waiting to

the final moments is very stressful. If Dr. Sturm can do his rounds

in the in-patient unit by 7 am, I think the anestehsiologists should

have to.

I know Illinois' malpractice is VERY expensive compared to other

states. But, I found it interesting that they didn't require me to

sign Max's life away requesting Max to continue with anesthesia

against the anesthesiologist's advise. If it's that big a deal, then

wouldn't like want written permission to prevent being sued?

Obviously they don't always require 6 weeks of recovery time form a

coild if they are letting children still be treated.

Last winter Max had a really bad URI that our pediatrician spoke

with the chief of anestehsia, Dr. Wheeler that day before the

casting who cleared Max by talking to our pediatrician. This minor

cold was nothing in comparison. We did end up having Dr. Wheeler for

that casting who was very serious, but professional and not rude.

Have a great holiday!

Aekta

>

> Oh, Aekta!!! I am SO sorry you had to deal with that! When we

were

> there, we had similar experiences with that anesthesiologist.

While

> she didn't actually provide the anesthesia for Jack, she did do the

> pre-op paperwork. I'll let Tina tell you what they went through

with

> this woman (far worse than our experience). But, when we told her

> Jack had a fever 10 days prior (with ZERO other symptoms, not a

cough,

> not a cold, nothing) she widened her eyes and pursed her lips,

writing

> in the chart - like she was trying like mad not to say something.

>

> Then she said, " Well, we always require 6-8 weeks after a virus to

go

> under general anesthesia because even if it's just a fever, it

could

> be an upper respiratory infection and that can make his airway

> hyper-reactive when we put his breathing tube in there. Then, he

may

> have a respiratory reaction in the OR, and he's at a greatly

increased

> risk of having breathing problems in recovery and he may come out

and

> need to be on a ventilator for 24 hours. "

>

> She seems VERY extremist in her approach. While I respect that she

> needs to inform, explained that anesthesiologists are

> *guaranteed* to be sued for med mal at some point in their

careers. I

> wonder if a search of recent suits would turn up her name - she's

> obviously hyper-reactive in her own profession! And, you DO NOT

need

> to deal with that in light of being ready to pop and the emotions

> running high for all of us when our babies are undergoing

anesthesia.

>

> I'm glad you set her straight!

>

> Sandi

>

[Guest guest]

Dr. is AWESOME. I love her, too. She carried Jack back to

the OR - he cried a little for the first time this past cast (the

Versed didn't quite kick in, I don't think). But she was so sweet and

nurturing.

[Guest guest]

I completely agree 100% with you. I will continue to request dr.

(unfortunately she was on vacation last week). Dr. Wheeler

was the same with Max last winter when Max was younger. No one wanted

to carry Max as I didn't know if I should put him in the bed, and she

looked at me and said, I'll carry him back and he'll be just fine.

Aekta

>

> Dr. is AWESOME. I love her, too. She carried Jack back to

> the OR - he cried a little for the first time this past cast (the

> Versed didn't quite kick in, I don't think). But she was so sweet

and

> nurturing.

>

[Guest guest]

Aekta:

No apologies needed, I just feel bad for you! Sammy got great

correction, but she always does--the test will be when the cast comes

off.

She spit her versed out this time and had the worst reaction she has

ever had afterwards. She threw up for until 10 am the next day.

Horrible horrible, but she is fine now!

________________________________

From: infantile_scoliosis

[mailto:infantile_scoliosis ] On Behalf Of babymaxpd

Sent: Friday, December 21, 2007 10:30 PM

To: infantile_scoliosis

Subject: Max's 9th cast....

First, I need to apologize to , Sammy,and family. I know my

outburst to the anesthesiologist prolonged Sammy being casted. I

deeply apologize. I do hope Sammy is doing well and you got great

correction.

Update on Max:

He did great. Doing a little better each time. We didn't get our

miracle cast, but did find out the curve did not progress. Max will

still have surgery Jan/Feb. Date is TBD.

The anesthesiologist we had, Dr. Mastbrook, was so RUDE, I

ended up screaming at her in the pre-op room/holding room. Max had a

mild cold last week, so I decided to be a pro-active parent and get

him to his pediatrician 8 days before his casting date and a follow-

up friday before we headed to Chicago for his cast cut-off on

Monday. Max was symptom free for Sunday and Monday. Tuesday at 10:30

am in the pre-op room/holding room, Dr. Mastbrook comes in and reads

the notes I requested from the pediatrician. She was so wishy-washy

about wanting to proceed with anesthesia that since Max had a mild

cold he should wait 4-6 weeks before anesthesia. I tried to explain

to her, that he was symptom free and had clearance from his

pediatrician. I know the ultimate decision is that of the

anesthesiologist. I was getting very irritated with her. I tried to

stay calm, but when she made the comment to me " You want me to take

your child back as if you don't care what happens to him. He could

die on the table! "

I was so taken by her comment (not sure if it was pregnancy hormones-

9 months pregnant), I yelled at her very loudly " How dare you speak

to a parent like that, being so rude and insensitive, don't you know

I know my child can die on the table whether he had a cold or not.

How dare you accuse me of not caring about my child when all I was

trying to do was get him well! " The room cleared very quickly. She

instantly took the defense (which is a natural reaction)and she was

taken by my response. Ultimately she apologized (not sure if she

really meant it).....I didn't apologize and won't.

I had explained that I didn't want Max to take the versed because

not only does he end up spitting it out, he gets very gassy and

vomits during recovery despite be given Zophran. Dr. Mastbrook

stated, " I require all children this age to take the pre-med because

if they start climbing out of the bed and don't cooperate, they'll

have to give him a shot! " Nice threatening anesthesilogist, huh? We

ended up givign him the versed and he spit it all out. Surprise!

Surprise!

I plan to write a letter to the director of anesthesia, Dr. Sturm

(chief of staff), patient advocate of Shriners Chicago and anyone

else who needs to know how Dr. Mastbrook treated a parent whose

child has been under general anesthesia 9 times in 17 months. I am

requesting she no longer particiaptes in Max's care as we will have

a long road at Shriners Chicago. Dr. Sturm and his resident was very

compassionate and asked if everything was alright, which by that

time I had calmed down and didn't want to prolong his day any longer

than I had.

I do have to say this was one instance and is an unusual experience

for us. Regardless of being 9 months pregnant, no one should ever

talk to a parent so disrespectfully.....not even a doctor.

I wish everyone a very Happy Holiday!

Thank you for everyone's prayers this past year.

Aekta