Most people who read this blog are unhappy with their medical providers. Or they are medical providers themselves who are unhappy with patients like me. So, statistically most people who read this blog are unhappy! BUT, since medical providers have the money, time and the belief in themselves as supreme beings, they are the ones most unhappy with any kind of medical revelation. They wish to work in absolute secrecy, hence drugs like Versed which act to conceal every single thing that happens in a medical setting from the patients.
Now medical people are going one step further and agitating for a "non disclosure" form that patients must sign in order to obtain medical treatment. Let's see, no "informed consent," no transparency in cost analysis, no way of suing for malpractice unless you are rich, the use of BAD drugs such as Ketamine and Versed for patient control and amnesia, the list goes on of the things we patients are subjected to on the whims of medical workers and treatment centers. Top it off with sloppily performed surgeries and all the rest, simply because patients have no recourse at all. We are helpless pawns in the machinery of health care. We are cash cows to have every last penny wrung out of us. That's how I see it! (called an opinion) What makes it really BAD is that we all need to see a doctor on occasion! It's not like we can just buy a Chilton's manual (obscure reference to popular books about the mechanical workings of personal conveyances) and do it ourselves. We are at the mercy of our own health care!
What is the only thing left to us patients who have been deliberately harmed by all of the above? Writing an on-line review or starting a blog! (Medical workers, you CHOSE not to follow the law as it pertains to "informed consent." Starting right out with your amnesia and patient control drug Versed which harms us!) If that is followed by shoddy workmanship, whether its an ORIF like mine, or a colonoscopy which perforates or causes infection, then it makes us even madder! Just because (occasionally) there is a hold harmless agreement which reveals SOME of the risks of a certain procedure, does that make it OK to go ahead and CAUSE those risks to be realized?
Just because my Dr. mentioned in passing that there MIGHT be nerve damage, is it OK to go ahead and cause nerve damage? In my case, I have had to do extensive research AND reevaluate what my surgeon was saying when he mentioned the "no big deal" stuff. "Possible nerve damage" is actually "I am going to tug on your nerves and cause nerve damage. Your hand will be completely numb as a result. This is very common in my patients. I HOPE that it will resolve." Is this OK? Compare the true statement to the innocuous "possible nerve damage" given prior to treatment. Can I sue? NO! So what can I do?
Enter the on-line rating services. I post on one. Somebody else posts, apparently using mine as a template, and says the exact opposite. The service swears that they know who posts and that it isn't the Dr. himself posting glowing reviews, precisely rebutting what *I* say. I have found this one to use as an example. This is not my post, nor is it my doctor. This is just illustrating my point...
The rating for this post are 3 stars out of 5 for the office staff and ones for the rest. Not sure how this works as who ever sees or interacts with the office staff of an anesthesiologist? (Subject of this review.) I am going to assume that this disgruntled patient contacted the office staff and outlined his displeasure with this particular anesthesiologist. Here's the body of one of the scathing reviews.
"First of all the entire sugical team showed up an hour late. I was supposed to have MAC instead of general anesthesia. I was given Versed (Midazolam) before being taken to the OR with no description or explanation of the drug whatsoever. I asked her what it was she was putting in my IV and she responded with "benzodiazepines". My spouse was with me and agrees that this person was very vague and misleading about what was going to happen. Versed causes amnesia and takes effect in 2-3 minutes. I woke up in recovery very surprised and disturbed that I could recall nothing after the first few minutes after the Versed was put in my IV. If she had been forthcoming I would have refused this drug under any circumstances. I am convinced she was determined to use Versed and was going to BS me any way she had to in order to get this drug past me. I found out after surgery that I had a bad reaction to the Versed and was put under after all. Read the negative reviews of Versed on askapatient.com Insurance: Anthem"
The next post, which obviously was only to refute the previous post above, reads as follows;
"Dr. ________ is a wonderful caring and knowledgable anesthesiologist. She explained everything she was going to give me before she gave me medications. It was a perfect anesthetic. Insurance: Blue Cross/Blue Shield"
Note the "explained everything" as opposed to being "vague and misleading!" "IT" was a perfect anesthetic? What is "it?" I figure that "it" is Versed. So this last post also states that "it" the Versed is a perfect anesthetic, in direct opposition of the previous post. The glowing review also has 5 stars across the board including the anesthesiologists staff!!!???
Anyway, I am finding this time and time again in the Dr. reviews. Who is writing these rebuttals? My hope is that the doctors, upon reading the on-line reviews, are altering their treatment of patients in a good way. Learning from their mistakes is a good thing. As poor as my perception of medical workers is right now, I suspect that these same workers who are so upset about us talking about our miserable treatment and want a gag order placed on patients, are the same people who are posting the good reviews. Wouldn't surprise me a bit.
Here's a link on how to protect yourself when writing on-line reviews.
Protect Yourself When Posting Online Reviews! Top 100 Writers
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I feel like I have found a place I feel safe, here. On July 19 I had an upper scope and was not informed about any of the medications I was going to be given. Simply told something to put me out. Right before the needle going into the IV I asked what it was and was told versed. I had been told I would have a conversation with the doctor but would not remember it. This alone concerned and scared me. Why talk to me if you already know I won't remember?! Woke aggitated and combative to a nurse telling me "don't be that way". Two weeks later scheduled for colonoscopy. Told doctor office no versed, told admitting nurse, no versed, told pre op nurse, no versed so she listed it as an allergy. Told endo nurse no versed. She says they are limited as to what they have access to "over there". This is odd since this is a huge hospital. When doctor came in both nurse and I tell him no versed. He is angry and asks why. I explain it messes with my memory for a few days afterwards and I don't like having conversations and not remembering. He pressures me with threat of cancel of test and having to do prep all over. I feel coerced into accepting versed but I agreed only if they would administer slowly so I could remain somewhat alert. I remember about two minutes of procedure and then I black out. I wake half way through procedure in extreme pain crying out and begging for help. Doctor does not acknowledge my concerns. I think he was depending on versed to wipe out my memory, it hurt too much for that to happen. Next day pain is so severe I go to ER to check for perforated bowel which luckily I did not have. Doc says pain is from rough treatment and I am put on percocet for 36 hours. Doctors office calls four days later wanting to see me for follow up and I tell them no way I am afraid of the doctor. He then calls back and tells me he did good by me and I received a fair amount of medication. I feel raped. This man had all the power and used it to hurt me beyond belief and accepts no responsibility. All my records now list versed as an allergy. I urge everyone to make sure they do the same. Life for me is a daily battle to regain trust and get back to the person I once was.
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