I had such high hopes for UVA.
Maybe that's why I was so miserable. Maybe next time I should go there, thinking that everything will turn out terribly, and perhaps something might work?
I had been miserably sick (more so than usual) for about 3 days. Unable to keep any food down, I had lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks, and the headache was much more intense for some reason. I kept calling the neuro clinic and the on-call doctor would call back, telling me to go to the ER if it was "that bad."
I get SO tired of hearing that! It's ALWAYS "that bad." If I went every time, I'd just be camped out in the ER parking lot.
Finally, finally, finally I got a nurse on the line who said that she would get Dr. Brown (the physician who knows me best, she is my "assigned" resident in the clinic, and has seen me twice in person...that's kind of the best you get there since new residents come and go as they graduate) and she encouraged me to come to the UVA ER. I told her that there was no way I could come down there, a 2 hour drive...just to have them send me home and do nothing. She said that there were 2 IV medications that they could try, but they would admit me for them. She also said they would "make sure I was comfortable," before we did anything.
I was sold...comfortable is something that I haven't experienced in months!
Apparently UVA and I have different ideas of the word "comfortable."
To them..."comfortable," means
-a bed in the hallway right next to the EMS door, where all the medic units come in and out, shouting at each other as the come.
-No pain medication, ever. I had not one milligram of pain meds...its not in the neuro "protocol for headaches," even if one is screaming and writhing in pain and/or having a panic attack.
-12 sticks to get an IV. I know I'm not easy, but comeon guys. Everywhere else I've been can get it in 2-3 maybe
-parading 5-6 doctors in to look at you, poke at you, and talk loudly about you every 20 minutes (I know, its a teaching hospital, I'll let this one slide)
-putting a migraine patient in a room with a room mate, a very loud one who hacks, coughs, spits, chokes and poops the bed...oh, and makes very loud 3 am phone calls
-putting a migraine patient in a room with broken window blinds so the sun shines in at all hours
-putting a migraine patient in a room right next to the HELIPAD
Long story short, the meds did not break the headache and they stopped them after the 3rd dose. I was willing to keep trying until the 6 that were planned but I'm an idiot and told them that I had dreams about spiders and my dead grandma. I did. It was kinda cool. And honestly...weird dreams meant I was sleeping, which I don't do very often.
After they stopped the Thorazine, they said I could stay until Monday morning and they would have the pain management doctors come see me, but that they would not be doing any more treatment. I really wanted to go home because I was having so much pain that they weren't doing anything about, and they weren't giving me my meds on time, or correctly and I was just sitting there, with a lady who was shitting the bed, in pain.
But Chris said we should stay to see what pain management had to say since we were already there. And he was right...so we stayed
Sunday I had at least 2 massive panic attacks. At one point I guess I said something stupid. I think it was along the lines of "I cant take this anymore," and next thing I know...psych is sitting they're trying to figure out if I'm going to kill myself or not! Ugh.
I also passed out in the room and fell, injuring my right knee and left shoulder. even then...noting for pain, not even a Tylenol. I was ready to rip out the IV and leave.
Monday morning. Neuro"team" shows up and says...oh by the way, pain management isn't coming, we knew that last night and forgot to tell you. I have never been more angry in my LIFE. I sat there, all night, in pain, having panic attacks, fell, everything...for absolutely nothing. I told them to get the fuck out of my room. Yes. I said fuck to doctors.
Chris told me to get dressed and he found a wheel chair and away we went. We didn't get discharge papers or anything. Just up and out. By the time we found our car I was so shaky I couldn't stand and I was dry heaving. I knew we wouldn't make it home. Thanks Effing neuro team!!!
We had to go back into the ER there at UVA and I tried to check in but I couldn't, because it was showing that I was STILL up in a bed up on the floor. GRRUMPH!! Foiled again, Batman!
He had to wheel me back up there and the attending Neruo jackass tried to be all nice and sweet to me because we were to angry, he could probably see the steam coming our of our ears. As soon as we had the discharge papers in our hands we went back to the ER.
ER had to give me 2 liters of fluid, IV nausea meds (the floor nurses couldn't give me ANY IV meds because the Neuros wouldn't order it!!) IV Valium, and some pain meds to swallow because I was dehydrated and just shaking with pain. FROM BEING IN THE HOSPITAL?????
When I think about this whole situation I get so angry, Ive been in the hospital before, I've worked in hospitals before, Ive taken care of family and friends who have been in the hospital before...this is NOT the way it should be. You should not have to go to the ER to get help from your trip to the hospital!!
Any thoughts? Advice?
No comments:
Post a Comment