Jill & NY Hospitals

[Guest guest]

Jill,

Thank you so much for your honesty. I have heard other claims that

Mt. Sinai is understaffed and those who are there are stressed to the

max. I have also heard some great accounts of care there.

I am so grateful to all those who have shared because it has prompted

me to inquire about assistance during my stay there. My insurance

company will pay for an aide (or private nurse) if the doctor deems

it a medical necessity. If not for this list I would probably not

have thought to ask.

I will definitely be discussing it with Dr. Herron during my last

visit with him before surgery. I am still awaiting lung clearance and

am very fearful of similiar breathing probs even with the clearance.

I do not expect to have anyone at the hospital in the case of problems

so I really want an aide (for general assistance).

And that stapler thing - OMG!! What a glitch!! You are SO brave!!

(And don't even say..... " it just happened " Your Body was brave! And

it doesn't sound like you were a reck either!)

As others have already pointed out you are so blessed to have such a

loving family with doctors in it to boot! Thankfully you made it

through what sounds like a very very scary stay (although you have

represented it alot more graciously than I would have..lol).

As for the NY thing some else mentioned, I COULD BE WRONG, but often

supplemental health care (as well as other independent contractors)

is acquired through " outsourcing " . It can be more cost effective for

a hospital/ insurance company to hire/pay an aide (for whom you

probably do not have to provide benefits) than to hire a nurse (who

will justifiably warrant a higher salary plus benefits).

And yes the cost of living in NYC is astronomical even with higher

salaries than in other places for a variety of reasons including the

mass population and limited real estate. One of the things I

hope to do in the years to come, after getting some of my ducks in a

row with my health+ is to move out of NYC and the insanity. I know

many love it here but I personally am ready for a more suburban life.

I am so happy you are home and safe and recovering. Best wishes to

you for continued health!!

Sondra

BPD/DS Pre-op w/Dr. Herron

@Mt. Sinai/NYC

tentative date 6/18/01

BMI 56

> Hi all.

>

> I just wanted to tell my story to all you pre-ops.

> It's nice to hear different stories to get prepared.

>

> My surgery was scheduled for 8AM but there was an

> emergency transplant in the OR so my surgery didnt

> really start until 10 or 11 am.

>

> Around 4 pm Dr. Gagner went to the waiting room and

> told my parents and sister they need to sit down and

> talk. They were now freaking. Gagner said, " This was a

> long difficult surgery. " He told them that the stapler

> malfunctioned and he had to sew by hand

> laparascopically and that it took much longer than

> expected. he didnt have enough time to take out my

> gallbladder as planned. he showed them photos of the

> malfunctioned stapler, etc. he documented the whole

> thing. he then said that I was not breathing on my own

> and that I was in recovery on a ventilator. they

> couldn't exubate me yet. So he said they had to wait 2

> hrs to visit me in the recovery room. My sister said

> my mom was inconsolable, would not talk, had her head

> down. Finally after 1 hr, my sister snuck into the

> recovery room and said I opened my eyes as she came up

> to me. I remember openig my eyes and seeing my sister.

> I remember the horrible tube down my throat and I was

> pointing at it frantically. my sister confirmed this.

> they couldnt remove it cause i wouldnt breath. Finally

> it was removed and my dad then came in. my sister siad

> the nurse was horrible and told them they would

> agitate me, which was so wrong. When my dad & sis went

> away I got scared and begged the nurse to get them

> back. then my mom came and I knew I'd be OK. They put

> me on oxygen because I was still having trouble

> breathing myself. I didnt get to my room until after 8

> PM. I HATED the recivery room, I just wanted to be in

> my room.

>

> I didnt sleep at all the first nught because every

> time I fell asleep this alarm would go off that meant

> I was not breathing. So I was in and out of it. i had

> a private nurse that night. They discovered I had

> sleep apnea.

>

> The next morning a horrible intern yanked off my

> oxygen mask ans walked out with no explanation. I

> couldnt breathe. So I called my parents who were at

> the guest residence and they ran over, it was like 7

> am and visiting hours were not until 11 or so, but

> they had no problem coming in. We later found out that

> intern was being kicked out of the program for lots of

> reasons. I was put on oxygen again, but with a nose

> thingy I hated.

>

> The leak test was horrible. The liquid was not that

> bad, but the radiology dept was a hell hole. My dad

> sat in on the leak test (he's a doctor) and the liquid

> was not making it through my lower bowels. They were

> worried. Then I was told that gagner ordered a special

> test but that the radiologist did not want to do the

> test. I was scared and confused, especially since I

> knew Gagner was going to Japan for a week. So

> eventually I was sent back up to my room and was told

> they didnt have the rsults of the test yet and I may

> have to go back down for more tests. This was at 9am.

> We waited all day for my results to see if I had a

> leak or an obstruction, which is what the radiologist

> thought. No doctor came to see me all day. We were

> told someone would round and tell us the results but

> it did not happen. By night time we were all really

> worried and I was so scared. We had Dr. Quinn paged.

> But she was in the OR. A resident said she would go

> down and get Dr. Quinn, but we never saw that resident

> again. Finally at around 10 pm Dr. Herron came up

> because we then requsted ANY of the surgeons. He was

> not familiar with my leak test, but new about my

> stapler mishap. he promised to tell Dr. Quinn to come

> see me when she was done. Dr. herron was very nice!

> around midnight someone came in with a HUGE x-ray

> machine and took more x-rays in my room. I was real

> out of it. Finally my prents went home and my siter (a

> doctor) decided to sleep in my room until Quinn came.

> Drs Quinn and Pomp came to my room at 2am. They had

> just finished in the OR! Dr Quinn said that they

> thought my bowels were swollen from the extra

> manipulation of the hand sewing and that was why the

> barium liquid didnt go down. But the 2nd x-ray showed

> it did go down!!!!

>

> Eventually I was taken off th O2 ans IV's. I had a

> temperature the entire time I was in the hospital.

>

> Dr Pomp rounded for the next 2 days. he is real nice

> and funny. Oh yeah, I got fluvitis (sp) from the IV.

>

> My sister and mom were there every day from 8 am til 8

> pm then I had a companion from 8PM til around 9 am. My

> sister was a god. she really shook up those nurses.

> The nurses are very understaffed, but many of them

> were just plain mean. i dont know if it was the

> weekend crew or what. Some were nice but others were

> just so horrid. But my sister made sure my drains were

> drained and my temp was taken (I had a fever).

>

> I left on a Monday (surgery was Thurs). I was SO happy

> to go. I really HATED the hospital. I could not bear

> another day. I saw Dr Inabnet and Dr Quinn and they

> said I could GO!!!

>

> By the way, in the hospital, my sister made me get up

> and walk laps on 10E every hour. She MADE me do this.

> I think this was the best, even though I hated her for

> it at the time. she also MADE me do the sprimometer

> thing and cough constantly.

>

> When I left, all the nurses told me to say hey to my

> sis!! (It was Monday and my sister was back at

> work-she's an OB/GYN at NY Hospital Cornell Med

> Center).

>

> I'm now 12 days post op, -21 lbs (!!), cannot sleep on

> my side yet, have TONS of energy, no temp, still

> changing the dressing on 1 incision. But I cant wait

> to go back to work. I have NO problem getting in 75

> grams of protein. No bathroom problems. Oh, and by the

> way, i did not need the toilet thingy thing in the

> hospital. I could reach. This surgery is a blessing.

> just so glad it's over!!!!

>

> Jill K in NY

>

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