Respect during Emergencies and Acute Episodes

November 9, 2002

Gidday !

Been there, done that!

I have suffered the same fate.

I can't say I have a perfect system now, but I am much better than I

used to be at getting treatment at A&E.

REMEMBER you are alwasy entitled to a second opinion on medical

matters, FREE! So next time you get a Doogie Houzer, then ask to sepak

to the Resident I think yours is [ours is the Registrar]

I can have the Emergency Reg or the duty Surgical Reg as all

pancreatitis in NZ is referred to Surgeons for supervision, probably

cos if it is desperate then surgical intervention may be required

immediately.

ANYWAY, the next time I get some mug tell me that my amylase is not

raised so I don't have pancreatitis, then I swear to myself, i shall

demand to speak to the Reg, Emergency or Surgical, no problemo! I am

fed up with being fed up!

Of course they do get you when you are too weak to fight back, that is

the worst crime of it. If you were fit enuff to fight properly, you

would get thru the door, but then we wouldn't have gone down there

then, would we?? The last time I went there, A&E, I was real bad and

LOOKED real bad a swell. I guess that helped enormously with the

diagnosis... but when you are at the ER, demand a second opinion and

make sure it is one up the ladder. No satisfaction with the Reg, then

demand to see the Specialist or Consultant.. I mean you have gone all

the way down there and you are in a really bad way. Do you realise

that Acute Pancreatitis is a life threatening condition?? Make them

take you seriously, I am getting better at doing this!

BTW, you mentioned the Coeliac Plexus Block. I had one last Wednesday

and my Anaesthetist did the procedure with 50% alcohol and 50% local

anaesthetic. I must say it has worked for me personally altho I know a

number of people it has not worked on. I don't know that it is

possible to prevent a pancreatic attack, but I believe it is supposed

to try to reduce the pain you suffer directly from the pancreas and

abdomen generally.

I have just updated my website with the 3.5 day report after the

procedure!

Marmite

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