80s_chick

Hi everyone...I would just like to share what happened to me in hopes that nobody else has to go through it. I am humiliated still.

I started having problems eating and drinking on Thursday, and by Friday, I couldn't eat or drink at all. I was so nauseated. I left work early and called my surgeon, because I didn't know if something was wrong with the band. His nurse was concerned that I might be dehydrated, and she didn't want me throwing up, so she advised me to go to the ER. She said they would probably give me some IV fluids and send me home. I am leery of the ER, so I told her I didn't want to go. I was really weak anyway, and didn't want to drive. I told her I would wait until my husband got home and discuss it with him. She said that I shouldn't wait. I told her that I was going to wait anyway.

When hubby got home, I was basically lying in bed totally lethargic. I felt like my eyeballs were dry. I had no appetite and no interest in drinking. And now, I was in a lot of pain. We decided that I should go to the ER. I went, and they started an IV. They called my surgeon, and he said based on my bloodwork that I should be admitted. He ordered a CAT scan while I was still in the ER. I had the test done, and was given some IV pain meds and nausea meds, which helped me tremendously. I got moved to my room at 3am.

I was unable to sleep through the night. I was still hurting and felt like throwing up. I was moved to radiology where I met my surgeon at 1030am. He was apparently in a bad mood. I was really shocked because he was real abrupt and abrasive with me. He checked the placement of the band, and it was fine. He inserted the syringe to make sure there was no fluid in the band. He had numbed the area so that was okay, and there was no fluid to be found. He just said, "OK, I'm discharging you. Stay on liquids." I told him I couldn't stay on anything because I couldn't eat or drink. I kept trying to ask him what was wrong with me. I started to cry because I was afraid. He just said all of the tests he did were normal and that I should go home. I asked about a GI scan and he said he would not do that. He refused to listen to me cry about being in pain. He said he would prescribe some Protonix, which is like an antacid. I still tried to plead my case...and he just walked out on me while I was talking!! I couldn't believe it. I did a lot of research on doctors because it is important to me to have a doctor with a good bedside manner, and I was completely shocked by his sudden attitude change.

I cried all the way to my room. I begged the nurses to talk with him. They had witnessed that I was in pain. They said that they would talk with him and they left the room. A few minutes later he came back, and he was angry! I was crying a lot now, I told him that I was scared, and he was saying that there was nothing wrong with me. I tried to tell him I couldn't keep anything down. He said he just watched the contrast fluid go all the way into my stomach. I told him I felt sick and it wasn't going to stay down. I started to tell him again how awful I felt, and again, he just walked out of the room! I was sobbing. I didn't have anyone with me so I just sat there alone and cried.

The nurses came back and said they talked with him again and he said I could stay another night, but only with fluids and no meds. I asked how I was supposed to eat or drink? I couldn't put anything in my mouth. I started to feel sick from the contrast. The nurses said they would call him because I was so upset. I also demanded to see another doctor. I told them that I didn't feel well and I was not comfortable and I just wanted to know what was wrong with me. They said they would get their supervisor. I asked them if he didn't want to prescribe a narcotic, I was fine with that. I just needed something like Toradol that would go into the IV. I told them I didn't need Dilaudid or Morphine, just something for the pain that I didn't have to swallow.

