Re: Digest Number 1044

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 8/21/2001 1:31:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

Graduate-OSSG writes:

Subject: There's no place like home (the final chapter, I hope!) >>

Hi Sue,

I've been following your latest surgery story. First of all, I gotta tell

you how impressed I am with you! You are remarkable and such a weight loss

success story. I've followed your story for a long time now. Now on to your

latest hospital story.

I would tell the news what happened with you in the hospital, fortunately,

you were saavy enough and had a good enough dr. to make sure you got the

proper attention (although you suffered for a long time in the interim),

there's many people who would not know what to do in those situations or be

too sick to deal with it. I've been hospitalized about 12 times now, and I'd

say Iit's about 50/50 between bad care and good care (I've had some wonderful

nurses) - please to all the health care professionials out there - I'm not

slamming you - I recognize it's the system, managed care and the ongoing cost

reductions at the hospitals which cause the care to degrade, professional

nurses are overwworked and underpaid, and I understand that you are working

under terrible constraints, it's the system, not the professionals health

givers that are usually at issue. I've learned to speak up and speak up

fast, because if you don't it only gets worse not better.

My sister, before she died, had chronic medical problems due to her diabetes.

She was hospitalized frequently. The family always tried to make sure there

was someone at the hospital to make sure she got the proper care and to fight

for her when she was too sick to deal with things.

Some of the things that happened to her were absolutely appalling, including

the time she was checked into the hospital by her pcp because she was in

congestive heart failure. My other sister, Alice, went along to the

hospital and stayed until my sister was checked into her room and settled in.

Once my sister Alice left the hospital to get some rest, the nurses came to

my sister, Sue, (in congestive heart failure) and said there had been an

admitting problem and that she had to be admitted via emergency. They took

her down to the emergency room and left her there for hours, in congestive

heart failure & diabetic, with no medication and no care. She was very sick,

couldn't use the phone and nurses kept walking by her. Finally she heard one

say 'do you realize she's in congestive heart failure?' but still did nothing

about it. She could have easily died. And to add insult to injury they lost

all of her personal belongings in the process. It was outrageous, complaints

to the hospital later did almost no good. We fought that type of situation

constantly. Another time I'll tell you how she was released from the

hospital early because they wanted her to keep an appt. with a specialist and

he wouldn't come to the hospital, she died a few hours later from a heart

attack, most likely brought on by a new medication prescribed to her.

So why do I mention all this to you? So that you are aware and can be

prepared when you go to the hospital. My recommendation is to have someone

with you at the hospital who can be your spokesperson and advocate if you are

too sick to do so yourself, and call your doctor and tell them if the care if

unacceptable and have your doc get after the hospital as well.

Regards,