Assholes ho!
Jan. 14th, 2010 05:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mojocattSuppose I should write this all down. Ain't gonna edit, just pounding it out.
Tuesday LeAnn had her "exteranal fixator" removed after seven weeks.
The idea behind this was to reposition her right hand. As her right hand was locked in a downward direction after the stroke. The fixator slowly pulls the hand straight, allowing the various parts to stretch. The fixator pins are screwed directly into the bones of the hand and forearm. Each day you tighten the device a little more.
After five weeks the doctor ordered her to stop tightening because she was in severe pain that required a trip to the ER for "pain management". The doctor was quite confused that she was in so much pain. We got her morphine and vicoden for anyone who would prescribe it.
After seven weeks, this last tuesday, the doctor decided it was time to remove the fixator.
Generally these things just unscrew and fall out, no anesthetic required. But LeAnn was screaming and crying in pain as the pins were removed. The doctor continued, confused again that she was in pain, and insisting she should not be. She was in so much pain the assisting nurse refused to continue until LeAnn had an anesthetic. The anesthetic was used and the pins were removed.
I returned home that evening, surprised to see the fixator removed. I also found myself a bit upset about the story LeAnn told me about the doctors office mayhem she had to endure.
But we were happy to be rid of the thing. But her arm was very tender.
The next day, Wednesday I got a call at the office at 3:50 PM, it was LeAnn's mother. As LeAnn was screaming and crying in the background she explained the situation. LeAnn was taking a nap, when she woke she heard a snap, followed by intense pain in her arm. I dropped everything at work and was home by 4:02 PM, we departed for the ER five minutes later.
We arrived at the ER and she was brought into triage immediatly. Then we proceeded to wait 45 minutes in the waiting room as she sat in pain. When I saw the 45 minute mark go by I stood up from my seat, declared loudly "this is bullshit!" and marched for the desk, someone somewhere was about to get an ass-chewing. As I was about to land my hands on the front desk, her name was called and we were brought to a room.
I'm not sure if was just dumb luck, or they got their ass in gear when they saw me about to go nuts.
We waited in the room for ten minutes, the paper work fairy came by and buried us in paperwork. Ten minutes after that the ER doctor came by and LeAnn shared her story. The doctor was a bit of an ass, telling us all about the things he could not do for us. After much this and that he finally agreed to give her a morphine injection and a X-ray.
As we waited for LeAnn to be taken to x-ray she asked me if we should just give up and go home. I responed we should wait for the x-ray. The part about the snap sound before the pain was in my mind, and I was fairly sure we would want that x-ray. After about twenty minutes she was brought into the x-ray.
A half hour later the x-ray came back and the doctor had changed his tune. He was suddenly much more humble and more willing to listen to us "non-doctor type people".
The ER doctor called it a forearm fracture. I call it "fucking broken you asshole". You can see the second pin hole directly below the break. (where the first pin hole was)
Tuesday LeAnn had her "exteranal fixator" removed after seven weeks.
The idea behind this was to reposition her right hand. As her right hand was locked in a downward direction after the stroke. The fixator slowly pulls the hand straight, allowing the various parts to stretch. The fixator pins are screwed directly into the bones of the hand and forearm. Each day you tighten the device a little more.
After five weeks the doctor ordered her to stop tightening because she was in severe pain that required a trip to the ER for "pain management". The doctor was quite confused that she was in so much pain. We got her morphine and vicoden for anyone who would prescribe it.
After seven weeks, this last tuesday, the doctor decided it was time to remove the fixator.
Generally these things just unscrew and fall out, no anesthetic required. But LeAnn was screaming and crying in pain as the pins were removed. The doctor continued, confused again that she was in pain, and insisting she should not be. She was in so much pain the assisting nurse refused to continue until LeAnn had an anesthetic. The anesthetic was used and the pins were removed.
I returned home that evening, surprised to see the fixator removed. I also found myself a bit upset about the story LeAnn told me about the doctors office mayhem she had to endure.
But we were happy to be rid of the thing. But her arm was very tender.
The next day, Wednesday I got a call at the office at 3:50 PM, it was LeAnn's mother. As LeAnn was screaming and crying in the background she explained the situation. LeAnn was taking a nap, when she woke she heard a snap, followed by intense pain in her arm. I dropped everything at work and was home by 4:02 PM, we departed for the ER five minutes later.
We arrived at the ER and she was brought into triage immediatly. Then we proceeded to wait 45 minutes in the waiting room as she sat in pain. When I saw the 45 minute mark go by I stood up from my seat, declared loudly "this is bullshit!" and marched for the desk, someone somewhere was about to get an ass-chewing. As I was about to land my hands on the front desk, her name was called and we were brought to a room.
I'm not sure if was just dumb luck, or they got their ass in gear when they saw me about to go nuts.
We waited in the room for ten minutes, the paper work fairy came by and buried us in paperwork. Ten minutes after that the ER doctor came by and LeAnn shared her story. The doctor was a bit of an ass, telling us all about the things he could not do for us. After much this and that he finally agreed to give her a morphine injection and a X-ray.
As we waited for LeAnn to be taken to x-ray she asked me if we should just give up and go home. I responed we should wait for the x-ray. The part about the snap sound before the pain was in my mind, and I was fairly sure we would want that x-ray. After about twenty minutes she was brought into the x-ray.
A half hour later the x-ray came back and the doctor had changed his tune. He was suddenly much more humble and more willing to listen to us "non-doctor type people".
The ER doctor called it a forearm fracture. I call it "fucking broken you asshole". You can see the second pin hole directly below the break. (where the first pin hole was)
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no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 01:53 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 04:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 07:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 01:10 pm (UTC)I don't even know what to say, man. Let us know if there's anything we can do.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 06:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 03:14 pm (UTC)Here's hoping for a speedy recovery. And here's also hoping they don't have to set the break by drilling more pins.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 06:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 03:27 pm (UTC)And seriously - I know emmasdad and I aren't around a lot - but if you need anything let us know!
no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 07:09 pm (UTC)Kidding!
no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 04:36 pm (UTC)That image makes ME want to come down and beat the crap out of some arrogant doctor ass, so I can only imagine how you have been feeling. Seriously, I HATE DOCTORS WHO DON'T PAY ATTENTION!!!!
Jeezus. I'm so sorry.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 07:07 pm (UTC)He won't see her until Tuesday. I'm not a doctor, but if my treatment broke one of my patients arms I'd be very interested in seeing them ASAP.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-15 11:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-17 12:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-01-19 12:26 am (UTC)We don't want to put it in a cast because she needs to start using it, or we may end up back at square one.
One option is to go into surgery and pin the bone back together. But she is not interested in surgery in the least bit.
....
Date: 2010-01-21 01:45 am (UTC)Re: ....
Date: 2010-01-21 03:40 am (UTC)Re: ....
Date: 2010-01-21 04:05 am (UTC)