Nancy,
Unfortunately, the ER physician (I'm being very polite, by even calling him a doctor!!!, TUTTAM!!!) wrote Bob off the minute he was brought into the emergency entrance. The very small, poorly equipped local hospital is basically just a "doc in the box," as my very closest friend from "home," refers to walk in clinics, fine if you need antibiotics to clear an ear infection, sinus infection, etc.etc. etc. but not able to provide care for anything above the most basic level.
Sadly, Bob had been brought into the local hospital by ambulance many times before. I always had to fight as hard as I could, but with the exception of only one other time, was always able to get whoever was the ER physician on call, to call an ambulance to transport Bob to the only hospital in the state, about 1-2.5 hours away by car, but much faster by ambulance, where Bob had a team of medical specialists (one for just about every body part by the time he died). It is a very large teaching hospital, equipped with all the latest medical equipment and ranks the highest in our state for just about every specialty.
Backing way up, the reason I mentioned this now, is because the local hospital had most of Bob's medical records, and knew that he had suffered a major heart attack on February 3, 2009, and had one stent. They also knew, for many reasons, Bob couldn't survive a second heart attack. The symptoms he was wheeled in with, that last night of his life, could have had something to do with his heart. The ER doc DID NOT!!! have him hooked up to a heart monitor. It took several hours before they hooked him up to an IV to give him fluids, although some of his symptoms probably had to do with him being dehydrated. There is lots more to this story!!!, TUTTAM!!! The bottom line is I told the ER physician to check his records, that he had a serious heart condition and also that his electrolytes were probably off, and I thought he was dehydrated.
He had been discharged from an acute rehab facility on Friday, the day before he was wheeled into the local ER for the last time. While he was at the acute rehab, I suspected his sodium level was too low, the doctor had it checked once at the beginning of his week long stay, and it was low. However, she said it wasn't low enough to warrant a change in meds. I explained to her that Bob's nephrologist would want Bob to take additional sodium bicarbonate tabs to increase his sodium level. I begged her to call Bob's nephrologist, but she didn't. She told me she would have Bob's sodium levels rechecked prior to discharge, but I found out when I went to pick him up, that she didn't follow through with this. I told this to the ER doctor. I asked the ER physician to please!!! do blood work to check Bob's sodium level. This was NEVER!!! done.
Finally, after many hours of begging and pleading with the medical staff to get an ambulance to transport Bob to the teaching hospital, telling them as nicely and politely as I could that while I was grateful the hospital is in our community, they do not have any specialists on staff who can treat Bob. No surprise... they already knew this!!! No one would listen to me until it was way too late. Bob after being treated horribly, not even given an extra blanket or pillow, he was freezing!!!, too weak to keep himself from slipping off of the stretcher that he had been on for hours, me having to keep running into the hallway to have someone get him back on the stretcher before he fell on the floor, begging for an extra blanket, an extra pillow for him, no one bringing them...
After being there many hours, crucial tests not being done, not having been hooked up to a heart monitor, Bob told me he was having chest pains. I told him I loved him, he said, "I know you do." I ran into the hallway, screaming as loudly as I could for someone to PLEASE!!! get into my husband's room ASAP!!!, he was having chest pains. After I was forced out of the room, the ER doctor told me that Bob was having a major heart attack and that it was too late for him to call an ambulance, that if the weather conditions had been better, he would have called for a helicopter to transport him to the teaching hospital. Instead, he called an ambulance to bring him to another hospital, slightly larger than the local one, but still ill equipped to handle Bob's complex medical needs.
It took so long for the ambulance to arrive, that even the ER doctor had a nurse call to make sure it was on it's way. When the EMT's wheeled in a stretcher to transport Bob, they couldn't take him out of the local hospital because he was too unstable. He had to be stabilized first. He died, after having every available medical person available in the local hospital and the EMTs who came to transport him, attempt to save him. Too little too late!!!, TUTTAM!!!
There is so much more to this story... I believe we don't have a choice as to when we're going to die. It is in God's hands and we have to trust God will take us at exactly the right moment. (Tom Zuba in "Permission To Mourn," I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this concept.) However, if the attending ER physician had called an ambulance when Bob first arrived, even if the specialists at the large teaching hospital couldn't save his life, they would have made sure he was made as comfortable as he could possibly be, they would have treated him with dignity and respect, the way every single human being deserves to be treated, especially when dying...
My dog was treated better when we had to bring her to an ER veterinary hospital than Bob was. My dog had a very peaceful death, surrounded by those who loved her most, and her very favorite veterinarian. My dog's death, if you can call death "beautiful," was not only "beautiful," but very peaceful, though it was heartbreaking. Bob's death was anything BUT!!! "beautiful," peaceful... Bob didn't deserve to die the way he did!!!, TUTTAM!!! NO ONE should have to die the way Bob did!!!,TUTTAM!!!
It is disgraceful that in our country, there are medical people who are either "burnt" out from their professions, or who look at their positions as just a way to bring home the "bacon."
So sorry... I got carried away the words just seemed to type themselves. I guess I still have a long way to go... I'm not able to forgive that local ER physician or the medical staff who had so little regard for my husband, especially at the end of his life, who DID NOT!!! how much a human being was suffering. I am certain NOT!!! one of them, would want someone who they loved with all their hearts, to be treated even half as badly as they treated my husband.
If you made it this far, thank you for "listening." I thought I was done "talking" about this... It surprised me, how much I needed to still "talk" about this, the most heartbreaking, miserable night/early morning, in my life.
As always, sending you hugs, wishing you peace, all of us peace. DEB
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