Monday, March 26, 2012

I Now Have Corroborating Evidence

My husband sent me this in an e-mail; What Hospitals Won't Tell You - Vital Strategies that Could Save Your Life >> Four Winds 10 - Truth Winds This is awesome and I feel vindicated about a lot of my conclusions in this well written piece. Of course there are some quotes from it that I would like to draw your attention to.

"Dr. Steve Hickey is an authority on game theory, cybernetics, and all kinds of mathematical stuff..." Dr. Saul says. "Dr. Hickey wrote a chapter in Hospitals and Health specifically on the "hospital game" and how to play it. He... demonstrates that the outcome depends on you... If you just go in... [they] take you to bed and you keep quiet, you're what Dr. Hoffer calls a "pious patient."

Pious patients tend to get killed.


I was one of those "pious patients." I have offered my opinion previously that the reason my medical team felt so sanguine about obliterating my wishes and my brain was BECAUSE I was so nice. Here a doctor says the same thing. There's more!


"Common sense – good food, good care, as few drugs as possible, and taking charge of your own health." Abraham Hoffer


Yes you read that right and the main item in this simple statement is "as few drugs as possible!" I have been saying this all along. Instead I got a bunch of self centered morons, bad care, as many drugs as possible and I wasn't allowed to take charge of my own health. I was just too nice wasn't I?


"A patient can say, "No. Do not touch me." And they can't. If they do, it's assault, and you can call the police. Now, they might say, "Well, on your way in, you signed this form."


You can unsign it. You can revoke your permission. Just because somebody has permission to do one thing, it doesn't mean that they have the permission to do everything. There's no such thing as a situation that you cannot reverse. If you can make amendments to the U.S. Constitution, you can change your mind about your own personal healthcare. It concerns your very life. You don't want to cry wolf for no reason, but the patient has the potential to put a stop to anything; absolutely anything."


This means NO VERSED! This means that despite what Dorothy the patient relations nurse said to me and regardless of my crna claiming the absolute right to subject me to whatever HE wanted, it's not true. They had no right to treat me in total disregard for the parameters I placed on them, regardless of what they tricked me into signing. I SAID NO! I said it many times and in no uncertain terms. Too bad I was so nice about it. Anybody who has had dealings with bullies, being nice doesn't work. It didn't work for me in the hospital, but I didn't realize at the time what a bunch of lawbreaking dastardly people I was dealing with. I also relied on the myth of "informed consent" which was sorely lacking where I went. They had permission for a nerve block, pain meds and an anti emetic. They did not have permission for all the rest of it.


"... [W]hen you go to the hospital, bring along a black Sharpie pen, and cross out anything that you don't like in the contract. Put big giant X's through entire clauses and pages, and do not sign it. And when they say, "We're not going to admit you," you say, "Please put it in writing that you refuse to admit me." What do you think your lawyers are going to do with that? They have to [admit you]. They absolutely have to..."


This article takes the steps I have outlined to avoid Versed to a new level. I knew that these people (medical field) would try the old "If you don't let us do what we want we will refuse to treat you" line, but I didn't think about what to do if they refused to treat you, other than finding somebody who was competent enough to do it YOUR way. This is gold.


I will be buying my autographed copy of the book "Hospitals and Health" from http://ww.doctoryourself.com/ which some of the above excerpts are drawn at It is also available at Amazon according to the article.

SHOCKING! Serial Killers and Hospital Workers

I found an article today on Dr. Kevin's blog. Here's the link; Healthcare murders as a patient safety issue I guess I wasn't so far out of line being suspicious after all. On my "warning labels" about NO VERSED, I also have a warning not to take me to the medical center responsible for my ORIF debacle. My thinking has been, that if this place with its anti-social and unskilled minions treated me with contempt the first time and harmed me, how stellar would my care be at this place now that I am firmly on their radar? At the very least they know now that this nice lady can be a trouble making whistle blower so what do you suppose they might do to me? Remember that I was a "pleasant woman in no distress" prior to their ministrations. Now I'm hostile and responsible for lots of unwelcome investigations leading to major changes at the hospital. I have been concerned that they might accidently(?) kill me next time. It would be so easy, wouldn't it?

Here's a quote from the article, taken directly from the link I provided above;


"Since 1975, at least 35 American healthcare workers have been formally charged with serial murder of patients, marking healthcare workers as an overrepresented occupational group among known serial killers.


