Well I finally went to the hospital...

Well I finally broke down and admitted that breathing is rather important to our longevity and went to the hospital....it was interesting to say the least!

My hubby and I went shopping at Walmart and even though I was walking as slow as a slug in January and we were only there for 20 minutes, I could hardle breathe when we got to the truck and he put it in a way that I couldn't argue, "I am working nights all weekend, would you rather call an ambulance in the middle of the night on a Saturday night and spend the night in the hospital with the gang members and psych patients?"

It was good enough for me!  When I got to the hospital, the triage nurse listened to my chest and my lungs and determined that my left lung sounded different than my right so there could be something going on.  Then when I went in the RN again listened to my chest and my lungs and said "gee, your left lung sounds a whole lot better than your right lung, I am glad you came in!"  She then ordered an ECG cause I have been having fleeting chest pains and said that there was a major emerg that just came in so it might take a little while to see the dr.

Can you believe that the major emerg was a gang member that was stabbed at 5:00 in the afternoon!  So in other words, don't worry about Saturday nights anymore, they are mild in comparison as I can atest to from taking my Mom there last Saturday Night!

Anyway, the dr. finally comes in and gives me his name and starts to listen to my chest and my lungs and says "I don't hear any problem with your lungs but I guess we will do any x-ray!  I was in stunned silence as I looked at his nametag...get this...it had his name and of course his title PHYSICIAN OF OPTHAMOLOGY!  HA HA Do I feel like I am in good hands or what??? So I asked the RN, "if you and the triage nurse could hear a difference between my two lungs, why couldn't the
'eye doctor'?  She was very diplomatic as she winked at me and whispered that the "real" physician will look at the final test results and will give the diagnosis or recommendation!  And you were wondering why I was putting off going to ER for so long weren't ya!

In the end I had a chest x-ray, ECG, blood work, saw the respiratory therapist (where I failed badly), but I passed all the other tests and was given Ventolin with moist air and the Real Doctor prescribed Prednisone (whopee) for only five days though, and two puffers.  However, he is leaving the writing of the Rx to the Opthamologist and I said fine as long as he knows what to prescribe...well as I am watching him look in the Compendium (which is the big book the pharmacist use) I am getting a little worried.  He writes up the Rx and brings it in and as he is babbling on pretending once again that he know what he is doing...I am looking at the Rx and notice that he only has two long acting inhalers on it and the Prednisone and he has not even put my name on the Rx!  I ask him if he is going to put my name on it and he says, "oh, ok, I'll get a sticker with your name on it" and I asked him why he has prescribed two long acting inhalers and no inhaler that I can use if I get into trouble with an attack like I had yesterday?  He responded and I quote "you said you have an appointment with your g.p. on February 6th, you can get one from that doctor then."  I CAN' BELIEVE IT!!!  Grant it I may not need it but what if I do, as I asked him, "do I wait 8 hours or more in emerg. before I can get any relief because you won't give me something now."  He said that he has written out the Rx that he feels I will need and if I need something more I will have to talk to my g.p. on the 6th.  Well by this time I am breathing pretty darn good and feeling a lot better and I LOST IT!  I told him that I want to see the real doctor in charge and I am not going to leave until I do!  He had the nerve to tell me that if I don't leave he will call security!  Well the RN hears what is going on as the voices are becoming raised (I personally have never heard a dr. raise their voice to a patient) and she goes and get the dr. in charge and he gets me all straightened away and apologizes for the behaviour of Dr. Bonehead (my God...I am surrounded by them am I not!)  He said that I should not have had to deal with any such a situation with a caregiver and that he will see to it that the bonehead will be reprimanded and he gave me a form that I can fill out and send to our provincial health care board explaining what happened and he will sign it once I have it filled out.

I have to tell ya...I am gettin some sick of the oxymoron "healthcare"!  All I wanted was some help to breathe and some decent care which I did get from the REAL Doctor and the Nursing staff was awesome and I am going to send them a thank you card!

Rena705

p.s. after all that, they still don't have a diagnosis and I still have to go for a Lung Function test on Monday afternoon.  Yippee, Yahoo, I get to go have more tests done, can't you all tell that it is what I live for!  

[CtResident]

I'm glad you went to the dr.

I'm sorry you had to deal with incompetence. To their credit, I guess it all turned out in the end, but WHY? does it have to be like that? I get so annoyed that these folks are getting paid the big bucks while we practically have to grovel. Groveling is blecky.

I for one HAVE heard a dr. raise his voice to a patient, and the patient was me. Let's not relive it.

Anyhoo, yup, you're just a gerbil on a wheel baby, enjoy the ride. Unless you get motion sickness like I do..........

Hope you feel better soon!

Suzanne

[Rena705]

Hey Suzanne, I agree that grovelling is as you say "blecky" and I refuse to grovel anymore!  I said to my husband after the eye doctor left after stating there was no difference in my lungs, I want to speak to the RN and ask her about the difference in opinion.  My husband said, why bother?  I said, because I am not going to grovel anymore, I am going to be pro-active and I don't care who's toes I step on anymore, least of all the doctor that is not qualified and yet makes out like he is!  He had to agree.  It's about time that these dr.'s are made to realize that if we were all to turn our backs on them (or at least those of us that can) they wouldn't be treating us the way that they do...they work for us, not the other way around right?

