Emergency Room Error: Could Have Lost My Life 9/29/2014

a reply to: whitewave

Thank you!

Assumptions do nothing but make matters worse, them assuming your daughter was a druggie because of how she dresses makes me so mad!!! I am a heavily tattooed woman and understand where you're coming from on that. Just because she likes dark clothes and is eccentric does not mean she deserves that kind of treatment. Thank goodness you have the skills to help her, unfortunately you shouldn't have had to!! Good grief, I'm glad she's ok!!

I've been thinking about a lawyer but just wants sure since nothing actually happened. I just don't want it to happen to anyone else, maybe I should call one.

a reply to: signalfire

I've got some serious medical conditions and unfortunately most of them are rare. I'm probably the only person in this county that has Addisons Disease. I did call my doctor before going and they referred me to the ER because of tongue and face were swelling from all the steroids I'd taken. Part of it is my fault, I did take too many steriods but I also wasn't given discharge instructions and the Addisons Crisis were happening on the weekend, of course!! The ER had treated me 3 times in the 4 days prior to 9/29/14.

The healthcare system is in shambles, doctors and nurses are overworked and probably underpaid. It's frustrating to see the direction our healthcare system is headed. I can empathize and understand their perspective but at the same time they have a responsibility not to deny an ER visit and not to make assumptions.

a reply to: pennylemon

Thanks Penny!!!!!

I was thinking about you and your husband a lot this weekend! I can't believe they let him get on a bus with an adrenal crisis, you should have been called.

I'll be over in your thread tomorrow girlfriend!! Hope you and your kitties are well

a reply to: Jennyfrenzy

I jokeing one day and told a friend with a very sick father. Call an ambulance, slap the first nurse they see and call an administrator.

I know nurses have a thankless job and work many hours. So when my family members are in a hospital I always stay night and day. I do all the minor things to help the nurses out, let them give me instructions on what to do.

Our hospital always send out a questionaire and I give them the highest scores possible. Sometimes you just have to jump start them LOL

a reply to: diggindirt

Thanks for your kind and supportive words. Honestly, ATS rules so much.

For those who are making excuses for medical professionals acting in this way----I'll say the same thing I say when folks stand up for misbehaving cops by pointing out the stress of their jobs---they need to find a different profession.

That's what I'm saying! I've been thinking about going to nursing school for a while. I was almost in the program a few years ago but because of all my health conditions, I had to stop and focus on my health. Once everything gets straightned out, I'm going for it. If I could help one person who was experiencing a situation such as mine or the experiences other members have listed, it would all be worth it. You have to have compassion in that field, if you don't, it won't work.

I can understand that they're overworked, probably underpaid and are very busy now, especially with ObamaCare. Totally get it, but making assumptions and decisions without bloodwork is very difficult. They were busy but the guy with the cut finger was seen before the person with chest pains. So frustrating!!!

a reply to: judydawg

When I was discharged they gave me a form that had a thank you line and a comaint line. The first number I called was the thank you line, there were 3 employees in the ER that were just wonderful, compassionate and as angry as me. My husband and I sent flowers to the administrator that made sure I was seen. Made sure to do that before calling the comaint line. If I complain, I'll always try and do a thank you to the ones that helped first. There's always a positive somewhere buried underneath the negative, usually anyway!

a reply to: ANNED

Low potassium is no joke! I've had low potassium before and went in to tachycardia, luckily it happened in the ER. (Different hospital and it happened at a level 2.3L)

When I have low potassium levels, I usually get lovely hallucinations along with them. This was the first time with the auditory hallucinations. I was hearing a marching band, if I knew how to write music, I probably could have translated the notes to paper. It was loud and scary.

Just finished up the potassium drinks. The low potassium beverage is much tastier than the high potassium sludge beverage. That stuff is yuck!

Autoimmune diseases can be a living nightmare.

a reply to: Jennyfrenzy

Some story, what a bunch of (extreme T&C violations!) Unfortunately not surprising. Reading thru the first page, I'm wondering why there are people trying to turn it into an Obamacare thing, when all that would mean to an ER is less people to treat without getting paid.

Anyhow, never anywhere near as serious, but I've had health-affecting poor care from GPs and ERs, under HMO plans, PPO, and as a cash payer in the past. I blame the system of high-profit for insurance companies & pharma companies. Docs and nurses are relegated to complying with their terms and processes.

I have those problems with the E.R. on occasion. I try really hard not to go to the E.R. If I'm there it's because I was begged to go. Sorry, but I don't spend thousands on dollars in the E.R. just so someone can tell me there's nothing wrong.