Some of the worst serial killers of all time have been physicians. Physicians, of course, occupy the uniquely powerful position of enjoying the total trust of patients and their families, easy access to lethal drugs and devices, and the unquestioned authority to sign death certificates.


These authors draw distinctions between healthcare serial murder and euthanasia, assisted suicide, politically motivated assaults, or crimes of passion. Of course, the actual numbers of serial killings are unknown, but more than 1,000 suspicious deaths have been linked to persons charged with HCSM."


I'm just not feeling the love here! My crna almost killed me during a routine outpatient surgery, not to mention COMPLETELY ignored my precise instructions, what would he do to me now? My doctor or whomever he "authorized" to perform my surgery BOTCHED IT! This is while they still pretended they liked me and I had caused them no trouble. The nurses managed to give me a life threatening kidney infection, how much farther would they go now that they hate me? How many health care workers do you think have come to this obscure blog and threatened me with all manner of things, up to physical harm? There are an alarming number! I would never have believed it if I hadn't experienced it first hand!


P.S. Thinking of all the threats I have received, I am still waiting for an appointment with the medical worker who wants to slap me around for objecting to Versed. I work in heavy construction, this prancing little sissy has no chance against me, but I'm perfectly willing to allow this person to take their best shot! So long as there is no syringe of Versed prior to our little meetup.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Our Health Care or Disaster-in-the-making!

We got an Obama administration "Affordable Health Care Act" almost exactly 2 years ago. He promised to bend the cost curve down. What we got instead is a skyrocketing health care cost. Not that health care hasn't consumed more and more of our money prior to this "affordable" care, it's much worse now. Recent estimates include $20,000 per year insurance cost for patients. In this economy, who besides medical workers themselves or government employees can afford this?

Health insurance will cost more than the median income of an American household by 2037 — and that’s the best-case scenario, two doctors contend in a new study. « Investment Watch Blog – 2012

While the above is going on, people like our anesthesia nurses, now paid all out of proportion to their actual worth are wanting MORE money. They feel that they are most definitely worth more than doctors. No matter that health care is bankrupting our entire country.

Here is the end result of the government takeover of our health care. Here; Greece strike: Debt-ridden country starts 24-hour walkout Mail Online Quote from article; 'We want this government out. They deceived us. They promised to tax the rich and help the poor, but they didn't,' said Sotiris Pelekanos, 39, an engineer and one of the striking workers gathered in central Athens. 'I don't care if we go bankrupt. We are already bankrupt. It's just a matter of the state realising it. We've lost everything.' (Sound familiar? Tax the rich, and don't care if the whole country goes bankrupt. How nice. Sounds like what's going on in this country!)

and here; Hospital workers across Edmonton walk out on wildcat strike libcom.org Quote from article; "They are constantly adding more duties to our work, without an increase in our pay... We're fed up with our conditions, our pay. Cost of living is going up, but my pay is not."

How much DO these people make under their socialized medicine? I'll bet it's nowhere near what our little medical darlings make right now... I know it will surprise everybody that my cost of living has gone up, energy, gas, health care, taxes etc. and my job is stagnating. Not much work AND no raise in years and years. The health care benefits eat up any meager raise I might get while the health care insurance premium goes up and up, with a corresponding downsizing of what the insurance provides. Now that we are to have taxes, fines and fees in addition to the outrageous COST of health care, it gets worse. When I'm working I will get a tax on my "gold plated" health care benefits which, by the way, are anything but! I also will get taxed when I'm not working for being unable to afford $1500 a month or so for the COBRA. Isn't that great?

If these cretins in government WANTED to bend the cost curve down, they would take a long hard look at all this so-called "sedation." Only in America is "sedation" for every single little thing considered "Standard Of Care." The cost of the rooms for extended periods because of sedation, nursing care in its tiered approach, the cost of a crna PLUS the cost of the attending physician who allegedly "supervises" these nurses, and on and on and on. Cut out sedation except for people who are mentally unstable enough to require sedation and BILLIONS would be saved. Then maybe we could avoid the scenarios linked above. There is no way in Hell we can keep going on this trajectory. Ah and we need to cut the salaries for all these crna's and other advanced practice nurses while we are at it. Stop with the "tiers" of care! It's the same damn nurse doing the same damn job as before, why should we pay extra? Cut down on how many people are doing variations of the same job. No excuse for having 18+ different people for a minor 70 minute out patient surgery like I had.

