Time to Take Control!

Recently, I was in the hospital for a couple of days.  This isn't a new experience for me, due to my health, so I pretty much know what will happen and nothing comes as a surprise, until now.

My team of physicians is fantastic.  They're all with the Cleveland Clinic and I am so fortunate to be in their care.  When I'm admitted to our local hospital, they have a team of physicians, called "hospitalists", from the Clinic to care for Clinic patients.  Again, I've had the best care from this group, until now.

I was admitted through the Emergency Room and put on a floor at about 6:40am.  The nurses can't do anything without orders, I understand that.  I was in extreme pain and it was just getting worse.  The nurse came in and did an assessment, and placed a call to the "hospitalist" on call.  By 10:00am I was crying and couldn't speak the pain was so bad.  No doctor had called with any orders, no doctor had responded to any page.  It was agonizing.

At 10:30 a doctor came in.  His name was something like "Alibabba".  I had never seen him before.  He walked in and sat in the chair beside my bed.  This is the actual conversation:

Dr:  Why are you in pain?
Me: Why?  I was hoping you would tell me.
--he poked me in the side where the pain was the worst--
Dr:  You have a pain doctor?
Me: No.  This isn't a chronic issue.
Dr:  You married?
Me: Yes.
Dr:  You have child?
Me: Yes.
Dr:  You stay tonight, go home tomorrow.

He walked out.

Now I'm in pain and furious.  I call the nurse and ask who this guy was.  The nurse isn't sure of his name because there are a bunch of new "hospitalists" and they don't know them all yet.  I requested a different doctor and was told it would be looked into.

About noon I was given a couple of Percocet - they don't do much - and that is the extent of it.

I yelled then, I'm still yelling, and I plan to keep yelling until I know this won't happen to me or anyone else again.  Left in pain and attended to by a doctor who appeared not to give a crap.

I'm blogging about this in the hopes that if someone reads this and can relate, they too might speak up for themselves as I did.  We are not left at the mercy of these rude doctors that don't have a bit of humanity in them.  We can speak up - you can speak up, shout, scream if you have to.  Get the care you deserve.  Don't be afraid of these people.  They work for you.  Go over their head to their supervisor, their supervisor's supervisor, the head of the whole freakin' hospital. 

You have the right to take control of your medical care.  You have the right to see a physician that you can understand, and that cares enough to care for you.  Make these jerks realize we're not putting up with this attitude anymore.

I'm sure the doctor who was in my room doesn't remember my name.  When I'm done he will.