I have Lupus and Celiac disease. When I get a 'flare' from my Lupus, it gets bad. High fever, extreme pain, migraines. The worst pain I've ever been in. But there are still a lot of doctors that have never heard of Lupus or don't even believe it exists. So when I go in, I'm given pain relievers and I'm sent home. But because every time I go to the E.R. it's for the same thing (minus the time I got a horrendous stomach flu and couldn't walk without falling over I was so messed up) they treat me really badly.

I think they do this for a reason though. My boyfriends mother works in the E.R. (she's a tech or something) and she tells us all the time about people who come in for pregnancy tests, for something as ridiculous as chapped lips, because they are drunk, or just searching for drugs. This doesn't excuse their behavior, but I understand it.

My boyfriend half sister goes into the E.R. once or twice a week for pain related to fibromyalgia, and migraines. Or so she tells us. She makes the mistake of asking for what she wants. The drugs by name. And then wonders why she's treated like a drug addict. I always tell her "Well, from the outside looking in, it looks like you are."

And if she is, she'll always get better care than those of us with problems that need fixing, or are at risk of losing our lives. We are secondary to the drug addicts.

a reply to: Jennyfrenzy

It's been going downhill for decades Jenny. When I was 8 years old in the late 1980's I sat in an emergency room for over 8 hours with a badly broken arm. None of the doctors could see me and the ER was filled to the brim with patients. This was in the USA.

I'm sure Republicans would love to blame Obama for the Californian drought too if they could come up with an excuse.

Very interesting thread, I am what they call a frequent flyer for the Emergency Room and not by my choice.
I have mostly experienced good treatments etc.
But on occasion things can and do go a little off the wall so to speak.
In the past 7 months or so I have been in the Emergency Department at least 18 times and of those they kept me overnight or longer 10 times.

We went in numerous times due to my not breathing very well and they kept saying all was good, well it was not good and one night there in the ER I got a bit aggressive with the doctor and let him have a bit of my mind.

He then had a cat scan with the hot dye done on my lungs, turned out he was the first one to find the fluid in my lungs and onset of Pneumonia in progress.

This had to have been the 5th visit in two weeks and finally it got settled. The only reason it got results were because I was sure I was going to die and I would have shortly if not for my attitude that evening.

So Ladies and Gent's as the OP says in this fantastic thread stand up for yourself.........and I know from personal experience it is not always easy to do so. You are a common peon trying to convince a doctor or nurse that they might be mistaken or the problem is not solved.

Yes its intimidating to say the least, but do what you think you must and never fear ridicule or worse for what you think and feel at the time.
Mind you they sent me home sick at least 4 times or more before the fear of death put my hackles up then it was a new ball game. This was in Canada so no money was involved for us and I am sure after reading through this thread that money is a big factor for you folks in the USA.
I am so happy it worked out for the OP of this thread and hope your experience may help others here on ATS.

S&F

Regards, Iwinder

a reply to: dogstar23

It was a mess!!! I think with the ObamaCare it's that the hospitals are beings overwhelmed with people that haven't had insurance for awhile. I've been to that ER a few times in the past and have never seen the waiting room as full as it was the 4 times I was there in the last week. That hospital has also been laying people off like crazy, a friend of mine used to work in the ER Registration until May of this year when she was laid off.

Most PCP's in the area don't take my insurance, unless you had a relationship (with insurance) in the last year. Prior to August of this year, my family had been uninsured since September of 2012 so I was only seeing my Endocrinologist who treats my Addison's once a year versus quarterly as I was able to with insurance.

Wholeheartedly agree that the pharma and insurance companies have a big role in the mess out healthcare system has become! I used to work for a cornea specialist as the insurance authorization specialist and have had cornea transplants denied by insurance companies because they deemed it medically unnecessary when the treating surgeon who went to medical school deems it medically necessary. The doctor would be understandably outraged because now we have to spend another month or two straightening out the insurance authorizations while the patient needs their cornea. Sometimes the decline would come after approval by the insurance and the tissue order had been placed. What a mess.

Today I received a letter in regards to the complaint I filed, per the letter I won't find out the results of their investigation. Closed dialogue worries me, like something's being hidden. They're on top of though since the complaint was only filed on Wednesday. I commend the administration for their interest in investigating and resolving this issue. Just don't care for all the secrecy.

a reply to: Lyxdeslic

I have Lupus and Celiac disease. When I get a 'flare' from my Lupus, it gets bad. High fever, extreme pain, migraines. The worst pain I've ever been in. But there are still a lot of doctors that have never heard of Lupus or don't even believe it exists. So when I go in, I'm given pain relievers and I'm sent home. But because every time I go to the E.R. it's for the same thing (minus the time I got a horrendous stomach flu and couldn't walk without falling over I was so messed up) they treat me really badly.