There is all kinds of waste, price gouging and other subterfuge being used to charge more and more money for "health care." This is the REAL reason health care is so expensive, it has nothing to do with tort law or anything else. It has to do with corporate and personal greed and the fact that we patients are a captive audience as all of us need health care from time to time. *I* am FORCED to get medical care every 2 years as a condition of employment. No way around it. I refuse to be a bum and live under a bridge. I also can't afford to get an entry level job at a fast food restaurant or something... Which doesn't offer health care anyway. I'm stuck going to the doctor. No matter how much it costs. Not fair!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

No Versed? We'll PUNISH you!

My sister had another procedure last week. Since she has a similar reaction to mine to this poison, once again she demanded NO VERSED! For once they listened to her. Actually this is the very first time that the medical people listened to her about the Versed. BUT they seem to have new and novel ways to punish people who refuse their precious Versed.

She states that the anesthesia person (don't know if it was a doctor or a nurse) shot her up with Propofol and then laughed at her discomfort. My sister says that the Propofol was EXTREMELY painful! The burning sensation was one of the worst pains that she has experienced, despite having some major health problems that cause severe pain... The anesthesia person laughed and smugly suggested that it was all my sister's fault for refusing Versed!!! How's that for compassion? My question is this... Are we patients being punished for refusing Versed?

If you look around the web, you can see many posts where the authors opine that the procedure was unnecessarily painful. There are a few about the lack of local numbing agents being used, more featuring unnecessary roughness, nastiness, and the deliberate seeming infliction of pain, just because (in the author's opinion) they had refused Versed. My question is; Is this true? Are medical people making procedures as painful and uncomfortable as possible to try to force us to take Versed?

On the other hand are medical people so accustomed to ignoring pain that they are clueless as to how to do a procedure with MINIMUM pain? Are they so inured to patient suffering due to Versed that they don't have the skill set to make sure that the non amnestic patient gets a relatively pain free experience? Think about it! If the anesthesia provider has been trained to ignore pain in an amnestic, Versed doped person, doesn't it follow that they would be sanguine about pain and NOT bother to learn how to lessen it? Why would they care, after all the patient won't remember it! Then when they get a patient who maintains all their faculties, these medical people don't know what to do?

Either way, whether it's punishment for refusing Versed or whether it's simply that the anesthesia people don't know what to do with a cognizant patient, this seemingly punitive/indifferent/cavalier attitude from medical people is unacceptable.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Mind Flip

I came across the doctor who wrote this on Dr. Kevins blog, here; Improving patient safety requires a commitment to transparency

In the comments there is this;



Dike Drummond MD, http://www.thehappymd.com Dike Drummond MD is a Career and Life Strategist for Physicians and other healthcare providers. He is a coach, speaker, author and trainer providing coaching and support for Professional Burnout Treatment and Prevention and Disruptive Physician Intervention. 1 comment collapsed Collapse Expand




On the patient and family side of this whole question of transparency ... here is a fabulous resource all doctors and healthcare systems need to be aware of. This is all about how to be transparent to the family when an error occurs. I have found it a quality resource little known in the wider medical community
http://www.sorryworks.net/


Dike
Dike Drummond MD
http://www.thehappymd.com/


The only reason I even took this guy seriously is because of his reference to the "sorryworks" website. (link above) I have talked about this website at length on my blog. I have written about my experience and the very first thing I wanted from the medical professionals was an apology. I didn't want to hear how sorry they were that I was upset, but their (woefully bad) "Standard Of Care" had been met, blah blah blah. I wanted an apology for what they did to me against my will and in defiance of "informed consent" law. Just like it says in http://www.sorryworks.net/


The second thing I wanted was to know what procedures the hospital was going to implement to prevent these mistakes from happening to others. Since they were all in denial, I had the governing bodies FORCE this medical center to reform their practices. It would have been easier to just deal with me, don't you think?


The third thing I wanted was for the crna who poisoned me with Versed against my wishes and who claimed that my lack of response afterward was my PERMISSION to then give me g/a also against my stated wishes and without "informed consent" to be called on the carpet and told in no uncertain terms that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated. Along with that, I wanted a hand washing program so that others did not suffer a preventable kidney infection like *I* got. My surgeon and his lack of skill is another story...


So anyway, Dr. Dike Drummond caught my attention, so I ordered his free "MindFlip" presentation. I think this kind of exercise will also be beneficial for all of us who have suffered at the hands of an overzealous anesthesia department. I know that *I* had some pretty low scores after my Versed debacle. I'm going to work on it and see if it helps. Doctors aren't the only people who are trained to see danger first...


p.s. Dr. Drummond is "easy to look at" as in "hot" for all my lady friends who read this! Of course this has nothing to do with his message, but it sure makes it easier to watch him talk! 'M I bad?

