any thoughts on the mess at Mayo clinic - Page 9

cherry · ‎03-09-2010

It is scary to think the courts would be involved in this and take someones children away. I don't know who to believe ,and that is the truth @SahmIam

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

@Sabear The patient was not my mother. Just a family member. The "back spasms" as you call them were not minor. They were going on for months and no one was doing anything about them. The patient was not able to communicate her problems well, so she was dismissed.

When I held her at the waist to keep her from falling, I could feel the muscles in her behind. It felt like I was getting punched in the gut. They were more than spasms.

She saw medical providers everyday while in the hospital and everyday while in rehab. She would get better, than lapse. She kept complaining that something was wrong with her back, but no one took her seriously. She was taking meds, but they were not working. I took her to many doctors for months and it was wearing on my nerves.

Old people don't really have a voice.

she went by ambulance to the hospital at least four times because she kept falling and could not stand up and balance. She would just scream out in pain and fall backward....not normal. As you know if you work in the ER, I spent hours waiting, sometimes up to 24 . Each time she went to the ER, she was admitted for a few days...then sent home.

When it was found that she had a tumor like cyst on her spinal cord, a specialist surgeon was called in to remove it. It was not an easy surgery and took hours of delicate work for the removal. thank goodness it was not cancer. They were concerned it would be.

if something would have been done earlier, the patient would not have spent 97 days in rehab, had four inpatient hospital stays and would not have had to receive PT in my home for nine months,

I am not comparing the two cases ( Mayo) here. I am just explaining that the medical providers are not always right. Sometimes things are missed, or are not right and need addressed. If you ask for a second opinion or to be transferred and the provider takes it as a personal hit....I would not want to go to that person.

A true professional welcomes second opinions and suggestions.

I mentioned that an ER physician sent my son home while he was hemorrhaging.

My DH who is a wimp around doctors took him home and placed him in a recliner. When he could not wake him, he called me. He went by ambulance to another hospital where he received 7 pints of blood. He almost died.

i was livid that my DH did not challenge the doctor who sent him home. Not everyone who challenges medical professionals are nuts. Some are just proactive.

many members of my and my DHs family are medical professionals. I know them very well, and some of them I would never trust to treat me or a loved one.

Every month our local paper prints the names of medical people who have lost their licenses in PA because of drug addictions. The list is staggering.

I know personally from working in health insurance that some doctors and nurses are alcoholics and addicts. They go to out patient rehab centers and keep their day jobs working with patients.

Just saying, we all need to be diligent.

RainCityWoman · ‎06-16-2015

@cherry wrote:
It is scary to think the courts would be involved in this and take someones children away. I don't know who to believe ,and that is the truth @SahmIam

CPS has to do it all the time. As a teacher, I was required by law to report any suspicions of abuse or molestation of a child in the home. I saw several removed in my career.

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

@RainCityWoman wrote:
@cherry wrote:
It is scary to think the courts would be involved in this and take someones children away. I don't know who to believe ,and that is the truth @SahmIam
CPS has to do it all the time. As a teacher, I was required by law to report any suspicions of abuse or molestation of a child in the home. I saw several removed in my career.

I wish our children's services did something around here. I too, have reported parents. I got an letter saying they were investigated and no abuse found. The kids still are in the home and still come to school with bruises.

My police officer DH also has reported parents..nothing is done.

We have had several children who died days after children services visited the home. I could just cry. Jarrod Tutko is one of them who always haunts my thoughts. Poor baby.

RainCityWoman · ‎06-16-2015

@Carmie Navigating the vast system of medicine, medical insurance, HMO's, supplementals, etc. is daunting. Often senior citizens are stymied by it and just give up. That's probably what the system wants them to do. You have to keep on them all the time and not back down. You also have to speak up, ask questions, and demand answers of medical personnel. I dislocated my shoulder in a hard fall outdoors and in the process damaged my axillary nerve making the process of PT more complicated because of numbness and inability to raise my arm up to my head or above. After 24 treatments of PT, my insurance began balking, telling me they never got the PT reports, and generally trying to halt my treatments. I finally got copies of the reports that had already been faxed to them and drove them over in person. I also had to contact an immediate supervisor. My PT gave me the use of my arm back, after many more treatments and exercises, but not without my fighting the insurance company for what I deserved to have. My ortho knew exactly what I was telling him, but he said fighting the insurance companies is an endless battle, and they really don't care what physicians diagnose for treatment.

cherry · ‎03-09-2010

What I should have said is ,it is scary to think someone would be falsely accused of child abuse. I have a sick feeling there is more under the surface to this ,than we are being told

Q4u · ‎03-17-2010

@Carmie wrote:
@Sabear The patient was not my mother. Just a family member. The "back spasms" as you call them were not minor. They were going on for months and no one was doing anything about them. The patient was not able to communicate her problems well, so she was dismissed.

