Once I got to University of Kentucky's ER I handed the first doctor that I saw a disc of my CT scan. All of the doctors on the blue team (they have certain seems of surgeons I guess) took a look at it and couldn't find my appendix on the scan. I was then sent in for an ultra sound at 2am. By that time I had been at the hospital, in severe pain, for 8 1/2 hours with little to no pain meds.
After the ultra sound was complete, and read by several doctors on the blue team it was determined that the cause of my pain was unknown but that it could possibly be my appendix. Then a horrible thing happened.........
One of the doctors walked in my room, by himself, and declared that it "is not your appendix. I think you are having some ovary pain because you are close to starting your period." I sat up quickly and declared "this is NOT period pain. I know what period pain feels like and THIS IS NOT IT." Then the doctor refused to look at me and would only address Roger. He told Roger "well, we'll just see. if it is period pain it will get better if it is your appendix it will get much worse."
I started having an anxiety attack. I felt like I couldn't breath I was crying so hard. the doctor then said "see now you are getting all emotional. stop getting all emotional on us." If I had the strength to throw something I would thrown it at him but I was in too much pain. He admitted me to the holding unit of the hospital so I could sit in excruciating pain while he watched.
At 9am I was in so much pain I couldn't hardly speak. The nurse kept trying to give me pain meds but they were not working. I curled up on the side of the bed, held Roger's hand and cried out to God the only prayer I could muster "please God help me help me help me. Please God oh please God." It was way worse than child birth.
A trauma surgeon somehow got ahold of my chart and came in to visit me. (I think God answered my prayers). After examining me and looking through my chart he said "she needs surgery NOW RIGHT NOW." The trauma surgeon then took that mean doctor that told me it was period pain and chewed his head off "you NEVER NEVER under any circumstance tell a patient that her CT scan is negative just because you can't see the appendix in the scan. NEVER EVER EVER. You are an idiot....."
By that time I was starting to get delusional but I still remember all the med students hanging out around my bed, giggling, smiling and saying "hummm dude I bet ya this is not the appendix. ya man I don't think so either." Roger finally stood up and said in his most annoyed voice "yeah, you guys having fun over there. yeah, I bet you are having a great time." It was kinda his way of saying "SHUT UP my wife is in pain and you want to make a stupid game out of it."
Once I was out of surgery it was INSTANT relief. I felt soooooooo good. I kept yelling out to the recovery room "thank you oh thank you. thank you so much."
When I was taken back to the room I was informed that it was indeed my appendix and that if they would have waited any longer it would have ruptured (it was big time swollen). They also said I had a lot of infection in my abdomen because of it. They started pumping me full of antibiotics.
I really would have appreciated if the doctor, who told me that it WAS NOT my appendix, would have apologized. I didn't see his face the remainder of the time.
I'm still in shock that all this happened at the University of Kentucky Hospital. I really trusted them before but the care I received was horrible.
It was miserable to be surrounded by a massive amount of doctors but not really knowing which one was yours or which one was in charge. I never want to go back to a teaching hospital ever again. They didn't even ask my permission to have that many people in the room. It was so confusing.
The bad treatment did not stop there.................I'll have to write a part 3 to tell you all about the room, the nurses and the discharge extravaganza.
stay tuned and keep the prayers coming. I'll try to write part 3 tomorrow. For now I need to hug this vomit thing and see if anything comes up.
my oh my
I am so sorry you had to go through all of this! I ended up in the Central Baptist ER and Labor and Delivery Friday night with pain so bad it was making me sick. They think it was just a kidney stone, but at first they were afraid it was my appendix. After reading this I would have died if they had to have taken it out with me being pregnant.
ReplyDeleteYou are in my prayers and I sure hope you feel better soon!
This is horrible, Jessica. I'm so sorry it happened, but even more that it happened at UK Hospital, and that this is how they behaved.
ReplyDeleteAnytime something happens to me, I go to Central Baptist. Only Central Baptist. Maybe you should get "Central Baptist" tattooed somewhere, just in case.