Sorry to hear about your experiences, I can completely empathize with you on the above. It's like you're put on a list and flagged, even when it's a known medical condition that causes pain. Lupus can be very painful and you deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, not have assumptions made on your moral character.

I never name names of anything other than the hydrocortisone needed for adrenal crisis that comes with really bad abdominal pain. I just give them the pain level because of the same concern of being labeled something I'm not, a drug addict.

Hope everything works out for you, living with Lupus and Celiac is difficult. I've got both and if you ever want to talk, PM me

a reply to: kontage

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear about that.

Sitting in an ER with a broken arm is unacceptable!

a reply to: Iwinder

What a nightmare and I'm so glad you went off because if you hadn't...it's too bad you had to in the first place! I hope you're feeling better and don't have to go back anytime soon!

If there's one thing having medical conditions has taught me, it's to never take no for an answer. Get a second and third opinion if you have to, never allow medical staff to push you out of the ER. Only you really know how you feel, everyone else is assuming until the proper tests are ordered by a physician.

Hopefully my story, your story and all the other stories in this thread will give the empowerment to someone else when they need it most or find themselves in a predicament like ours.

Never take no for an answer if you're not feeling well. Fight for your life, reach out to those that will help advocate on your behalf and never be afraid to stand up for yourself!

originally posted by: Jennyfrenzy
a reply to: Iwinder

What a nightmare and I'm so glad you went off because if you hadn't...it's too bad you had to in the first place! I hope you're feeling better and don't have to go back anytime soon!

If there's one thing having medical conditions has taught me, it's to never take no for an answer. Get a second and third opinion if you have to, never allow medical staff to push you out of the ER. Only you really know how you feel, everyone else is assuming until the proper tests are ordered by a physician.

Hopefully my story, your story and all the other stories in this thread will give the empowerment to someone else when they need it most or find themselves in a predicament like ours.

Never take no for an answer if you're not feeling well. Fight for your life, reach out to those that will help advocate on your behalf and never be afraid to stand up for yourself!

Nicely said, It's plain as day you speak from the heart and experience. You probably have already saved a life or two down the road, I mean who could forget this thread?
One question is how large is your city versus how many hospitals close by?

Regards, Iwinder

a reply to: Iwinder

Thanks!

There's 80K with one hospital in town and 4-5 hospitals within a 30-1 hour drive, just depending on the hour, SF Bay Area traffic can be a nightmare! A drive that takes 20 minutes on a Tuesday afternoon can sometimes take up to 2 hours, especially Friday rush hour.

originally posted by: Jennyfrenzy
a reply to: Iwinder

Thanks!

There's 80K with one hospital in town and 4-5 hospitals within a 30-1 hour drive, just depending on the hour, SF Bay Area traffic can be a nightmare! A drive that takes 20 minutes on a Tuesday afternoon can sometimes take up to 2 hours, especially Friday rush hour.

Thanks for that information, our city is about the same population but our hospital also serves the outlying areas which are very Rural.So you can add about another 20k or so to the population it just depends how far out they are and which hospital is closer.
The next closest Hospital with an ER after 5PM is about 110 KM's away or 60-65 miles away.
We have never been to a slow ER but some visits occurred where there were fewer people there and we were seen very quickly but I don't know if that means better care.

The Hospital that does the heavy duty stuff for me (scheduled) has the worst rate of waiting times in Ontario if not all of Canada.
I was just wondering if an overload of patients and minimal staff is costing lives where you live?

Regards, Iwinder

a reply to: Iwinder

I really do think they are overwhelmed from all the people that now have insurance. I've been to that hospital in the past and have never seen it as busy as it was the last few times I was there. A friend of mine lost their baby at that hospital due to an error and I believe there was just a $10 million dollar malpractice settlement against that hospital.

When I finally got out of the ER Monday night, every chair had someone sitting in it and that was the first time I've seen that. Mondays are busy days at hospitals so it could have been because it was Monday along with all the people that finally have insurance. I'll have to ask my friend when I see her on Wednesday, she used to do the registration for the ER swing shift.

The next closest Hospital with an ER after 5PM is about 110 KM's away or 60-65 miles away.
We have never been to a slow ER but some visits occurred where there were fewer people there and we were seen very quickly but I don't know if that means better care.

Wow, that would be a long drive if you're not feeling well!

The SF Bay Area is basically city right next to or on top of the next city over. While almost every one of those cities has at least one hospital, the travel time can be a bit out of control. Bay Area traffic is the worst and we've got a 1961 Lincoln Continental, it's beautiful and unreliable. Our Toyota was recently totaled by a drunk driver, thankfully it was parked at the time and empty.

i almost died recently, idiots the whole lot of em.

enough said