This horrible, horrible woman came to my room. She was a supervisor of some sort that was on-call. She immediately started to tell me that I must have done something wrong, or eaten something to get myself sick. She starte to lecture me about the Lap-band. I told her I didn't need a lecture, that I wanted to see another doctor that could help me and I didn't bring her there for a lecture. She started to go on about me having psycho-social matters and that I needed to change my ways. I got VERY mad and told her that I didn't need her insinuation that this was in my head. I told her that I am an educated woman and they were treating me like some thug or junkie off the street looking for drugs. I told her that if I needed drugs that bad that I could ask a few people and get them on the street and it would be a lot cheaper than coming to the hospital. She laughed at me and told me she doubted it, which right there tipped me off that they really thought that I just wanted pain meds! I told her that I wasn't going to accept this type of treatment and I demanded to see a doctor. She told me to call my primary doctor to see what he said. I told her that he wasn't going to do anything since another doctor had me admitted. She said that if I wanted another doctor that's what I had to do and she, also, walked right out. I was distraught. I couldn't believe they were treating me like some drug addict. I called my primary doctor and the answering service said that they wouldn't even put the call through because I was in inpatient. I was just crying my eyes out. The nurses came back and tried to comfort me, then they left again. During the time they were gone, I got very ill. I had to go to the bathroom and throw up in the toilet. It was so painful. I had a lot of dry heaves because there was not much to throw up. I was so weak I couldn't get off of the floor. I called for the nurses and they had to help me up and back into the bed, where I continued throwing up. The nurses left again, and I while I was throwing up, I got a sudden, sharp, terrible pain in my right side. I literally screamed. I was screaming and screaming. I screamed for help and nobody came. I screamed for a doctor and nobody came. I screamed for anybody and nobody came. I thought I would pass out, but the pain was so intense all I could do was scream. Finally my door opened, and it was some techs. I guess it was three or four of them. THEY WERE LAUGHING AT ME. I begged them to get help and they just stood there and giggled. I was hurting, and embarrassed. I heard the intercom turn on in my room a minute later. I could hear whispers and giggles. I was completely mortified. I was asking for help and they were listening in on the intercom to laugh at me! Finally one of my nurses came back and asked me if I was okay?!?! I yelled at the top of my lungs, "GET ME A F***** DOCTOR!!!" She said that she tried and couldn't. I asked her to call my husband and please get me to the ER. I said something was terribly wrong and I needed to go to the ER. She just kind of looked at me and left. I was a mixture of crying, throwing up, and being humiliated and embarrassed.

After about 20 minutes, my nurses both came back. They said I was disturbing the other patients. I was just in disbelief. They had some liquid pain meds the doctor finally ordered. I said I couldn't take it because I couldn't keep anything down. They said if I needed the pain meds that was all the doctor would give and I had better try to take it. They also had some pills. I asked what it was and they told me it was Xanax. It was two pills that didn't look anything like Xanax that I would know. I told them I was not going to take the tranquilizer because I wanted a doctor and I wasn't going to let them drug me. They said I had to calm down and take the Xanax. I told them I didn't want it! They said nothing was going to happen and nobody would help me until I took it. I was finally so beat down and sick that I took it. It was a huge dose because it put me out for twelve hours.

I woke up feeling worse than before. I was so mortified that everyone who heard me suffering. I was embarrassed that I was taken for an addict off the street. I was distressed that I was still sick and not allowed to see a doctor. I said nothing to nobody when I woke up the next day. I was completely defeated. My doctor did not come to see me when I was discharged. The nurse apologized to me. I told her it was not her fault and I know that she did everything she could to get me help. She honestly felt bad for me.

I am still sick today. I have a lot of pain in my side. I don't have a gallbladder there anymore, but it seems to be lower than that, and I have a history of intestinal problems. I cannot believe that they wouldn't even get me checked out!

I talked to an attorney today. One thing that you have to understand about me is that I am a very passive person. I am non-agressive, very shy, and it is not like me to stand up for myself. I normally take the answer I am given and just live with it, even if I know I am right. I am certainly not a litigious person, but I feel very violated at this time.

I am too scared to see a doctor now. I am really afraid of going through this type of thing again. All of my doctors are based out of this particular hospital, so I am going to need to find another GI to have these tests done.

I am also dropping my surgeon. He is a great surgeon and I will not take that from him, but the way he treated me is unacceptable. I almost do not want to pay him, but I am not like that. Also, he works out of this hospital where I was treated so poorly. I have consulted Dr. Carter's office and they said that he would be happy to continue my after-care.

I do not know what the attorney will tell me once he reviews the notes. I do know this: if you are ever in a predicament where you do not feel that you are getting the care you need, tell someone. Get the highest person in the hospital involved. I read my patient rights, and it clearly said that I had the right to proper assessment and pain management! If the supervisor doesn't resolve your issue demand a transfer to the ER, and if they don't give it to you, discharge yourself and go the to ER. That's what I should have done, but instead, I took the tranquilizers they forced on me. I was too weak to get to the ER myself, anyway.

PLEASE don't let this happen to you. If you must be admitted into the hospital, KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! Read the book they give you, don't just throw it away! If you know that you are going to be admitted in advance, discuss pain management with your doctor, and find out what you should do if an emergency arises and he/she is not available.

I am still reeling from this. Please excuse this long post.

I appreciate your concern. It has been a terrible experience! I just hope by posting it others will not fall into the same thing that I did.