Male, 25, Ehlers-Danlos Type 4, uses a cane, has h...

Male, 25, Ehlers-Danlos Type 4, uses a cane, has had two strokes, computer scientist, on a lot of medications. Wakes up and stretches and works out and shortly after projectile vomits and drops to the ground in screaming pain. Has had these problems before but not this severe - it keeps getting worse. This hospital keeps calling it "anxiety".

Goes in and is in the most pain he's ever been in in his life. The staff are telling him to stop being in so much pain and that he's not really in pain, that he's scaring his wife, that it's just anxiety. Some nurses are laughing at him. One mumbles faking something something. Originally going to order an x-ray and somehow that's cancelled (he has insurance). Even though he's telling him it's not acid reflux, they order him a GI coctail, no plans to see if it's this hernia that's been a huge problem for years. Someone mispronounces Ehlers-danlos. We know we're screwed. There's not going to be a resolution here. They're then holding him to the bed asking him about insurance and about his deductible. I kid you not. They stick him in a room for a couple hours. He throws up black stuff. They throw it out, nurses laughing. Must not be important. We're told its the pepto bismol he took four days ago.

Compassion and empathy are a couple states over. Not to be found here, it seems. We've never seen hospitals and their staff behave like this. Typically even the worst doctor will take a passing interest in what's going on with a 25 year old screaming in pain. A patient who removes his two inch ingrown toenails like he's taking out the trash. We've only been here a year and a half and we're moving in a month.

When I was in jail at the age of 19, I watched a girl hemorrhage for four days while she had a miscarriage. They kept telling her to stop faking it. She was five months pregnant and she lost the baby. That is the only other time I've seen this type of behavior. I've seen it here at Wake Med now three times. It's not anxiety. It's not in his head.