Of course, you should feel free to discuss your own hospital experience in a separate thread, particularly if you are in a hospital now, because there are people here who care, and we want to be with you as much as we can, virtually. This thread is for your own stories, reviews, or comments on hospital experiences that you have had.
For myself, I have experienced the good and the bad, and neither of these is necessarily a reflection on the overall care offered at these hospitals. For example, my wife says she would never want to be hospitalized at our local hospital, while my last hospitalization was at that same hospital, and I would rank it among the best experiences that I have had, and I think we're both reasonable people.
I was hospitalized for an intestinal blockage for which death was discussed as a possible outcome, given that I have hernias and have had multiple abdominal surgeries in the past, including my worst hospital experience, when I was hospitalized for a strangulated hernia, the beginning of my abdominal difficulties. In my most recent hospitalization, the surgeon was frank with me, which was surprising given that that wasn't his name. Some people might prefer not to know the facts, but I appreciated being told what was actually going on, as long as they are telling me directly rather than my overhearing something not intended for my ears, which goes back to my worst hospital experience.
The surgeon did not want to operate because he said that it would be a very messy surgery, so he put me on a pump, which I referred to as a reverse roto rooter plan. It took a while, and it was a little painful and scary, because if it didn't work, I would be facing the "very messy surgery." It did work, however, and I was spared the surgery. I ranked this experience as my best, not so much because of the remarkable expertise of the medical staff, although, since it worked, I have nothing to complain about on that front, but what made it so good was that the surgeon and staff couldn't have been kinder. The hospital director had a policy of visiting with every patient before he left for the day, something that might have been possible only because this is a small, local hospital, but it was still a nice touch.
My worst hospital experience was what led to my abdominal nightmare. My first hernia came about while lifting a patient as a paramedic. The patient wasn't particularly heavy, but I felt a tug while lifting, but I didn't think much of it at the time. A few moments later, while I was in the back of the ambulance with the patient, who was, ironically, complaining of abdominal pains, my abdomen began swelling up like the little girl who turned into a blueberry in one of the Willy Wonka movies. By the time we got to the hospital, I was in far worse shape than my patient and was admitted.
This was also a small local hospital, although probably twice the size of the one here in Millinocket. It was in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, near the Mexican border, and not generally considered a first choice for medical care, but that's the hospital we were at, and for good reason.
They totally botched a surgery. For one thing, they did an exploratory surgery, which I learned was not something that was typically done anymore, and they didn't even correct the strangulation or repair the hernia. Instead, they cut my entire abdomen open and then sewed it back up again, and I was still blowing up like a blueberry. I doubt that it is possible to experience more pain than what I was going through.
Then, I overheard the surgeon talking to someone else in the hallway outside my room, saying that he hoped the sutures would hold. Now, this is information that I wouldn't have minded being told personally, but instead, he was withholding it from me while discussing it with someone else.
The following day, I asked to be transferred to McAllen Medical Center, a much larger hospital in a nearby city, and they refused to arrange a transfer, saying there was nothing they could do for me there that couldn't be done at this hospital. So, I arranged with someone I had worked with before at the ambulance company covering McAllen to have an ambulance transport me to McAllen Medical Center. She made the arrangements with MMC to accept me as a patient, given that the hospital I was at had refused. When she called me from the parking lot, I asked to sign myself out against medical advice, but they at first refused to bring me the form. I told them that I was leaving, whether I had signed myself out or not, so they brought the form. Once signed, the McAllen ambulance crew came up with their stretcher, aiding in my escape.
The doctors at MMC hinted, without directly suggesting, that I should sue the other hospital, and they demanded a full treatment record from them that I could use in that lawsuit. However, since the ambulance company that I was a part-owner of did most of our business with this hospital, it being the closest to our service area, I didn't want to do that.
However, not only did they unnecessarily cut me open to do nothing but look, but I contracted a drug-resistant bacterial infection during the operation, for which a designer drug had to be developed. Besides what was given via IV during my hospitalization at MMC, I had to continue taking it in tablet form, four each day at $200 apiece, for ten days after I was released six weeks later.
I was hospitalized at MMC for six weeks, during which I had a gastric tube and could eat or drink nothing by mouth. I could have a few ice cubes once or twice a day, but I wasn't supposed to swallow the water, a task that proved impossible. The bacterial infection had to be brought under control before they could operate, and their operation, where they actually corrected the strangulated hernia, was a tiny incision as compared to the huge one that the other hospital did for no practical reason.
There's the good and the bad, and one in between. While the MMC staff did a great job and treated me well, the experience was terrible. Upon my release, my arms and legs were similar to what we've seen in photographs of concentration camp survivors.
