When Life is Not Valued...
I have been MIA for some time now and have been buzzing in the social media scenes on and off but not consistently. I have not been keeping too well, for quite some time. After a couple of wrong diagnoses, the doctor finally zeroed in on a case of Acute Cholecystitis. It is basically a case of an inflamed gall bladder which leads to complications of its own.
Anyways, I was then rushed off to the hospital and underwent an emergency surgery post which I feel fine.
It was not the surgery that scared me, it wasn't the incessant number of injections and IV flushing that pained me, but it was what happened during the very same time, at the same hospital which I had no clue about.
January 18th, Thursday: I got discharged from the hospital yesterday. Today, while I was starting my day and eating breakfast at my desk while tapping away at the keyboard, my dad came into the room and asked me, "Did you notice all those cameras and media vans lined up outside the hospital yesterday when you were being discharged?" I nodded yes. He then said, when you went into surgery, there was a another guy who was lined up just ahead of you. He had met with an accident and was supposed to undergo surgery for multiple fractures on his left leg and a broken wrist.
I felt my stomach churn because by then I knew whom he was talking about. I had seen the guy from my stretcher. I saw them talk to him while pulling his stretcher towards the operation theatre and ask him whether he had ever had a surgery before, to which he had replied in a very meek, tired, pained voice "No". I remember raising my head to see who it was and I saw him. He was the exact same person who was in the newspaper which my dad was holding in front of me.
"He passed away on Tuesday night, of cardiac arrest," dad said.
I was sitting in the same hospital watching TV and waiting for my discharge the next day. I saw the guy and I had even thought, "An accident case, he will be fine," just like I was wishing for the rest of the people around me in that OT waiting room.
Now, there is a huge uproar in the city. Death due to negligence on part of the hospital. I am feeling anger of huge proportions. That negligence they are talking about, I understand, way too well. The hospital we are talking about is one of the most famed and prestigious ones in the city of Calcutta. It is premium, too. So, what happens when it comes to patient care. Thankfully, I was being operated by a surgeon who is God-like when it came to GI surgery and I felt safe under his care. But it was the post-operative care that I am talking about.
I faced what I could nominate as the most incompetent staff ever, in the history of any reputed hospital. Clueless nurses, lack of resident doctors when required, nurses not reporting the patient condition to the consultant doctors, and the funniest thing - even after the dietician asks you a zillion times what you are allergic to, you will find yourself being served with the same food (that you are allergic to or shouldn't have post-surgery) for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
When I would ask the nurse which medicines are they giving me at what time, they would make the silliest faces ever. They did not even pronounce the medicines properly let alone tell an antibiotic from an antacid. I took charge of my own medical chart and ensured I was given the right medicine at the right time.
This brings me to think. We put our entire faith in the medical system. We believe that they know best and will help us get rid of our ailments. Is that really true? If this is the real condition, wouldn't it be just better that we knew for ourselves what medicines we should and shouldn't take, instead of believing these caregivers, completely.
I am not saying that all of them are the same, as I had had really good experience in another hospital in the same city. But as a general rule of thumb, we need to be more present to our own health condition, because there is a huge chance that nobody really cares (third party) if we live or die.
The man who "succumbed to his accident injuries" as per the hospital, seemed to have been completely normal even in the evening, hours before he passed away. What happened in between. I am thinking, was it wrong medication? The nurses did not even know what medicines they were giving me. Was it the food? They gave me some killer combination of food that is a strict no for patients who have had a GI surgery.
The man was just 34 years old, survived by his wife and twins who are 7 months old. It breaks my heart to read about him. But I can't help myself. I saw him just before he was rolled into the OT and I had heard his voice.
My request: please be aware of what your body can handle and what it can't. Which medicines are given to you and when, and also the logical sequencing of the medicines. With food, before food, etc. Take care, all of you. May God bless you all with good health and life.
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Comments
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #31
Thank you for your kind words, Joanne Gardocki.
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #30
You're right, Cyndi wilkins. We don't deserve this, none of us. No one should be paying the price with their life because of someone's lack of training or knowledge. When they do not have necessary know-how, the least they can do is at least heed the word of the patient who does. But they will to do that, as well.
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #29
Sad, but true!
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #28
Thank you so much, Lisa Vanderburg, for your comment. You put it all in a paragraph in a succinct manner. While interacting Jan \ud83d\udc1d Barbosa, I realized power is an important quotient in ensuring we get at least basic treatment right. It could be power vocal chord, money, knowledge, vocabulary, anything. But the one thing we have almost absolute power over is our health and lives. I really liked it when you mentioned that you micromanage disease-related issues with military precision. That's how it should be. We should know and understand what the doctor is telling us and what the nurses are administering on us. Inspiring as always, Lisa Vanderburg, thank you!
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #27
I absolutely agree, Jan \ud83d\udc1d Barbosa. It is ultimately power that rules supreme. Human lives had lost their value and importance ever since money and power came into being.
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #26
If it takes a good piece of mind to get the work done right, thins shall it be. it feels good to hear that you handled the situation the way you did. The general behavior I see at the hospitals (private/public) or any government-run institution is that they are doing us a huge favor by treating us and giving us their precious time. It bugs me. This time I did shout at the nurses when they (4 of them) came in turn-by-turn to ask me what's wrong in place of calling a blessed resident doctor, whom I had been asking for. I realized, showing power even when my insides were killing me got me the result, instead of the times when I was being polite to them and requested them. I am sure what you did, Harvey Lloyd, was absolutely right for that moment and it was totally deserved at that moment.
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #25
You are so right, Tausif Mundrawala. They are just machines working on well, us, devoid of any emotions or empathy. It is pretty evident from the way they handle the patients and their complaints. Thank you for your wishes!