I know that most people in the medical community do have a conscience and work with morals and ethics and I can attest to that from last night.  People complain that it takes so long in ER and they only want someone to take the sliver out of their finger!  Well I wonder why it takes so long in ER?  If these people would be more pro-active and take responsibility in going to a g.p. or a medicentre that is open all night for slivers and runny noses and all the minor stuff, ER would run that much more efficiently!

In Canada, I believe that having healthcare run by the government would be fine but it has all gotten way out of hand and face it, hand A doesn't know what hand B is doing anymore and the money being wasted is despicable not to mention the lives lost!

Sorry to say that I am not going to be just the gerbil anymore honey and no one should have to regardless of motion sickness!  tee hee

Thanks for listening to me spout honey!

How are you feeling anyway?

Rena705

[monotreme]

Wow, what a great testament to your perseverance and strength!!   I am sure Quix will be so happy when she reads this.  I used to work as a RN and I admire how you stood up for yourself.

I hope the inhalers help and get some rest.

Elaine

[spankyandrex]

Oh Rena, I am so glad you went in .....sheesh, even though it wasn't that great of an experience, what a moron that Dr. was to you - OMG, I would have friggen lost it too had he talked to me like that.  I am so glad you did stuck up for yourself - what would have happened had you not?  I totally understand about the Dr's now adays - I am going through the same thing as you know. You won't believe the boat load of info I got yesterday!  There are unfortunately a lot of bonehead Dr.'s out there LOL! - Sheesh, keep us posted.  

Sandra

[Momzilla]

Hi, Rena~You go, girl!

It sounds like the REAL doctor has been waiting for someone like you to give the bonehead a good thrashing!  He's probably VERY happy to sign your complaint!

Good job and I hope your breathing easily,

Zilla*

[speechgeek]

I am really glad you  went and it is quite obvious that if you have gained anything from all if THIS it is your voice and your ability to advocate for yourself!! I am so proud of you! That doc had no business! I help you feel better soon!!!

Rebeccah

[young at heart]

GIRL YOU ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AN OPTHAMOLOGIST   IN PLACE OF A PULMONARY,  WHAT THE HEY-DEY WHAT HAS THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY COLLAPSED TO.

IT WOULD OF BEEN DIFFERENT IF DR. NASTY WOULD OF CAME IN AND STATED WE ARE EXTREMELY BUSY AND I'M GONNA DO THE GENERAL EXAM AND THE DR SO AND SO WILL BE IN.

BUT AN OPTHAMOLOGIST TREATING PATIENTS IN AN ER SETTING IS APPAULING.

I AM SO GLAD THAT YOU BLEW, YOU NEED SHORT TERM RELEIF ALONG WITH LONG TERM WHEN YA GET OUT OF BREATH.

ITS A BLESSING YOUR CHEST X-RAYS WERE GOOD.ITS GOOD THAT YOU ARE STILL HAVING THE LUNG FUNCTION TEST.

I AM SO PROUD OF YOU FOR STANDING YOUR GROUND AND VOICING YOUR CONCERNS.

T

[CtResident]

So there you are, dealing with stuff (yes, blecky is a word I made up, hubby thinks it's a bit unique).....

AND you go and ask how *I* am? You're very sweet to ask, and my reply is "hangin' in".

That's hubby's phrase.

Breathe easy tonight okay?

Suzanne

[Super_sally888]

Go Girl!  You are inspirational!

It is stories like yours that will give the rest of us encouragement to keep up the fight.

Glad you are breathing better now and good you'll get more testing on Monday.

Take care.

Sally

[Quixotic1]

Wow, wow and wow.

I understand the ophtho guy being there.  A lot of ER's have shifts open and docs in all fields take them.  Imagine this guy dealing with a newborn's fever!  He was unbearably arrogant (ice-flow for this guy) and should have admitted when he was out of his league.  Uhh...about the time he listened to your chest.

I'm SOOooooooo glad you saw the need for the rescue inhaler.  What he did was actually VERY dangerous.  Long acting inhalers are associated with asthma deaths when people use them as "rescue" short-acting inhalers and overdose.  This whips their hearts into cardiac arrest.  So he needs the formal complaint from you.  Someone less aware or willing to challenge might - well..you get the picture.

Rena - Could all of this difficulty breathing have been asthma all along, or do you have a history of asthma?  I was under the impression it felt like chest wall muscle spasm.  

Everyone - check and double check everything docs and nurses do.  Even if you don't know the difference, the medical people will see you do it and it will keep them more alert.

Quix

[Rena705]

Hi Quix...good to have you back!  As to your question, I have no history of asthma and the problem was that I could get air in but I couldn't expel it, very, very uncomfortable!

I will be seen at the Lung Function Clinic on Monday so hopefully I will get some answers there, just don't try to have me seen by an eye doctor ok?  ha ha

I agree that people need to be proactive and that is also why if possible someone should go to the ER  with you...it's hard to know and see what is going on around you when you are feeling iffy and it would have been easy to miss what when on with me last night for a patient deprived of Oxygen!  I sound like a broken record but at least I am being pro-active right! tee hee

[Quixotic1]

The problem with difficult and prolonged expiration IS what asthma is all about.  That one of is it's major characteristics.

Not only do I have Asthma, but my post-doc fellowship was in Immunology, Allergy, Asthma.  It is my field of expertise.

Q