And we wonder we why the US healthcare system is so fucked up

[rainbow4321]

Got my gallbladder out.

It only took 2 fights with the surgeon, an ultrasound, an xray, a 10 hour stay in the ER and a CT w/ oral and IV contrast of my abdomen.

Jesus Fucking Christ...I coulda cut it out at home and saved
myself alot of time and pain!

I went to the surgeon's office Monday, told him my TEXTBOOK symptoms--rt upper abdominal quad pain, rt side pain, rt shoulder blade pain, gassy after I eat, pain is worse at night and every female in my family having had theirs out in their 40's. Except my pain is all the time..24/7.

He starts to try and convince me that it's not the gb, that it could be ANYthing but..including muscoskeletal..that because I have the pain all the time and not just after I eat, it is not the gb. And he finished up his "lecture" with a "and, nurses DO like to try and diagnose...." with a fucking smirk on his face. To which I responded "I'm sure you are aware that diagnosing IS OUTSIDE the scope of the nursing practice act...and I know MY body and MY family history, it IS my gb". So he starts to PET my hand and goes "now, now, don't get MAD". I go "Oh, I'm not mad. Yet. I'm German and Italian, you WILL KNOW when I get mad".

Finally got him to agree to get me an ultrasound. Lo and behold...what does it show. GALLSTONES.

So I spend the next 2 days trying to reach him thru his office. He won't respond to me.

Wednesday I finally break down and leave work to go to the ER cuz the pain got so bad. They do an xray and it shows a contracted gallbladder possibly causing biliary tube spasms. So they tell me they are going to call the surgeon on call down to the ER. Guess who the prick is that is on call...the same surgeon I saw in the office.

Round 2: he again tries to tell me it is anything but the gb, back to the "maybe it's your muscles and if you lay on the operating table it will make the muscle problem worse. It could be a hemangioma deep in your liver, maybe a kidney problem. I don't like to do surgeries without testing, you'll have to have a CT because you know, doing surgery is risky, is it not like putting in an IV, you know". Totally ignoring my previous ultrasound and xray showing gallbladder involvement.

Then he tries to tell me that even if I need the surgery, he won't have room for me in his schedule for another week. So I blasted him for that and asked if it is normal for their hospital to tell people the OR is UNavailable for any sugergies for a week at a time. He got pissed and left the room as I told him that I wanted the patient representative to come see me.
Instead they sent the nursing house supervisor and I spilled my guts on everything the guy told me including the no OR scheduling for a week at their hospital--she wasn't happy that he shared that. Meanwhile, I told her I wanted a different surgeon.

So the CT shows gallstones and a thickening gb wall. Gee what a surprise!! Seems his ego prevented him from telling me that news himself so I had to find out from 2 other doctors.
So after the 10 hour ER stay I get up to my room.

I ended up getting a different surgeon but it took me talking to another house supervisor and the unit floor manager and using the words "sooo... *I* have a problem with you all trying to make me keep this doctor who has disrepected me from the minute I met him, he's been rude, condescending, arrogant, etc...I don't want my patient rights to be violated and I am SURE that your hospital doesn't want that to happen either". They found me a new surgeon and got me into surgery the next day.
So it is out. Finally. The surgeon said it took 2 hours instead of 1 hour to get it out (via lap) cuz there was extra tissue or something between it and the liver. I'm just glad he got it out with a lap and didn't have to cut me open.


So now I am home..drifting in and out of a Lortab fog. Greatful that I have insurance to cover this event. Scary to think what happens to people who are underinsured or not insured.

[Ian David]

1. Be careful. My mother spent a month in a coma due to gall bladder surgery complications.

She had an auxiliary bile duct that they missed, which caused a run-away inflammatory response.

I hope your recovery goes more smoothly.

[rainbow4321]

4. That's scary!!

That's the thing about gallbladder surgery..especially if you get it out by lap surgery. Looks so harmless on the outside..little puncture holes, no big deal. Then the surgeon tells me not to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for a MONTH so I don't rip open the INside incisions. Yikes.


Thanks for the advice! Sorry to hear about your mom!

[uppityperson]

8. Hope you are feeling better soon, good for you, and take it easy.

It can be difficult to be on a weight restriction, but if can manage, you will heal faster. That is a problem about not having stitches to pull on the outside, take it easy and get better.

Good for you for standing up (?) for yourself and what a nasty god surgeon. Hope you are feeling better soon.

[NC_Nurse]

2. Glad you're okay and you know enough to stand up for yourself!

It pays to be aware of your rights these days in the hospital setting.

[rainbow4321]

5. Yeah, you think the doc would have realized a nurse patient would not be bullied

Obviously, he had no clue since it came down to him crossing his arms in front of me when I asked to speak to the hospital's patient representative and snarled "you can talk to whoever you want...it's not going to change things".

I really feel for the people who get bullied in the healthcare system...I know as nurses we sometimes cringe when we hear that a patient rep is getting involved with a patient situation, but after this mess, I want to find some sort of patient advocacy group to join out in the community.
Really the patient advocacy part of me has been here all along...I work in a county hospital and really enjoy keeping the lower income, less healthcare system-savvy patients from falling thru the cracks. Makes you feel good at the end of the day.

[NC_Nurse]

15. I'm constantly dealing with patients who aren't getting what they need.

A lot of them won't stand up for themselves at all. I try to intervene when I can.
Nobody in my family is in the hospital without me, I ALWAYS go with them. I would
advise anyone who possibly can to accompany your loved ones on ANY hospital
stay. A sick person can be talked into all kinds of things, they NEED an advocate.