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #24
I am so sorry to hear that you had to go through this, Cyndi wilkins. A hospital visit is not for the faint-hearted, although almost a majority has to go through it has to go through it at some point of time. As you rightly put, we are merely $$ walking into their establishment. Added to this the scary thought of if they are going to diagnose and treat us right. I so wish that God gives us all good health, so we don't have to bear with these painful situations.
Cyndi wilkins
6 years ago #23
Well, in all fairness to those in the field, I think they deal with the added stress of being understaffed and underpaid in many cases...I'm not talking about the docs and administrations so much as the nurses and technicians in the trenches when all hell is breaking loose...Yes, many of them are 'under qualified' or insufficiently trained for the jobs they may have thrust at them because of staffing shortages due to qualified and experienced caregivers being laid off or given early retirement in an effort to reduce spending...Then these newbies, barely wet behind the ears come in to trauma units and become traumatized themselves in many cases after making simple mistakes in the heat of the moment.
Lisa Vanderburg
6 years ago #22
Probably not the place or time, but for the sake of dignity we have to address us aging peeps (not any of you young sweeties!).
Cyndi wilkins
6 years ago #21
Heartbreaking to watch Lisa Vanderburg...and I am sorry to say it is even more prevalent than one would think, even in the best hospitals. The sad fact is, as Proma \ud83d\udc1d Nautiyal has stated in this buzz, there are far too many unqualified people working within a system that we all place a great deal of trust in when we are not well...and cannot advocate for ourselves... That comes at a very heavy price for all of us.
Lisa Vanderburg
6 years ago #20
OMG Cyndi wilkins...just saw that video. How God-awful. Thought that sort of thing had stopped Stateside. Thought we'd seen the worst of it when my mother (about 1974) was only found out to have brain cancer after she was refused treatment for years & the police found her scooting down the highway on her backside because she'd lost the use of her legs. Me too Tausif Mundrawala; please tag!
Cyndi wilkins
6 years ago #19
I'm sorry to hear of your moms illness...Please make sure to 'tag' me on your buzz so I don't miss it...Wishing you and your mom wellness...
Cyndi wilkins
6 years ago #18
"The soothing touch is missing in these so called healthcare centers." I could not agree more Tausif Mundrawala...especially when it comes to the mentally ill and homeless I'm afraid...There is no compassion. This practice of 'patient dumping or punting' happens very frequently...If you have a moment, take a look at the brief video on the link I posted on my previous comment...It is truly disturbing...and I am sorry to say that I have personally witnessed it at a local ER...For as miserable as I felt at the time, seeing this happen to someone right in front of my eyes upset me so much that I eventually decided to leave after sitting there for several hours...there was only one other gentleman there with me and said he had been waiting for 2 hours prior to my arrival...and we BOTH had insurance...No excuses for that...But the security person that tossed the mentally ill patient lost his job, so the hospital did do something right that day...just not the job you would expect from a hospital.
Lisa Vanderburg
6 years ago #17
Right there with you, Harvey Lloyd, dear dude!
Lisa Vanderburg
6 years ago #16
Lisa Vanderburg
6 years ago #15
Cyndi wilkins
6 years ago #14
Jan 🐝 Barbosa
6 years ago #13
Harvey Lloyd
6 years ago #12
In our darkest hour we look for humans outside the experience to guide us. It is difficult for us to be rational in such times. This seems to be a failing of our healthcare system here in the USA as regulations, capitalism and torts seem to be guiding more than the present moment. With each passing phase of administration from political to healthcare each leaves a mark. A mark that unintended consequences appear long after these folks have left office. We have cluttered the healthcare field with humans that suck from its very marrow of existence. We must be ever present in our diagnosis and treatment options. Cutting through the subliminal factors that should not be even in the doctors and nurses purview. I am fortunate. I usually can be very cold and calculating during crisis, and crash and burn post crisis. This has allowed me the opportunity to meet the healthcare industry with my parents directly, succinctly and with altering results. A incident with my father while in excruciating pain from a joint infection led me to some choice language and actions with an x-ray tech while my father cried out in pain. An experience that drew security and administration. My wife described me as possessed. I called it focus. None the less the issues at hand got dealt with along with apologies on both sides. It took a few days and some libation to get past the events.
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #11
I can't imagine the plight you must have faced then. How can be the so careless to just blurt out anything at all without being sure or checking to find ways of resuscitating a person? It is good that your mother took a stand and reminded that they are accountable. They need to be reminded, as they seem incapable of showing any kind of responsibility, whatsoever. I am so sorry to hear about this incident, . No family should have to go through this.
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #10
You are right, . They treat patients like inventory. We are a source of revenue and that's it. What concerns them more is not our betterment but how much revenue they can generate out of each patient. Empathy is not really a term of their list. My consultant doctor was way more concerned about my health and well being than the nurses and RMOs on duty at the hospital.
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #9
Thank you for your comment Ali \ud83d\udc1d Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee. This apathy that the medical industry has been displaying for years is just increasing at geometric progression. They just don't care anymore. I am sorry to hear that you too had to go through such an experience and hope and pray that no one has to face such bad treatment at the hands of the ones who are in a place of power when it comes to healthcare.
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #8
Proma Nautiyal
6 years ago #7
Very true, . Health is truly, wealth. Thank you for your kind words. I hope they find strength to deal with this trying and tragic phase.
Harvey Lloyd
6 years ago #6
🐝 Fatima G. Williams
6 years ago #5
🐝 Fatima G. Williams
6 years ago #4
Ali Anani
6 years ago #3
Pascal Derrien
6 years ago #2
Mohammed Abdul Jawad
6 years ago #1