I have had other hospitalizations that I'll probably discuss in subsequent posts here.
For myself, I have experienced the good and the bad, and neither of these is necessarily a reflection on the overall care offered at these hospitals. For example, my wife says she would never want to be hospitalized at our local hospital, while my last hospitalization was at that same hospital, and I would rank it among the best experiences that I have had, and I think we're both reasonable people.
I was hospitalized for an intestinal blockage for which death was discussed as a possible outcome, given that I have hernias and have had multiple abdominal surgeries in the past, including my worst hospital experience, when I was hospitalized for a strangulated hernia, the beginning of my abdominal difficulties. In my most recent hospitalization, the surgeon was frank with me, which was surprising given that that wasn't his name. Some people might prefer not to know the facts, but I appreciated being told what was actually going on, as long as they are telling me directly rather than my overhearing something not intended for my ears, which goes back to my worst hospital experience.
The surgeon did not want to operate because he said that it would be a very messy surgery, so he put me on a pump, which I referred to as a reverse roto rooter plan. It took a while, and it was a little painful and scary, because if it didn't work, I would be facing the "very messy surgery." It did work, however, and I was spared the surgery. I ranked this experience as my best, not so much because of the remarkable expertise of the medical staff, although, since it worked, I have nothing to complain about on that front, but what made it so good was that the surgeon and staff couldn't have been kinder. The hospital director had a policy of visiting with every patient before he left for the day, something that might have been possible only because this is a small, local hospital, but it was still a nice touch.
My worst hospital experience was what led to my abdominal nightmare. My first hernia came about while lifting a patient as a paramedic. The patient wasn't particularly heavy, but I felt a tug while lifting, but I didn't think much of it at the time. A few moments later, while I was in the back of the ambulance with the patient, who was, ironically, complaining of abdominal pains, my abdomen began swelling up like the little girl who turned into a blueberry in one of the Willy Wonka movies. By the time we got to the hospital, I was in far worse shape than my patient and was admitted.
This was also a small local hospital, although probably twice the size of the one here in Millinocket. It was in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, near the Mexican border, and not generally considered a first choice for medical care, but that's the hospital we were at, and for good reason.
They totally botched a surgery. For one thing, they did an exploratory surgery, which I learned was not something that was typically done anymore, and they didn't even correct the strangulation or repair the hernia. Instead, they cut my entire abdomen open and then sewed it back up again, and I was still blowing up like a blueberry. I doubt that it is possible to experience more pain than what I was going through.
Then, I overheard the surgeon talking to someone else in the hallway outside my room, saying that he hoped the sutures would hold. Now, this is information that I wouldn't have minded being told personally, but instead, he was withholding it from me while discussing it with someone else.
The following day, I asked to be transferred to McAllen Medical Center, a much larger hospital in a nearby city, and they refused to arrange a transfer, saying there was nothing they could do for me there that couldn't be done at this hospital. So, I arranged with someone I had worked with before at the ambulance company covering McAllen to have an ambulance transport me to McAllen Medical Center. She made the arrangements with MMC to accept me as a patient, given that the hospital I was at had refused. When she called me from the parking lot, I asked to sign myself out against medical advice, but they at first refused to bring me the form. I told them that I was leaving, whether I had signed myself out or not, so they brought the form. Once signed, the McAllen ambulance crew came up with their stretcher, aiding in my escape.
The doctors at MMC hinted, without directly suggesting, that I should sue the other hospital, and they demanded a full treatment record from them that I could use in that lawsuit. However, since the ambulance company that I was a part-owner of did most of our business with this hospital, it being the closest to our service area, I didn't want to do that.
However, not only did they unnecessarily cut me open to do nothing but look, but I contracted a drug-resistant bacterial infection during the operation, for which a designer drug had to be developed. Besides what was given via IV during my hospitalization at MMC, I had to continue taking it in tablet form, four each day at $200 apiece, for ten days after I was released six weeks later.
I was hospitalized at MMC for six weeks, during which I had a gastric tube and could eat or drink nothing by mouth. I could have a few ice cubes once or twice a day, but I wasn't supposed to swallow the water, a task that proved impossible. The bacterial infection had to be brought under control before they could operate, and their operation, where they actually corrected the strangulated hernia, was a tiny incision as compared to the huge one that the other hospital did for no practical reason.
There's the good and the bad, and one in between. While the MMC staff did a great job and treated me well, the experience was terrible. Upon my release, my arms and legs were similar to what we've seen in photographs of concentration camp survivors.
I have had other hospitalizations that I'll probably discuss in subsequent posts here.
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Very similar when he had heart surgery. Patient and family were included in as much as possible.