Sunday, November 6, 2011

My medical nightmare.....Sadly, I am sure this is part one of many parts to come......


This post could also be called, my hospital is the most incompetent in the world, and needs to burn to the ground with half the staff in it.

Two years ago, I had some uncontrolled bleeding.  By the second day, I was passing blood clots the size of my fist every 15-20 minutes.  My DR sent me to the ER, and it was a small nightmare, but was a long time ago.  Long story short, they found a tumor, and removed it six months later (it took a long time due to OCD issues of mine).  I have been fine for the last year and a half.  October 7th, I started to bleed again, and this last week, it progressively got worse and worse. 

The bleeding problem I have became completely uncontrollable by Wednesday night.  Thursday morning, I headed over to the ER.  After waiting for about six hours, only in a room because I pitched a fit, the ER DR comes in and looks over my blood work and ultrasound results.  My blood levels had dropped ten points in seven days, due to heavy loss, making my anemia worse, and running me down.  He told me they were calling an OB/GYN in to see me.  I waited another two hours for him to get there, and he told me that they found another tumor in my uterus.  I had the last one removed a year and a half ago, and was told at that time that it was not cancerous, but that they DR did not like the look of my uterus, because it was very thick, and that is a pre-sign to cancer.  The other problem is, I have severe OCD, when the ER DR asked me if I wanted a bag of blood, I started to cry instantly, because things like that really freak me out due to the OCD.  I am also phobic of many things, as is common with that, but unfortunately for me, pelvic exams is one of the worse fears I have.  The OB/GYN took a quick look, but could not do a biopsy to due to my fears.  Last time my own OB/GYN did that, she sedated me with Ativan, gravel and Oxycontin, and I still got so worked up that not only did she not get it done, but I vomited on her floor.  After several months of not being able to check if it was cancerous or not, she finally put me under and pulled it out......

Anyway....so he took a look, and said I should see my OB/GYN as soon as possible, and wrote me a script to stop the bleeding.  I went to the pharmacy next, and was told, not only was the script not covered, but it was $200......needless to say, I never filled it.  I was also told at this time, that my OB/GYN had lost her hospital privileges, so she is kinda useless to me anyway......great, back to square one.....

The next morning, right at 9am, I headed over to my family DR.  She checked me out, and said I needed to be treated in hospital, IV with the same drug.  My daughter had to take the day off school to go with me, because I feel like I am going to pass out every time I stand up.  My DR told me she wanted me to go straight back to the ER, I told her I could not sit there for another eight hours.....she told me she was going to type them a letter, telling them what I needed done. 

I watched as she typed a letter stating that I was bleeding too heavy for too long, and that the blood loss was worrisome.  She said that I was seen by the ER DR and OB/GYN the day before, and that the drug was too expensive and I needed an alternative.  That she thought at this point, since I had lost so much blood, that an IV treatment would be best.  She also told them that I was having trouble sitting up, and my blood pressure was only 100/70.  She added to the end, that I was an insulin dependant diabetic, and my fasting blood sugar was 10.8 and I had not eaten or drank anything yet that day.  (Normal blood sugar range by Canadian measurement is between 4-7)......My DR also added all their own paperwork from the day before....my blood test results, the ultrasound results, and the OB/GYN’s report and had me take all that with me.

I went right to the ER, and waited over an hour, just to see the assessment nurse.  She looked over the paperwork, and took all my vitals, and told me to go and sit in the waiting room.  I was already crying when she took me in, as I was feeling pretty sick and dizzy.  I told her that I could not sit in the waiting room, and that standing or sitting upright made me feel like I was going to pass out.  That I really needed to lie down.  She told me there was no place for me to lie down, and to go to the waiting room. 

I went to the waiting room and sat in a chair for about two minutes, and thought I was going to fall over.  So, I spent the next 3.5 hours lying on the waiting room floor.    At that point, I got up, and called my DR office again, as I felt that nobody was going to do anything to help me, and I was uncomfortable and frustrated.  My DR told me to go back to the assessment nurse, and tell her that I needed to be assessed by a DR as I was a diabetic and had not eaten or drank all day.  She also told me to tell them to call her if they would not do anything for me.  I went back to that nurse, and she basically would not even talk to me, kept me standing at the door, without even inviting me in to sit and talk with her, she told me that I had to be patient, they were doing the best they could.  I went back to lie on the floor for another hour.  I spent that entire hour sobbing, I just could not stop, I wanted to leave so badly, but I knew my DR did not want me to, it was so frustrating and I was sore and tired. 

Finally they called me to a room, with a cot, so I slept there for some time until the ER DR came in.  She asked me some irrelevant questions, and told me she was sending the OB/GYN to see me.  About an hour or two later, a different OB/GYN came in to see me.  He was useless.  First he tried to convince me I was having my period.  I told him I was 35 years old, and well aware of what my period is.  After some bantering back and forth like this, I cut him off, and told him that he had the ultrasound results from the day before in his hand, and that it clearly said they found another tumor, yesterday.  He was also holding the letter from my DR....He did not even examine me or touch me at all, except to shake his hand.  At the end, after ten minutes of useless conversation, he wrote me a different script and told me to make an appt with the OB/GYN that I want.  I asked him if this medication was covered.  He said he believed it was, but even if it was not, it was a very cheap drug.   I left and went back to the pharmacy, and they informed me that it was not covered, and it was something I had to take continually, at a cost of $49.99 for a 21 day supply.  Making it $75 per month.  I cannot even work right now, and this illness has cost me a LOT in other supplies and expenses, therefore, that is not really an option for me. 

My pharmacy called the hospital, to ask for another medication that was covered.  They told them to fax the script and the DR would look at it.  Two hours later, I called them again, they said they had not heard back from the hospital, and they called again.  Hospital said they never got the fax, asked them to resend it.  Pharmacy resends fax.  An hour later, calls again, gets the run around.  My Pharmacy called the hospital five times over the next four hours, only to be told that the DR will not chance the script.  So, I am back at square one again, and of course, at this point, it is late Friday night, so there is not even anything else I can do until Monday morning, except pray that I do not bleed to death over the weekend.  I wasted 16 hours of my life over two days at that hospital, and the only progressive thing was the ultrasound.  I at least could have been sick in my own bed, then on a hard cold floor in a waiting room.  I will not go back there again for this problem, as they are totally incompetent.  On top of all this, while I was in the room waiting for the DR, a good friend of mine called the ER and asked if I was still there, cuz she wanted to come and see me, and they told her that I was never there, and they had no idea who I was.  What a bunch of retards.

So, it is now Sunday, and the bleeding has slowed down quite a bit (thanks to God, cuz it certainly was not the DRs).....but its only because I have been on almost total bed rest, but cannot live like this forever.  I need to get back to work.  I am going to call my DR first thing in the AM, and see what she says.....

Unknown Sister

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