I Barely Escaped Alive

Finally getting to post after a week in the hospital and sick before that. I had a gout attack that kept spreading and staying around even though the doctor's were treating me with the normal treatments.

So I ended up at the emergency room (twice) and the second time they admitted me. While there I had the following fun things happen:

a) a rheumotologist who, after 3 days of the correct medication and subsequent reduction in swelling, came to consult and kneaded my gouty foot (extremely painful which I told him and he was ignored). He repeatedly asked me questions over and over (like 4 or 5 times) and was note taking which lead me to believe he either had a severe memory problem or he didn't believe me. The next morning, my gout medications were no longer given to me without talking to me about it and I was informed by the nurse that the rheumotologist decided I did NOT have gout and so my treatment was being discontinued. So my foot started getting bad again. I was then labeled "drug seeking" in my chart as my pain increased because this nutcase said I had no gout. I asked for a second rheumotologist because I felt this person was nuts.

b) I went to the x-ray department and specifically pointed out my injured foot. It didn't matter to them and I was repeatedly grabbed by that foot which they twisted and yanked over and over. I objected and told them if they would tell me what they needed, I could place my foot where ever they needed it. I was still ignored and in the end I had tears streaming down my face. When they were finished, the woman came up to my face and saw that I had tears streaming down my face and said, "Well, we are through torturing you now." When I got back to my room, my foot was killing me and I had to have more medicine for pain than I had ever had. When the pain had subsided, I called the patient relations number only to find out that position had been discontinued (probably being used WAY too much at this institution) and so someone from the administration and the head of the x-ray department was sent. They told me the x-ray personnel had been "talked to" and I said that I was not contacting them for myself but for some future elderly person who might get down there who might have just had a stroke with brittle bone disease and couldn't speak for themselves. If these x-ray technicians treated that person the way they treated me, they could end up breaking hips, ankles, or legs while this patient silently suffered. Also I said that talking wouldn't do anything but an inservice in listening to what patients communication and putting patient comfort at least equal to completion of task would be in order and would probably help with their risk management. When I mentioned "risk management", they both shot glances at each other so I know they have had problems there before!

c) I kept asking my assigned hospital primary care - Dr. Burke - to let me know my care plan. He never did even though I asked more than once and there were signs and mission statements all over the hospital about "patient partnership in their own care." The message has not gotten to the doctors yet. Examples of this were medications being started and stopped with me never knowing why, people showing up at 10 p.m. to take me for x-rays that I didn't know what were for, and lab technicians coming into the room for extra blood draws (after the usual morning draw) for unexplained tests. I talked to my GREAT 2nd rheumotologist whom I love about this and told her it was driving me crazy. I told her I had no expectation of telling my physician how to diagnose me or run my care plan but that I would greatly appreciate knowing what my care plan was and that I didn't appreciate a "surprise" care plan. While I was talking to her, the lab technician came in to draw blood for a "surprise" blood draw. I asked which doctor had ordered it and what tests had been ordered. She didn't know. This proved to Dr. Penchall exactly what I had been complaining about and she told the lab technician to wait there and said that she would be right back. She came back to me and told me that Dr. Burke had ordered the lab work and told the lab technician to do the blood draw with the normal draw in the morning. The technician started to argue with her and she cut her off in a hurry and for the first time I felt like someone was taking care of me. Also, Dr. Penchall said, "YOU DO HAVE GOUT AND WE WILL PUT YOU BACK ON THE MEDICATION THAT THE EMERGENCY ROOM DOCTOR PUT YOU ON ORIGINALLY BECAUSE HE GOT THE DIAGNOSIS CORRECT." She asked if I wanted to come and see her out here since my primary was in Chicago and I said yes. She said she likes to work very closely with the primary and got his name, address, phone, fax, and even email. Her specialty is arthritis and gout which are the issues in my face right now. She had already reviewed my C.T., bone scan, and x-rays. Also, she is multi-focused. By this I mean I started on a new NSAID at a high dose. She has me limiting the high dose for one week and then backing off because I mentioned my problem with upper G.I. and that I had had and ERCP. She is the only doctor I saw there who even mentioned this. When I left, she gave me great instructions and told me, for the first time, how much swelling weight is dangerous over how much time. All of my other doctors have told me if I swell too much to call but not over how much time. She was very specific and that in itself has been very helpful.

They set me free about 8 p.m. on Friday night and I couldn't wait to get home and take a bath and wash everything. I was glad to get into my own bed too with memory foam and some tofu to eat although the food there had some nutrious choices and I ate a lot of fresh fruit, turkey, and salads of all kinds. But now my "vowels" are in an uproar. So much so that I lost 2 lbs. in one day. So I am on pedialyte and sending "cultures" out to make sure I didn't pick up something nasty at the hospital. Never a dull moment at my house, huh?

Some GOOD news on the job front. Last week Keith started a short-term contract job at CCH publishing. It will only last a couple of weeks but it is double what unemployment is and will extend unemployment by whatever we don't use now. Pray that we find a permanent job NOW.

I am thankful to be home and to have survived the hospital ordeal. I am also thankful God put Dr. Penchall into my life. God is merciful!