Ahead of the Game

[shocked]

Casualty is a British weekly television drama programme based around the fictional Holby City Hospital and focuses on the staff and patients of the hospital's Accident and Emergency Department charting the ups and downs in their personal and professional lives.

.

Part 1 (9 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAG8soi8nrk

Part 2 (9 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f7ZvOMZujQ

Part 3 (9 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WAFPQUGMhs

Part 4 (10 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POj47rs8o7M

Part 5 (7 mins)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMVbcxgN1b4

shocked

[ThatHurtsMyHead]

Watched the important parts...  Got sick to my stomach the way the Dr treated the guy with CH...  Exactly the same I've been treated every visit to the emergency room.  It actually hurt to watch that part.  Thankfully I self diagnosed with the help of the internet about 11 years ago and my dr. agreed when presented with a printout of CH symptoms, and then a quick followup with a neurologist.

Glad to see something about CH getting more and more in the mainstream media.

PFW my friends,

Jeff

[spiny]

ER is no place to waste your time with CH.

I'm with Jeff on this one. They treat you like a crybaby or hysterical woman. Waste of time and money.

I even had to fight the Neuro initially and take my hubby with me for the second visit. Somehow, being FEMALE means Migraine and low threshold for pain. >

[Pixie-elf]

I've had 1 ER treat me like shit, and treat me badly, I have a rule.

I find out who the patient advocate is, and get them involved. Sometimes they go by a different name, like patient care facilitator. There are others. But they all do the same thing.

EVERY patient has a right to call a patient advocate. Headaches tend to be ignored due to the fact it's not life-threatening usually... but I make sure they know I'm SUICIDAL due to the pain. If I'm at the ER, I'm not there for FUN. EMPHASIZE this. Used to I felt ashamed that I became suicidal from the pain. Now? It's a part of my disease! I can't fecking help it. Not my fault. And guess who is at risk for a lawsuit if they send me home and I kill myself?

The hospital.

So, if a doctor is treating me like shit, I'm in horrible pain, and suicidal... I know there is someone at each and every hospital who knows the rules. Who also knows how much legal shit and bad press the hospital could get into for something like this happening. Yes, they may have 50 other emergencies to take care of. Sure, they may have labelled me as a drug seeker...but is a drug seeker gonna call in a patient advocate? No. Someone who is REALLY SICK and needs help is going to call for a patient advocate.

It is YOUR RIGHT to call for one if you have not gotten the proper treatment. If someone handles you badly, or does something that is against your rights,  you call them.

I have had to have patient advocates step in for me MULTIPLE times when doctors, or staff members have not done what was proper. In March, I had to call for one during my hospital stay.

It doesn't matter who treats you badly, if it's a staff member, the hospital is liable. If the hospital is such a bad one that they don't care about your health...well, then I'd report their asses to the medical board.

We have rights. Our disease, just because they don't get it, does not mean that they can push us around.

ETA:

Lemme give y'all an example. What happened in March was for my second surgery, a transportation staff member did something that went against my rights as a human being and patient.

The transportation lady brought the bed to transport me down to surgery. She didn't bring the bed in the room as it wouldn't fit, so I had to walk to it. That wasn't the problem.

She waits until I'm OUT in the hall, on the bed, to ask me if I removed my jewelry. I say yes. I'd already given it to Mom.

Next, she asks me if I've removed my underwear. I inform her I'd already spoken to the OR staff, they said I could wear it during my surgery.

She flips the feck out on me. She tells me that I need to have my underwear off before I go to the OR, because "Those are the rules." She tells me to go back into my room and take them off.

I have several nurses with me, and my Mom. I inform her at this point, I'm in so much pain, there is NO WAY I can make it back to the room, remove my underwear, and walk back. Could we please go downstairs and I take my underwear off, in the OR holding area. (Because there's PRIVACY there.)

She proceeds to flip the feck out on me, and informs me that she WILL NOT take me down to the OR unless I take them off before I go. Because she "Knows what her job is." I wouldn't talk to my DOG the way this woman talked to me.

I had a blanket covering me, and my options were, hold up my operation for 20-30 minutes while they found someone else to transport me, or deal with the humiliation of having to remove them out in the hallway. There was no choice. I removed them under the blanket.

I asked if they would give me a pair of the mesh ones at the OR, she snapped my head off again telling me NO, they will not, they don't do that.

I get down to the OR, the nurse there informs me that yes, I could have worn my panties, and gets me a pair of the surgical ones, while the transportation lady is standing there shaking her head.

My Mom witnessed all of this. The day after my surgery she called for the patient advocate. Because I generally let a lot of horrible shit that happens slide, I wasn't going to ask for one.

But what if this woman did this to someone who COULDN'T fight back? What if she traumatized someone who might not ever be willing to go to a hospital again because she treated them like dog shit?

I found out just how big of a deal the way she treated me was. The patient advocate was practically seeing red because of how badly this woman had treated me. In fact, every single nurse there was.

This woman did all of this against the rules of the hospital. I know this because the head nurse for my floor called, and apologized, and asked if I was willing to speak with the head of surgery. He called me, and he also apologized, and informed me that the whole department had to go through training again to make sure NO ONE would do this.

This lady no longer has a job because she violated my rights thoroughly, and did something that was against hospital policy.

The hospitals have rules they gotta follow. So do doctors. You have a right to your dignity. You have a right to be treated fairly. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

[alleyoop]

The hospitals have rules they gotta follow. So do doctors. You have a right to your dignity. You have a right to be treated fairly. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Great advice and great post Pixie.  If you are unable to advocate for yourself, then make sure there is someone there who can.

[Bejeeber]

Great advice and great post Pixie.

Whoa I'll say! After reading that I could barely resist running to the window, sticking my head out, and yelling "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!!" 

Of course it would suck if I did my Freudian Slip thing and ended up yelling "I'm OLD as hell and I'm not going to.....um....!"

[defectiv]

my headache dr always told me to call her after hours line and she would then call ahead to the ER to inform them i

was coming and what my condition was.  thankfully i have never needed to do as such.   

mostly because im pigheaded about going to an ER.  much to the bain of my wife who used to try and get me to go when

i was slamming my head into things.   thank God for busting. have not been there in quite awhile.