This is a quickie outline of my most horrendous experience, but it's only one of 4 separate ones that occured over a 9 yr period.
6 yrs ago on New Years Day, I woke up in a cold sweat,just knowing I had developed a band of scar tissue around my intestine and was either partially or totally obstructed. Vomiting feces and such pain I can't describe.
I had Bill (hubby) drive me to the ER at a locaL, well respected Catholic medical center. (I mention Catholic only because the religiously affiliated ones seem more compassionate than others)
I was admitted to the ER and they dropped an NG tube and hooked it to suction to keep the vomiting at bay. I was evaluated by a surgeon (woman) and had a CT scan but it didn't show the blockage since it was behind the bowel in a pocket. (if you've ever experienced one, they are outrageously painful!) I told the surgeon I had "been evaluated just once by a Pain management doctor a few months before and her suggestions were as follows,.......... verbatim: 1. Duragesic (morphine) patch and xanax for panic attacks during the severe pain. 2. she said If this becomes inaffective, (and I quote) "Go to the ER and ask them for 24 hours on a PCA pump with Morphine to 'break the pain cycle."
So, this was honored by the surgeon who saw me in the ER. But meanwhile, she placed a call to the pain specialist for my history and other recommendations.
I was admitted, Anesthesia evaluated me and the PCA was started, much to my pain relief, while the surgeons discussed the possibility of surgery.. Meanwhile, the surgeon was sitting on my bed, holding my hand and reassuring me that she would help all she could. Unfortunately, The pain specialist was not on call that holiday weekend, and her associate who knew nothing of me or my visit to his partner OR HER RECOMMENDATIONS listened to my admitting surgeon and said, "I don't believe any of my fellow associates would tell a patient to visit the ER specifically asking for a Morphine PCA." (He had NO idea what level of pelvic problems I had)
I heard my surgeon slam the phone down (the desk was across from my room) and say, "Get that woman out of my hospital immediately. "She's scamming us. All she's here for is free morphine." And until you can get Admissions and family services up here to discharge her, "SHE IS TO HAVE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING INCLUDING TYLENOL FOR PAIN WHILE SHE'S HERE.Pull the PCA pump and give her a soft diet. I want her discharged by 10AM tomorrow " and with that, she was off the floor, wouldn't respond to my calling to her to please come talk to me, and the nurses refused to call her. Worse, the nurses didn't say a word to me all night, and during the change of shift report, I heard, "....and she came to the ER 'pretending' to have pain so she could have her little fix of drugs. She "says" she has adhesions, but guess what, ladies. Adhesions DO NOT HURT!!"
I was treated like some terrible prison inmate who was taking up bed space when someone "really in pain" could have used it.
Next day, sure enough, I was out by 10am, despite the fact that my husband begged them to believe me.
Post script:
I was admitted to a huge, well known (Temple University) medical center 5 days later, ended up on the operating table for 11 hpurs worth of reconstructive pelvic surgery, release of a partial bowel obstruction, removal and anastamosis of gangrene of the terminal ilius and I spent 31 (thirty one) days in ICU and various surgical floors.
See what I mean?
Sharing stories like this will help me, so if you or anyone else like us has anything to tell, please tell me!
More later
Love, hugs, and a pain-free 24 hours to you!
ginny -----Original Message----- From: rose.lunn@eds.com [mailto:rose.lunn@eds.com] Sent: Wednesday, May 02, 2001 8:33 AM To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS Subject: For Ginny
Ginny,
My favorite saying:
I've learned.... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
We'll listen....always. Your story makes me want to cry. I've had ARD for a while but in a very mild form so far. I'll be having a laproscopy soon and I hope it is as easy as the last one.
Now a (kind of sick) funny:
--WHO'S IN CHARGE?
All the organs of the body were having a meeting, trying to decide who was the one in charge.
The brain said, "I should be in charge, because I run all the body's systems, so without me nothing would happen."
The blood said, "I should be in charge, because I circulate oxygen all over so without me you'd all waste away."
The stomach said, "I should be in charge, because I process food and give all of you energy."
The legs said, "I should be in charge, because I carry the body wherever it needs to go."
The eyes said, "I should be in charge, because I allow the body to see where it goes."
The rectum said, "I should be in charge, because I'm responsible for waste removal."
All the other body parts laughed at the rectum and insulted him, so in a huff, he shut down tight.
Within a few days, the brain had a terrible headache, the stomach was bloated, the legs got wobbly, the eyes got watery and the blood was toxic.
They all decided that the rectum should be the boss.
The Moral of the story...
You don't have to be important to be in charge... Just an asshole!!!
kcmo rose