RE: Re: ER... The witch nurse who thought I was trash this weekCaroline

[Guest guest]

Then you’ll love the nurse who was transcribing the doctor’s notes and he

had done a “parody” of me being so helpless and my brother coming in like

“he’s someone of importance”. They treated me badly and I couldn’t stand up

for myself (or for that matter sit up for myself), so I would tell my

brother what was going on and he went ballistic on them. They started

making a joke of it. You see, I have hearing that can beat a dog’s, and just

because your eyes are closed doesn’t mean you’re asleep. Anyway, the nurse

was reading what the doctor wrote out loud to the rest of the nurses.

Because I had been so sick at home before I ended up in the hospital (months

of landing on my face… it got to the point that crawling out of the bathroom

seemed normal because I couldn’t get off the toilet). I was finally found

after being unconscious on the floor and we figure it was about 30 hours I

was there. No one knew if I was going to live or not… my body temp was 73

when I got to the hospital. I also had 3 infections… c-dif, MRSA, and

campylobacter. Keep in mind I had gotten so weak that I messed everywhere I

landed in the house… and two dogs and two cats… I had a house that should

have been condemned. They started on me after I got out of ICU trying to

get me out of the hospital. I had no insurance so I couldn’t go to rehab

and my house was not ready for me to go back to. My wonderful brother

cleaned the entire place (with my sister-in-law). My brother took pictures

and showed them to the case manager at the hospital.

Finally one day they said I had to leave… still couldn’t stand or walk… and

my brother went to the nurse’s station and asked for the highest

administrator there to come to that nurse’s station NOW. He came and my

brother told him that if he had any intention of putting me out on the

street, by all means go ahead… and he would be there with the entire media

from the state. A couple of the nurses applauded my brother. A few were

good, but so damn few.

Of course when I got home I still couldn’t get up from seats without a

higher cushion on it and I ended up on the floor more than once and waited

for my brother because usually he was on his way here. One day he just got

home and I had to call him to come pick me up because, “I fell and I can’t

get up.” I also had visiting nurses and physical therapy… which is kind of

a joke because the physical therapy was doing me more harm than good because

of the huge blood clot. I also had MRSA on my upper thigh. Everyone who

looked at the swelling just accepted it because the doctor released me to go

home. I went for a check up at the health center and luckily one of the

nurses there saw my leg and went and grabbed a doctor who sent me for the

ultra sound who said I had to stay had the hospital because I had a very

dangerous deep vein thrombosis. I broke down. My brother had to leave

because he broke down. Luckily, I had my own doctor now and I was on a

different floor. Thank God for that and I had good nurses who helped me

with my pain and my sleep issues. I went in there weighing 137 and left

weighing 112… much swelling.

Sorry to have make this so long and dragged out, but I hope no one ever has

to go through that. If it wasn’t for my brother, I wouldn’t be here today…

in so many ways. I would have been dead on the floor… I had already given

myself up for dead when my mother visited me (she died in 1988) and it was

so nice and bright and warm and I wanted to let you. Mom told me it wasn’t

my time and my brother needed me. I was put into psych counseling (and

still am) because I was so upset that I wasn’t able to go. I knew the fight

ahead of me was going to be the biggest in my life. I wasn’t suicidal, I

just wished my brother hadn’t found me on the floor. There are times I

still feel that way. I have the best counselor in the world because she

understands the difference between wishing I had died that day and actually

wanting to commit suicide. There’s a huge difference.

Also, if it wasn’t for my brother I wouldn’t have gotten my disability

either. He was on that lawyer daily. He was keeping him informed as to

what was going on. I do have to sell my house and go into low-income for

the disabled, but I’m looking forward to that so I can start a new phase for

my life. I turned 50 this year and I have realized that my life has changed

and will continue to change… for the better.

Tigger (Ruth) in Rhode Island

_____

From: Fibromyalgia_Support_Group

[mailto:Fibromyalgia_Support_Group ] On Behalf Of Caroline

Witte

Sent: Monday, December 17, 2007 9:50 PM

To: fibromyalgia_support_group

Subject: Re: ER... The witch nurse who thought I was trash this

week~~Tigger~~

I really don't have the words to even begin expressing what I'm thinking

right now!!! Massive anger!!! Disbelief!! Astonishment!! I really DON'T know

what to say. How in HE--!! could anyone in a hospital do anything like this

to a patient who was so obviously ill and in so much pain. Oh, how I wish

there was something, anything, we could do to prevent these things from EVER

happening again. I have a tiny little tape recorder, I think I will make

sure to carry it with me the next time I have to go to hospital and try to

record everything possible. Maybe everyone should get one, since I've never

actually had a bad experience at a hospital. They are VERY tiny, about 3 by

5 inches, maybe even tinier than that. It is in my closet, and I don't feel

like getting it right now. The tapes that go in it are like the ones for

some answering machines, only they hold an hour or two of recordings on

them, AND it has a 'voice activation' setting, which means it only records

when there is something TO record. It has a very strong mic, you could leave

it in your handbag and catch most of what is said. I know mine records very

well. I used it to take 'notes' when I was taking a class. It weighs hardly

anything, and would slip easily into my small handbag.

Just a thought. I hope you NEVER have to go through such an odious

experience again. I WOULD be writing my congressman, the television station,

the hospital board and anyone else I could think of if such a thing EVER

happened to me. I might not have been able to do it at that moment, but it

WOULD get done, IF I didn't die in hospital first!! I think my worst

experience was getting blood poisoning from an IV, and the hospital refused

to take responsibility for it. I did a LOT of yelling and screaming then,

the antibiotics were VERY expensive. In the end, they reimbursed me for the

cost, just to shut me up!!

Peace and Love

Caroline

> If I had been stronger when I was in the hospital, I would have

> complained

> to the President of the United States if I had to. Unfortunately, I

> didn’t

> have the strength and was at everyone’s mercy. I didn’t even have enough

> muscle control to hold my bowels back and was forced at times to sit on

> the

> toilet at times for too long because “if we let her sit there long enough

> maybe she’ll try harder to get up.” Yes, I quote that because I heard

> and

> aide say it. I didn’t have the strength to get a wet washcloth out of

> the

> basin, never mind get my butt off the toilet. Trust me, I couldn’t say

> much

> at the time, but I let everyone know now. I dare one of them to try and

> mess with me now. I may not me strong, but my mental acuity is quite

> good.

>

>

>

> Tigger (Ruth) in Rhode Island

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