1. The patient had a head on collision with a tree stump while tobogganing, the impact being great enough to throw her somersault style over the stump. This patient had been a St. John Ambulance attendant for a few years and knew well the risk of “hair line fracturesâ€. Such injuries can go undetected until movement suddenly leaves the victim a quadriplegic. When her headache, rather than decreasing, increased over the course of the day, mid afternoon, she went to the emergency of the only hospital in this Ontario town. The doctor in emergency before checking pupil dilation, coordination or any other action, grabbed the patients head and gave it a sharp turn right to left and left to right. Then asked, “Did that hurt?†The patient gave a shocked reply,†Aren't you glad it did!!†There was no discussion and the patient would have had no way to prevent this doctor from destroying her. It was just DUMB luck for the doctor AND the patient!
At St. John's Ambulance meetings we were taught to NEVER move the head.
2. The patient is booked for a total knee replacement in an Ontario Hospital with a doctor of “great renownâ€. A letter arrives a couple of days later requesting an extra payment of $50. (known here as extra billing and NOT LEGAL!) The letter said that if you are too poor to pay “it will not affect the quality of your care…†That line alone was enough to remind one that in fact, it may! Then a VISA cheque was promptly sent because it had taken TEN YEARS to get the operation and a chance to walk pain free again. No patient, about to be cut open by a doctor, is going “make an official complaint†with their name on it. They will need the doctor’s services through Recovery.
Immediately and on-goingly from the point of waking after surgery, the patient complained constantly about excessive swelling and pain from heel to hip. Nothing was done even as physiotherapy went from good to to bad. At the start the patient could bend the knee 95 degrees. She was not able to do this again, period. Hospital staff just kept saying “every surgery is different, some pain and swelling are to be expected.†The patient had twice before been operated on that leg and never experienced such frightening pain and swelling. She said “I did expect some pain and swelling but NOT THIS!!†It was so swollen that it felt like a bump on it might cause it to explode. (generally measuring 16″ the swelling measured about 30-32″!) 76 hours in hospital and discharged with no answers and not one staff member willing to do a Doppler test or white cell scan to insure there were no blockages or infections. The patient returned to the hospital emergency the day following discharge with all the same complaints.
The emergency doctor was “very surprised†that a Doppler test had not been done prior to discharge and promptly ordered one. (It was clear) Not once, after putting in the prosthetic joint, did the Ortho examine the knee. The first appointment after discharge (3 months!) all the patients were lined up like sardines in a tin and the doctor walked past each and asked, " how are you?" Patients, being reflexively polite, replied, "fine." "GOOD!" said the doctor and walked on past. They thought it was just the doc's way of saying "hello." When he got to this patient, she had observed and relied " There are problems!" The surgeon looked annoyed, crossed his arms over his chest and said, "You just had major surgery, some discomfort is to be expected." Over a year later the patient had not regained use of the operated knee. Her GP suddenly gets focused and asks, “How long has it been?â€, patient: “over a Yearâ€, Doctor: “OH!, hummm, that’s not good.â€
End of story: The knee had been infected from the start! Now the patient will have to go back and start all over with a new joint. Dependance on the good leg and a cane had caused the “good leg†to start breaking down and shoulder strain on the cane shoulder has caused constant irritation and pain in the shoulder. She worries if her "good" leg can make it through an other recovery.
A minor complaint on the TKR treatment was the handling of the nurses. Because it seemed to much trouble to put a proper fit on the commode for the first trip to the toilet the patient complained that she did not think she could use the toilet with out making a mess. The nurses insisted she use it as set up, they were not going to “waste time†adjusting it to fit. (2-4 minutes) Sure enough, the patient came away from the toilet drenched in her own urine and a little annoyed. No wash up, no fresh johnny-coat, just dumped back into bed. The patient then realized her slight irritation about the situation had put the nurses in a really foul mood and the patient could hear it being taken out on ward mates. Thinking to make life more pleasant for the others sharing the ward, THE PATIENT APOLOGIZED TO THE NURSES for not being happier about the toilet trouble. Instantly the nurses were all brightness and sunshine again. (WHO, OWED WHO, AN APOLOGY? AND WHY WERE THEY PREPARED TO MAKE EVERY PATIENT PAY FOR THEIR IRRITATION WITH PATIENT #1?!!!)
The problem with complaining is it is always AFTER problems have appeared. One really wants to avoid the problems in the first place. Worse, complainers get a bad name as being "hard to serve" and "difficult" and hospital staff will treat you like a problem to be avoided.
The truth to tell, needing medical help scares the heck out of me. I always worry I will be worse off. I will not go to emergency unless I think I may die if I do not. Then, I feel my chances are about 50/50.