#3

Tim over at www.versedbusters.blogspot.com sent me this interesting article;

Psychdata - Dedicated to exposing the fraud of psychiatry: National Depression Scam Day - October 5

In no way am I denigrating those poor souls that have mental disorders! I myself am prone to depression and anxiety now. I occasionally must take Lexapro whenever I need to converse with medical people or I suffer from SEVERE anxiety, to the point where I can't even walk through the medical doors... Then comes the depression... This "new normal" was brought to me by a crna named Aaron and Versed. Take a close look at #3! Does it sound familiar?

In my opinion anesthesia providers are even worse than psychiatrists with their drugs. At least with a shrink, people go to them because they already have problems. With anesthesia they give you a drug to CREATE problems. The worst part is that these anesthesia "healers" could give a damn about the torture they expose you to with the use of Versed. At least your shrink will pretend to care, and if you don't like one drug, they can try another.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

"Hilarious Post!"

A friend of mine sent me this saying it was "hilarious!" I agree. Here's the post;

"i thought it was 16 years of college ? so how many years is it? what is the celery like?"

The first thing I noticed was the stunning command of the English language and capitalization rules this post has. If this child(?) was in a first grade class, they would probably get an F. I'm pretty sure this is an adult. First we need to define what "it" is. Any guesses? How many years is what? The best is the last sentence which is actually a correct one, except for the capitalization issue. The "celery" was crisp and uniformly light green, without blemishes and served with a cream cheese and black olive filling, thank you very much. (Yeah, yeah, I know, but I like celery prepared like that!) Obviously this is not what the poster is actually asking...

Here's the "answer" from the on-line Q&A forum;

"College, with an excellent GPA and a science emphasis if not a major, is usually four years. Medical school is usually four years. An internship (also called a first-year residency) is usually one year. The anesthesiology residency leading to board eligibility (to take the written and oral board exams (to be known as "board-certified in anesthesiology) is three years. Don't even think about it until you can spell "salary"."

Thank you Dr. Starkman! Here is a link to the post in situ. Anesthesiology: ]anesthesiology, science emphasis, anesthesiology residency How is this person to get into med school, let alone get an anesthesia certification? Is this really an example of the people who are going into medicine? This brings another dimension into play as to why doctors' writing is illegible! (Just kidding!)

Friday, March 16, 2012

Military Doctor

I got this e-mail from the widow of a WWII and beyond Submarine Veteran. He served 22 years on a sub and "walked the plank" many times. I have never met a more honorable man. His fellow submarine vets are in the same catagory. Have I ever mentioned that it was my pleasure to serve these men as their truck driver for their Veteran's Day Parades in the San Jose area? If you watched the submarine float go by, you saw me, proudly hauling a whole flatbed trailer full of these brave men and their wives, decorated to the nines. That's why it grieves me to get e-mails detailing that our scoundrels in Washington DC get free gold plated health care for life and our veterans (not just my submarine guys) are continuously being threatened with their health care, tri-care or whatever being taken away from them. Contrast this with the wild accustions of a "war on women" because they want the taxpayers (that would be me as well) to pay for their abortions. Where's the outrage for the "war on veterans?"

Here's the e-mail;

Soon To Be Gone
By Capt. Steven Ellison, MD
A Military Doctor

I am a doctor specializing in the Emergency Departments of the only two military Level One-Trauma Centers, both in San Antonio , TX and they care for civilian emergencies as well as military personnel. San Antonio has the largest military retiree population in the world living here. As a military doctor, I work long hours and the pay is less than glamorous. One tends to become jaded by the long hours, lack of sleep, food, family contact and the endless parade of human suffering passing before you. The arrival of another ambulance does not mean more pay, only more work. Most often, it is a victim from a motor vehicle crash.


Often it is a person of dubious character who has been shot or stabbed.
With
our large military retiree population, it is often a nursing home patient.
Even with my enlisted service and minimal combat experience in Panama, I have caught myself groaning when the ambulance brought in yet another sick, elderly person from one of the local retirement centers that cater to military retirees. I had not stopped to think of what citizens of this age group represented.
I saw 'Saving Private Ryan.' I was touched deeply. Not so much by the carnage, but by the sacrifices of so many. I was touched most by the scene of the elderly survivor at the graveside, asking his wife if he'd been a good man. I realized that I had seen these same men and women coming through my Emergency Dept. And had not realized what magnificent sacrifices they had made. The things they did for me and everyone else that has lived on this planet since the end of that conflict are priceless.

