Late Thursday night, I went to the ER at Dallas Regional Medical Center in Mesquite. I was in severe pain throughout my abdomen, back and shoulders and had just had a severe bout of vomiting.
I arrived there and was quickly processed in for a short history, vitals and an EKG. I was then moved to an examining room for further examination. They took numerous X-rays, blood and urine tests and determined a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. The next step was to be an ultrasound to determine the cause. We waited for the technician who never showed up, so they admitted me, shuttled me up to a room, hooked up an IV and at least 3 more people came in, asked all the same questions and went through my prescription meds.
When I went into the ER restroom to give a urine specimen, I had to wipe a place clean in order to set the cup down without contaminating it. When I arrived in my room, it was far from 'hospital clean'. The vents were full of old caked on lint and dust, the floor corners hadn't been cleaned in forever and when the cleaning crew came in, they did 2 or 3 swipes with the mop between the beds and left.
From 5am until 9:30, I was virtually ignored. No information, no explanation of what was being done....nothing. And heaven forbid that I needed to be disconnected to use the bathroom and bother the staff. At 9:30, I called a nurse in to find out when my 'mystery doctor' was going to be making rounds. I was told that it would be around 3pm or so. At that time I would have been in the hospital for 14 hours without talking to a doctor or being told what to expect.
I also pointed out that I needed to take my morning meds, but I was informed by the nurse that I didn't take any morning meds. That was news to me. I take 2 different meds in the morning and two at night. And we had gone over this FOUR different times. Then she said something about taking my Bystolic and Plavix at night. News Flash...I don't take Plavix. Never have. They had my chart so screwed up it was frightening.
At this point, I made the decision to check myself out AMA. If the level of care I received was their best, it is at best a good place to go to die. Right now, I am at home and will be taking the test results to my doctor on Monday so she can recommend a specialist that can put me into a hospital where I can receive proper care. When I got home, I leaned more about what was wrong with me in 5 minutes than I was told in 14 hours.
I went directly to my doctor's office and they hadn't even been informed that I had been admitted. Even though she isn't on staff there, notifying the primary care physician should be standard procedure. She does, after all, have all of my history and records.
How do they get by with this? That's easy. As long as people continue to accept that level of care, it will continue. Believe me, I do not take my health care lightly and I won't accept second rate care.
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Gayle,
ReplyDeleteGood for you! We have to be our own advocate in healthcare these days! It's sad and frightening! I hope you will be alright and will feel better soon. My hubby had that and was in much pain and kept in the hospital for a week! Take care, girl and keep us posted.
That is totally frightening Gayle! I am glad you checked yourself out of there and hope you get an answer on Monday. I will be praying for you!♥
ReplyDeleteGood that you've started here by voicing this disgraceful hospital's conditions and proceedures. You're so right in that the more we use our voices via all avenues like this to protest the better we can all be heard, the word spread, and hopefully acknowledged for changes to occur.
ReplyDelete~Ux
Speedy recovery to you my friend!
It is your responsabilty to notify your primary care provider. It appears that he or she is NOT on staff. He or SHE does NOT have hospital privileges to work at DRMC.
ReplyDelete??Pancreatitis?? possible? this leads me to believe that you may be a drinker and you may want to cut back or stop.
Anonymous - You make assumptions that are unfounded. You must be on the staff at that dump and feel the need to defend them.
ReplyDeleteNo I am NOT a drinker and never have been.
And NO it is NOT my responsibility to contact my doctor. It is THEIR responsibility to make sure they have all necessary info from all available sources (including my doctor) before treatment. You need to check your facts before you post.
How about starting by doing some research on pancreatitis and you will find there are many causes including gall stones and prescription interactions and making assumptions is out of line.
You assume you know so much but are afraid to post behind your name.
Gayle,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you took a stand and checked yourself out of that hell hole! As for this anonymous poster...they need to go fly a kite! They don't even have the nerve to post behind their own name...jeez
I hope everything turns out well at the doctor today, please keep us posted and I'll keep you in my thoughts today.
Points To Remember
ReplyDeletePancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, causing digestive enzymes to become active inside the pancreas and damage pancreatic tissue.
Pancreatitis has two forms: acute and chronic.
Common causes of pancreatitis are gallstones and heavy alcohol use.
Sometimes the cause of pancreatitis cannot be found.
Symptoms of acute pancreatitis include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever, and a rapid pulse.
Treatment for acute pancreatitis includes intravenous (IV) fluids, antibiotics, and pain medications. Surgery is sometimes needed to treat complications.
Acute pancreatitis can become chronic if pancreatic tissue is permanently destroyed and scarring develops.
Symptoms of chronic pancreatitis include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, weight loss, diarrhea, and oily stools.
Treatment for chronic pancreatitis may involve IV fluids; pain medication; a low-fat, nutritious diet; and enzyme supplements. Surgery may be necessary to remove part of the pancreas.
It is YOUR responsbility to contact your Primary Care Provider, that is NOT on staff at the ER of any hospital you go to.
Seriously? Just because you know how to flip a burger, can you go behind the counter at McDonalds? Just because your Primary Care Doctor knows how to be a doctor, does NOT mean he or she can go in to any hospital and play doctor.
NO, I do NOT work at DRMC, I work at another hospital and UNDERSTAND how the system works.
Play doctor! Yes that IS what they are doing at DRMC.
ReplyDeleteAnd my pancreatitis was caused by gall stones, by the way and not by alcohol abuse as you were so quick to assume. I am having my gall bladder removed at a real hospital.