If you've got a nurse in the family, get them in on it. We don't take any shit. ;-)

[silverojo]

3. Been there, done that, bought all the souvenirs

I've had so many doctor nightmares like that, it'd take me forever to post them. I'm glad you stood up for yourself...I know too well how these people will stonewall you with B.S. excuses.

Believe it or not, my latest nightmare was fighting to get treatment for a lousy flu virus!! I thought I was literally going to die because these doctors wouldn't give me any meds for the sinus infection that resulted from the flu. Thank God for a wonderful urgent care doctor, but we had to drive a 100-mile round trip to see him. The docs in our nearest city are all totally incompetent.

For the record, I don't have medical insurance, either. Not counting the cost of gasoline, it set me back hundreds of dollars just to get treated for a sinus infection. Thank heaven the urgent care doc gave me a week's worth of antibiotic samples, b/c he said those would've cost $140.

The true health care crisis in America is incompetence.

[mopinko]

6. dh had a similar story.

had a ride to the hospital, and a full cardiac workup, even though they knew what it was. never told him that, tho. just said, well, no heart attack. you are so very lucky, now go home.
oh yeah, that pain, well, it is your gallbladder. but we had to make our money ruling out your heart attack.
good luck with that surgery.
exit through the gift shop.

[KT2000]

7. Good for you!

My father was putting in a new lawn one day and the next day he was in the hospital with terrible pain and died the next morning - gallbladder obstruction.

You want to see another nightmare? Check out this page for product recalls. Digitek was killing people for months while it was on voluntary recall. The comments are just heart breaking.

www.usrecallnews.com

[question everything]

9. Glad that you are OK. But, do complain to the medical board

in your state, before this surgeon kills someone.

[salguine]

11. No kidding. That guy shouldn't be practicing medicine.

He needs a good AMA inquiry to get his attention.

[EFerrari]

10. Good job getting what you needed, rainbow.

It's shouldn't be like pulling f#cking teeth.

I hope your recovery goes as well as possible. :hug:

[nashville_brook]

12. rainbow --

i have the same effect on docs. i'm not a nurse. i don't know why i threaten them, or what sets them off -- but i've had some wicked bad experiences. hopefully it won't happen again (most of the horrible stuff happened in 2003). i wound up in the hospital for 4 months and was bedridden for another, oh, 3 or so. i'm too tired to tell the story tonight, but you might find it archived in the Chronic Health Conditions DU Group.

i just had to take one of my dogs to an ocologist for skin cancer and was floored by the level of care and respect and sharing of information that was freely given by the vet FOR MY DOG. if i could find a people doctor as good as he was, i'd move to be near him/her. my sense is that good people aren't staying in healthcare anymore, and the ones who are left are beaten down in an abusive system.

i'm truly glad you were able to circumvent this asshole surgeon. when you are feeling better, try to find a way to get the word out so people can avoid this person.

[AdHocSolver]

13. I had a better experience with gall bladder removal thanks to a great family practice doctor.

I went to my doctor for a different problem (different symptoms). In examining me, he determined that my gall bladder was a more pressing problem, and sent me for an ultrasound, which confirmed it.

The first surgeon he referred me to "flunked" the job interview. This guy was condescending and I got the feeling he was trying to intimidate me. So I told my doctor to find me a different surgeon. The second surgeon he sent (for a "second opinion") was great and the surgery went well.

My experience was better, perhaps, because I had a family practice doctor (he has his own practice) who could act as my advocate.


Surgeons are the super stars of the hospital because they bring in the most revenue. Your "mistake" was going directly to a surgeon, giving him a correct diagnose, and asking him to operate on you...and you don't even have a medical degree. What arrogance!

:sarcasm:


The surgeon you went to sounds like he is an employee of the hospital. My inclination is to avoid doctors who are on hospital staff since their income and status are linked to how much revenue they bring in. You're more likely to get unnecessary tests if the hospital has a lab to keep busy.

I worked in hospitals. The nurses are the unsung heroes of the hospitals. They have to put up with lousy treatment from patients, patients' relatives, doctors, and hospital administrations. They keep the hospitals operating.

The nurses and other staff members at the hospital where I had my gall bladder removed were excellent.

[old mark]

14. Rainbow, and the doctors blame the insurance companies...

Several years ago, I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, and was treated by my regular doc and a "specialist" he recommended for this,with no result. Turned out the pain was from no circulation.
I had 2 heart attacks the same day, second fortunately in the hospital ER exam room. Required a quad bypass - the best artery I had was only 15% open. Genetic high cholesterol is a family trait, and my doc knew that.
Needless to say, we got a new family doctor, I am on Zocor, cholesterol is now 115, arteries are clean as new 5 years later.

1. My lawyer said I couldn't sue the doctor for being stupid, else,
" all lawyers would be rich."
2. Q What do you call the lowest ranking grad in med school?
A Doctor.

At least we are alive to bitch-I often wonder how many are not.

mark

[Festivito]

16. Wait, you'll get a $1,000.00 bill NOT covered by your insurance...

Around Detroit, EXACTLY one-thousand added to a hospital bill of, say, $15,000. Unexplained, unexplainable, just exactly that much more, right to the penny.

Do heal well.

[rainbow4321]

17. Oh, I've already starting checking my insurance's website

I can log into my account and see the prices charged for every procedure/drug/lab. Nothing is on there yet, I assume because it all happened since Wednesday and over the weekend.

Having been on the "other end", I know that even the water jug that they brought me was a chargable item.

I'll let you all know the damage$. I continue to be grateful that this all happened after I got a full time job with good insurance. Had it been before this past November I would have been screwed.



Thank you (and everyone in this thread) for the positive healing thoughts!