When I held her at the waist to keep her from falling, I could feel the muscles in her behind. It felt like I was getting punched in the gut. They were more than spasms.

She saw medical providers everyday while in the hospital and everyday while in rehab. She would get better, than lapse. She kept complaining that something was wrong with her back, but no one took her seriously. She was taking meds, but they were not working. I took her to many doctors for months and it was wearing on my nerves.

Old people don't really have a voice.

she went by ambulance to the hospital at least four times because she kept falling and could not stand up and balance. She would just scream out in pain and fall backward....not normal. As you know if you work in the ER, I spent hours waiting, sometimes up to 24 . Each time she went to the ER, she was admitted for a few days...then sent home.

When it was found that she had a tumor like cyst on her spinal cord, a specialist surgeon was called in to remove it. It was not an easy surgery and took hours of delicate work for the removal. thank goodness it was not cancer. They were concerned it would be.

if something would have been done earlier, the patient would not have spent 97 days in rehab, had four inpatient hospital stays and would not have had to receive PT in my home for nine months,

I am not comparing the two cases ( Mayo) here. I am just explaining that the medical providers are not always right. Sometimes things are missed, or are not right and need addressed. If you ask for a second opinion or to be transferred and the provider takes it as a personal hit....I would not want to go to that person.

A true professional welcomes second opinions and suggestions.

I mentioned that an ER physician sent my son home while he was hemorrhaging.

My DH who is a wimp around doctors took him home and placed him in a recliner. When he could not wake him, he called me. He went by ambulance to another hospital where he received 7 pints of blood. He almost died.

i was livid that my DH did not challenge the doctor who sent him home. Not everyone who challenges medical professionals are nuts. Some are just proactive.

many members of my and my DHs family are medical professionals. I know them very well, and some of them I would never trust to treat me or a loved one.

Every month our local paper prints the names of medical people who have lost their licenses in PA because of drug addictions. The list is staggering.

I know personally from working in health insurance that some doctors and nurses are alcoholics and addicts. They go to out patient rehab centers and keep their day jobs working with patients.

Just saying, we all need to be diligent.

I'm so sorry this happened to you and I understand EXACTLY what you are saying. Advocates like us get "labeled" quickly and then ignored and then our loved ones get ignored.... everyone needs to be diligent, research and learn and never be reluctant to get the help our loved ones need ......

*~"Never eat more than you can lift......" Miss Piggy~*

Carmie · ‎10-25-2010

@RainCityWoman i am sorry you had such an awful experience. I am glad you hpgot things straightened out. I have had to navagate the insurance system for both of my senior relatives.

Fortunally, I worked in health insurance and know it inside out and backwards. When the hospital told me that my family member could not have anymore inpatient days because she maxed them out and would need to use her lifetime days, I was shocked. I knew this was not true.

So, I called Medicare and spoke to a rep who must have been new because she kept putting me on hold and took forever and I could tell she was lost. She gave me wrong info that was different than what the hospital told me.

I signed on to the Medicare claims website and looked at the claims directly. I noticed that the hospital had sent in a claim and it paid. Then they sent in " late charges". These services are not added to the original claim.

The original claim must be voided and a new one with the added charges is processed. When you look at the claim, you will see three of them...all showing paid. The hospital and the rep from Medicare added the days from all three claims with the same dates of service and incorrectly assumed all the days were used.

i had to go into the hospital Business Office to straighten that out. They asked if I needed a job. No way!

i hope and pray I can always fight for myself if needed. If I can't, it will be a sad day. Insurance is so complicated that even the professionals have a difficult time understanding it.

i do take my sister to her doctor appointments. One of her doctor's business offices is not very knowledgeable, though the one lady thinks she knows it all. She and I have gone rounds a few times. I stand my ground with her because I know she is wrong. She probably thinks I am nuts. ( maybe I am)

if you are entitled to benefits and they are medically necessary according to your doctor, keep fighting. When you get older, no one wants to be bothered to help straighten things out. Many people end up paying an attorney needlessly.

Lilysmom · ‎03-09-2010

I haven’t read all the comments here but I did read the article. I would like to hear the other side as well.

I have no trouble believing that a medical professional (Dr) got his back up and insisted on an issue and wouldn’t back down. I also have had personal experience where I was sent home from emergency for four days in a row with only pain medication and wound up in emergency surgery at midnight on the 5th night because they miscommunicated test results. They almost killed me because of it.

I have been caregiver to several people in my family who had terminal illnesses as well.

I used to believe everything I was told by medical professionals. I don’t any more. I have learned the hard way that if you can’t advocate for yourself, you need someone to be looking out for your best interests. Doctors are humans just like everyone else and they do make mistakes.

Don’t take this as a diss against the medical profession, it’s not. Take it from someone who deals with them with eyes wide open and a querying mind.

I will be interested to hear how this one unfolds @cherry et al. Keep us posted please. LM