Description: cid:1A0811BCDF204B0D83DFE5E5D38B48F6@E58AEB3F9A6342ESituation
permitting, I now try to ask my patients about their experiences. They would never bring up the subject without the inquiry. I have been privileged to an amazing array of experiences, recounted in the brief minutes allowed in an Emergency Dept. Encounter. These experiences have revealed the incredible individuals I have had the honor of serving in a medical capacity, many on their last admission to the hospital.

Description: There was a frail, elderly woman who reassured my young enlisted medic, trying to start an IV line in her arm. She remained calm and poised, despite her illness and the multiple needle-sticks into her fragile veins. She was what we call a 'hard stick.' As the medic made another attempt, I noticed a number tattooed across her forearm. I touched it with one finger and looked into her eyes. She simply said, ' Auschwitz ..' Many of later generations would have loudly and openly berated the young medic in his many attempts.
How different was the response from this person who'd seen unspeakable suffering.

Description: Also, there was this long retired Colonel, who as a young officer had parachuted from his burning plane over a Pacific Island held by the Japanese. Now an octogenarian, he had a minor cut on his head from a fall at his home where he lived alone.
His CT scan and suturing had been delayed until after midnight by the usual parade of high priority ambulance patients.. Still spry for his age, he asked to use the phone to call a taxi, to take him home, then he realized his ambulance had brought him without his wallet. He asked if he could use the phone to make a long distance call to his daughter who lived 7 miles away. With great pride we told him that he could not, as he'd done enough for his country and the least we could do was get him a taxi home, even if we had to pay for it ourselves. My only regret was that my shift wouldn't end for several hours, and I couldn't drive him myself.

Description:
I was there the night M/Sgt Roy Benavidez came through the Emergency Dept. For the last time. He was very sick. I was not the doctor taking care of him, but I walked to his bedside and took his hand. I said nothing. He was so sick, he didn't know I was there. I'd read his Congressional Medal of Honor citation and wanted to shake his hand.
He died a few days later.

Description: cid:BE05642A0CBC43F6AC90BCD861E1D958@E58AEB3F9A6342E
The gentleman who served with Merrill's Marauders,

Description: cid:3D538F748A5D45CB850B2DB2176ECE9B@E58AEB3F9A6342E
the survivor of the Bataan Death March,
Description: cid:D18B4E97ED494F4A80C9F8EE58F16E63@E58AEB3F9A6342EThe
survivor of Omaha Beach ,


Description: cid:FB2FB8BA283D4CF1A9FF50D993D4F540@E58AEB3F9A6342E
the 101 year old World War I veteran.

Description: cid:17C163341A944C7785BCC01E4FBA3DC8@E58AEB3F9A6342E
The former POW held in frozen North Korea

Description: cid:93751DCD14B549DE8502B44CF4F6F5A8@E58AEB3F9A6342E
The former Special Forces medic - now with non-operable liver cancer
Description: cid:ED8D3201D61B4033A50B1DCCEB1AB4B4@E58AEB3F9A6342EThe
former
Viet Nam Corps Commander..

Description: cid:DFC1B21BE273434AB0348E36E4872EC0@E58AEB3F9A6342E
I may still groan when yet another ambulance comes in, but now I am much more aware of what an honor it is to serve these particular men and women.

Description: cid:34C16BBAB02C4384949FBDCC13A7FCE1@E58AEB3F9A6342E
I have seen a Congress who would turn their back on these individuals who've sacrificed so much to protect our liberty. I see later generations that seem to be totally engrossed in abusing these same liberties, won with such sacrifice.


Description: cid:D8D35C6ED23E47149F13FF5344C8901C@E58AEB3F9A6342E
It has become my personal endeavor to make the nurses and young enlisted medics aware of these amazing individuals when I encounter them in our Emergency Dept. Their response to these particular citizens has made me think that perhaps all is not lost in the next generation.


Description: cid:212A31E28BB0480191779F8769C89B29@E58AEB3F9A6342E
My experiences have solidified my belief that we are losing an incredible generation, and this nation knows not what it is losing. Our uncaring government and ungrateful civilian populace should all take note. We should all remember that we must 'Earn this.'


Description: cid:AC949E44CB5A4275A16F6734354629A6@E58AEB3F9A6342E

Written By CAPT. Steven R. Ellison, M.D. US Army

If it weren't for the United States Military,

there'd be NO United States of America !

