Nonsensical Me

Review of Hillcrest Medical Center

If there were a rating less than one star, I'd giv...

If there were a rating less than one star, I'd give it. I don't even know where to start. My grandmother was advised she'd be going in for a simple "procedure," which turned-out to be one of the most difficult surgeries anyone can have... and is rarely given to a 79-year-old.

Initially, she'd been diagnosed with A-Fib last spring, which developed into a pleural edema by fall. For the A-Fib and high blood pressure, she'd been prescribed warfarin and amlodipine, in addition to having been prescribed an increased dosage of Citalopram from 20mg to 40mg.

No-one knows why this fluid is building around her lung (even now, after her surgery). Though she has A-Fib, her heart has appeared healthy (not damaged), and no signs of cancer have been found in the repeated tests of her fluid and x-rays/CT Scans. So, it was BRIEFLY explained to us that she'd need to have a Talc Pleurodesis to biopsy her lung and to prevent further fluid build-up.

I'll get to details about her surgery and hospital stay later (believe me.. you'll want to stick with me on this!)...

First, with minimal research of medical journals, I discovered via the American College of Cardiology (and other such resources) that pleural edemas and heart failure can be the side effects of taking any one of the prescriptions I've previously mentioned she'd been prescribed. She'd been regularly taking all three for over 6 months (the amlodipine for more than a decade).

Could it be possible that all 3 of these prescriptions taken together, might increase her chances for developing such side negative effects... like a pleural edema and a fast/erratic heart rate? Especially when the doctors admittedly can't find the cause for her pleural edema.

Still, nothing was mentioned to us or was even changed to test and see if her medications could be the cause when no other cause surfaced. Instead, she needed surgery... of course!

So, on January 25th, she has a Talc Pleurodesis. We were told she'd be in the hospital for 2 overnight stays. In total, she ended-up being hospitalized for 6 days.. and even then they let her go too soon.

Her doctor told me that he usually puts patients BPAP in the ICU for the first night, instead she was put on the 5th floor of the heart hospital. At 2:00am, she was rushed to the ICU, because she couldn't wake-up enough from the combination of the anethestic and morphine to breathe for herself.

The following day (Tuesday), she was back on the 5th floor. Wednesday afternoon, she was back in the ICU. They hadn't given her enough time to ensure she was awake, alert, and her breathing had stabilized before originally taking her out of the ICU.

Turned-out (I discovered 4 days later), she'd had an allergic reaction to the Talc and to the anesthesia... in addition to being given too much pain medication. She couldn't stay awake enough to remain alert and cognizant of what doctors and hospital staff were telling her. She also ended-up with a very common phenomenon called "ICU or Hospital Psychosis" (1 in 3 patients get this).

Bare in mind, what I know of any of this.. I've learned through my own research. Every question I had for hospital staff was met with impatience and even sarcasm at times.

Worried sick in the ICU with my grandmother, I'd asked a newly arrived nurse on shift a simple question and he sarcastically quipped.. "I don't know. I'm not her doctor!" That wasn't the first time I'd gotten such a sarcastic response from a variety of hospital staff--from RN's to Tech's and Respiratory Therapists.

I knew these people weren't her doctor. I'm not mentally handicapped. But, unfortunately, no doctor was ever available to ask such questions... a point which I highlighted in response.

Is it really so difficult for hospital staff who don't have answers to respond with... "I'll ask her doctor and get back with you... or, I'll have her doctor get with you about your question!"

This will be continued in a second post... I've ran out of character space.