Wednesday, February 11, 2009

What to look at for "next time"

This time they "gotcha." Either they failed to explain Versed, never said a word about it, or lied to you about it. Be careful because even though you know about it now, they are so devious and so concentrated on their own desires that it COULD HAPPEN AGAIN!!! Here are some guidelines for not having this happen to you EVER AGAIN!

Before you decide to have that surgery, no matter how trifling, talk to your Doctor. Ask pointed questions about the preferred method of anesthesia. A really good blog about this is this one specifically about colonoscopy. Versed is almost universally used for this and this blogger makes some very good points.Before Your Colonoscopy, Read This»Colonoscopy Warning

Don't let your Doctor obfuscate. They are good at this. He/she may tell you, "Well you have to take that up with the anesthesia provider." NO, YOU DON'T. Your surgeon/Doctor knows full well how HE/SHE WANTS THE PATIENT." If you take exception to "conscious sedation" tell them this is unacceptable under any circumstances. Depending on their response is whether you tell him where to go. Its either see you at the hospital or see you in hell. There is no in between. There is no small amount of Versed. There is no "slight" amnesia. If he/she can't be truthful NOW, don't expect that to change in the hospital. Don't you wish you had known any of this before they got you the first time? It's OK, its the best kept secret I've ever seen!

Now that you have talked to your main provider, the hospital is the next hurdle. Did you know that you can strike and part of the consent that you don't want? I didn't know that. Nobody told me even when I questioned some of it like student nurses and student Doctors "practicing" on me. I was concerned but not alarmed because I had no idea about Versed. I expected to "awake and alert" as per my stated wishes. If I had known that I was going to be knocked in the head I would have been more careful, I still TRUSTED medical providers.

READ THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT! TAKE A PEN AND DRAW A LINE THROUGH EVERYTHING ON THERE THAT PERTAINS TO STUFF LIKE DOCTOR CAN DECIDE! Doctor isn't allowed to decide anything without informing YOU and asking your PERMISSION! Period. This is one way they get around the "informed consent." Your Doctor knows this and that is why he/she isn't telling you the truth. Once you are on THEIR TURF and sign in, they feel like they can do whatever they like. Remember the MONEY. The hospital exists to make money, not care for patients. The patients are a necessary evil so that the hospital can make MONEY!

Even if you are just having a splinter removed or having your shoulder put back into place, don't for one minute imagine that none of this will happen to YOU! Once you sign that hold harmless agreement allowing them free rein to do whatever they like, you'll be shocked at how much stuff they will do to you! STRIKE IT OUT EVEN IF IN YOUR WILDEST DREAMS IT COULDN'T POSSIBLY PERTAIN TO YOUR TREATMENT. You want something fixed, they want to make it as expensive as possible, and they want to use your anesthetized body as a training and research tool.

There are also some clauses about disposing of tissue. Don't give them that permission either. Suppose they remove the wrong whatever, or take out something they SAY was cancerous. You may need that bit to as evidence later. You don't want them saying "Well you gave us permission to dispose of it, and its gone now along with any proof of wrong doing." "Too bad, so sad, now pay us."

There may be some clauses about allowing them to twiddle with your DNA. Now if they want to pay you for that privilege, that's up to you, but to allow them to make money with any part of you while charging you enormous amounts of money for it is just wrong. Strike that line.

I can almost guarantee that there will be a clause about allowing students to practice. This is the best way I can think of to get one of those new staph infections. At the very least you may wind up with a kidney infection, or an especially looong surgery with escalating risks of complication. Unless you just love the idea of being a guinea pig or lab rat, and pay for any complications, infections etc, don't let them do this. There are other trusting souls besides you who will do this. Don't be the living cadaver!

Don't agree to anything besides what you discussed with your Doctor already. The rest of the stuff is an outrage. I wish I could remember all the things that were covered in the check in document, which by the way, I can't get a copy of. I'm sure there were more that I felt didn't apply to me and stupidly signed it anyway. I just knew that verbally declining things, saying no, not signing an "INFORMED" consent for my particular operation, would keep me safe. I was wrong.

Once you have crossed off these things do not think that you are safe yet. You must write on the "informed consent," the one which you will demand before they put the IV in, that "under no circumstances" am I to receive "conscious sedation," Versed, Midazolam or any other drug in that class or that causes amnesia. I was told (afterward) by an anesthesiologist that I hadn't said the magic words "under no circumstances" was I to receive this stuff. Like anybody even told me anything about it right? I didn't even know what to refuse, let alone those magic words! "Just say NO" only works in old television ads featuring Nancy Reagan!!

Once you are in the OR they may try some more sneaky word "parsing." They may claim that being unconscious or sleeping is the same as having amnesia. Unless you are a drunk or a sleepwalker, they are lying through their teeth. Don't fall for any of it. Be suspicious! Know that they do NOT HAVE YOUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART! They are trying to make their job easier. They will be looking for ways to get around the "informed consent." Be very careful that you say nothing that could be misconstrued as consent!
Be firm and polite, but don't let them get away with anything.

Ask to see the bottles that they are drawing medication from. First of all you will have a penicillin type drug 30 minutes before your scheduled surgery. Check the bottle before you let them inject it in the IV. Look at the medications on the cart. If you see one labeled Versed, ask that it be removed from the tray completely. Tell them that even after you are "put out" that they are NOT ALLOWED TO ADD VERSED TO THE MIX.

I was told by one CRNA that even if you declined Versed in preop, that you absolutely will get it in the OR! NO YOU WON'T! Make sure they know that. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES! If you have an idiosyncratic reaction like so many of us do, it doesn't really matter if you had amnesia or not, got it preop, during surgery or what it still causes harm. There is no SAFE way to use this drug! I hate to put too fine a point on it but they will sell their grandmother to get that Versed into you!

Now you have some information on how to deal with "informed consent." If you have read the posts at http://www.versedbusters.blogspot/ you know that you are not the only one to have this reaction. You know that you had an idiosyncratic reaction to this drug in the past. It caused you to "decompensate" and it made you stop breathing. You have all the tools you need to prevent another personal catastrophe caused by this absolutely evil drug Versed.

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