← Return to My frustration is off the charts
DiscussionMy frustration is off the charts
Caregivers: Dementia | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (63)Comment receiving replies
@standinginfaith
@memoriestomoments THANK YOU!!! I myself have been battling this system "on the outside" now for six years.. and it is horrible!! We live in a very rural area.. and whew!! I blithely took an antibiotic my PC prescribed on Dec 19th 2019 ..it was double the usual dose and it blew a hemorrhage in my stomach..and hurt!! And then.. the plethora of problems that followed.. got down to 98 lbs.. gastros ..horrible.. until I found a good one.. 30 visits to ER.. one even told me..I"m not going to help you.. and you've been living alone for so long you ought to be used to it (severely dehydrated and so malnourished I had scurvy) and sent me home.. she said "go ahead and fiel a complaint..I'm the head of ER here so hahaha".. so bad.. drove 30 miles each way and the next day I called my PC and she had me tested and I was dehydrated and needed an IV.. my handy ma took his wife to this same ER and dropped her off and when he came back she was dead.. never told him why.. I had gallbladder surgery here and had a copy of my preop (I document everything) saying I was allergic to lidocaine.. 2 labels on my gown .. 2 anesthesiologists who said they wouldn't use it and as they were putting the mask on my face I heard " give her the lidocaine.. she had to call for 2 big guys to hold me at 104 lbs..so I got home and raised such a ruckus.. the hospital called and they changed their p[olicy.. no one gets anything they are allergic to..I had to call for an ambulance and we have TWO.. I got the one with no thing on it.. they gave me a "barf bag..I asked for a Zofran.and she said "I'm not authorized to give on".. so I said "can I administered one to myself.. get my wallet".. you have just explained why and what the heck is wrong with this system..!! Finally and answer!! I have ben thru hell with this stomach stuff now for six years.. and God has healed me of so much..if it wasn't for Jesus the healer.. I'd have been dead several times ..(Like a cat..9 lives) My nephrologist gave me pills I have to take that have titanium oxide as a binder and got so mad at me he hurt me last week on purpose trying to show me where kidney pain was..I did leave RFK Jr a message about metals in scripts.. thinking he might look into it.. (I'm 72 and too old for this crap.. kinda crabby about it.. drs on TV ..my Rheumatologist.. is in New York at a VA and we're here in Oklahoma.. he says (since I complained .. what are you all gonna do for me this year.. 4 years.. last year the resident just sent me home with..you're gonna have kidney or heart failure from systemic scleroderma..well the Dr has hired lots of residents ..because he got a contract with the Cherokee Nation.. and so he sits in New York and writes a new book..and lets these residents take care of us.. now I have fibromyalgia..(where'd that come from??) and oh they don't treat that... can't seem me anymore... well I got all my records and found a rheumatologist in a big town who does both..( they almost flipped when I told them) and I'm probably gonna try.. to expose this type of "doctoring".. as it is so prevalent here.. gastro in Florida and he flies in to do surgeries.. and lets residents handle it I'm 72..and they mistake me for being stupid as I have a prevalent Southern accent (more so than most Okies. born in Alabama)..I tell them "where I come from CEO's talk like this.. we need to fix this system ..and fortunately I am getting better and going to come out screaming.. just need to find the proper avenue to navigate..(I am very familiar with the VA.. but "outside is so ..big").. I thank you for sharing all of the great information!! I pray God's hand of protection over you and abundant blessings!!
Replies to "@memoriestomoments THANK YOU!!! I myself have been battling this system "on the outside" now for six..."
Connect
Dear @standinginfaith
Thank you very much! I pray you can keep standing for the medical care that you and others deserve!
Here is another article on how "medical administrative harm" happens. https://www.medpagetoday.com/opinion/calamities/117085
Thank you fo describing your saga. I grieve for us as a nation each time I hear about what passes for medical care in rural and indigenous American communities. I have seared in my memory two lines from two documentaries:
1. A documentary about how rural areas are ending up with no hospitals and very little heath care overall since cost cutting for "efficiency" always leads to the same conclusion: Rural hospitals cannot make enough money to satisfy shareholders. This particular documentary focused on South Carolina, where multiple rural hospitals had closed and more were on the block. At a televised event, then Governor Nikki Haley was asked about this. She said that the key was for South Carolina to do all it could to help boost the business sector and once that was done, other investments like healthcare could be made. As a former business-person, if feel very comfortable asking: Have we ever seen the business sector say that they have enough?
2. A radio documentary on the prohibitively high cost of health insurance. A lady in her mid fifties had two chronic medical conditions which were not being treated because she did not have insurance; she was asked how she felt about that. She very humbly replied that she could understand that there were very important people, heads of companies and the like, who really needed and deserved excellent healthcare and so she realized that not everyone could have that. I was stunned, and ashamed. That anyone in this nation should be led to think this -- to think that they were not worthy of healthcare -- saddened me terribly and still does.
Our veterans in particular, should be able to count on competent and respectful care.
But let's be very realistic. We have to take on a lot of responsibility ourselves even when we have access to great medical services. In the course of helping family members deal with illnesses, I have found that it pays to:
- Document as much as possible about the illness, dates, symptoms, changes, things you have tried already as treatments, reactions, etc.
- Do a lot of research online. The Mayo Clinic and other leading medical centers have very good sites that explain the basics about many illnesses. After learning those things, You can also ask Claude.ai or another chatbot things like what questions you should ask when you are going to meet with a doctor. Do not share detailed medical or identity information on AI chatbots, but you can input something about the diagnosis, for example, and ask for help in generating questions.
- Persevere. I have found that some doctors want to give you the minimum information about the illness. Ask your questions, and ensure that you get real answers. When you have a disease, join a support group so that you have other people's experience to draw upon. The doctors tell you stuff based on the "average patient" -- by definition, each person is different. This means that you go home and are left to figure out if that pain or that rash or that tiredness is something that will pass or something that needs attention. Support groups are a great source of information on that kind of issue.
And don't get me started on age-ism. We have to make it clear from the start that we are not silly old ladies or gents! And that we know we deserve full care, not "people that age have a lot going on" care.
As the Italians say, "Forza"!