Steven Ellison, MD
A MILITARY DOCTOR

And now as you have finished reading this, our Congress that enjoys their free medical care are in the process of charging these people for their medical care and at the same time possibly reducing their retirement pay.
A typical political "thank you."

This should be required reading in every school and college in our country.
This Captain, an Army doctor, deserves a medal himself for putting this together.


Thanks for sending this, and thank you Capt. Ellison MD!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Perfect Example of Misuse of Versed/Dormicum

Dr. Kevin's blog has this little jewel from his 3/8/12 blog. Extubating the overzealously intubated patient Even the good Doctor is angry about this. It should be "Extubating the overzealously DRUGGED patient."

Signing Out AMA (against medical advice)

I have encouraged people to sign out AMA if they don't want, like, can't afford, or simply just don't feel like going along with it all! Seems to me that since Versed, these medical people tack on all kinds of extras, beginning with a nice armful of poison. Imagine my surprise when I came across this article from Dr. Kevin's blog; Does leaving against medical advice stick patients with a bill? I have personal experience with this and the answer to this question is a resounding NO! Insurance companies do NOT punish the patient for refusing further medical treatment. Don't let medical personnel bludgeon you into staying by citing this absolute lie. I HAVE signed out AMA and not only did my insurance company pay their share, but they probably heaved a sigh of relief that I didn't go along with the absurd program at the hospital. FYI, I did also threaten to sign out once and at no time did the medical people involved in my care use this particular billing threat on me. Of course THAT was back when medical care was just that. None of this "drug the patient with Versed to prevent them from eloping, and then pretend that they agreed to stay and go ahead with the procedure."

Patients are not prisoners! The law states that we can stop the procedure at any time, even after beginning. We can also leave. I'm talking about people with a physical problem folks, not mental patients. There is no punitive action attached to leaving abruptly. Geez if it was true that if we decline medical treatment we would be on the hook for a huge bill, that would be really nasty wouldn't it? According to the article, a lot medical people actually BELIEVE if the patient leaves AMA their insurance company will refuse to pay the bill for procedure interruptus! That's right, medical genius's have this belief! Without checking the facts, they are threatening their patients with monetary damages for defying their infinite wisdom and leaving! Conversely, if these medical people DON'T believe this myth, then they are using strong arm tactics and an urban legend to scare patients into compliance. (this is not consent BTW. Health care workers are not allowed to coerce patients with threats.) Either way, it doesn't look good for them.

I didn't even have insurance when I broke my arm and *I* wasn't allowed to leave AMA! Somehow our newer medical people have gotten it into their minds that they are Gods and that we patients have no rights. Like the "patient relations" woman told me, "once you step inside the hospital you are consenting for them to do WHATEVER THEY WANT!" This is not TRUE. Patients are allowed to decline anything they want, at any time, even after beginning the procedure. It's the law. They are allowed to leave the hospital grounds without forfeiting their insurance. Your insurance company will pay for services rendered even if you sign out AMA. Don't let these health care workers intimidate you or use lies and coercion to force you into anything you don't want done to you! When you order your medical team to omit Versed and threaten to sign out AMA if they continue trying to force you to accept it, remember that you CAN sign out AMA and the insurance company WILL pay for services RENDERED. They may not pay for the rest of the procedure you never got, but whose problem is that? The one thing it isn't is the patients problem... Nice try medical people.

My advice is to call your insurance carrier. Ask THEM what happens with the billing if you sign out AMA. Tell them you heard a RUMOR and want to do a fact check and see if it is a modern myth. Just like any other person of even modest intelligence would do...

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Yes I'm Rude!

Every once in a while I feel bad about my visceral hatred of those doctors and especially the nurses who inject Versed. I hope that they are coming here to my blog in the interest of correcting any misconceptions I may have about their go-to drug of choice Versed, instead of simply patient bashing. This is futile and I react badly. However, if you look at the underlying behavior of these kinds of medical workers, the same damn thing is going on that I objected to in the first place! They are insinuating (or flatly stating) that I am stupid, uninformed, uneducated etc. and that if they can only TELL me how wonderful Versed is and it's myriad beneficial uses that I will suddenly bow to their superior selves and have an epiphany about Versed being a good drug.

Years and years of outrageous abusive behavior has been heaped on my head by medical people. Starting with the psycho behavior of my crna when I went in for my ORIF distal radius. What would possess somebody to treat a "pleasant woman in no distress" to a heaping helping of Versed? Especially in light of the fact that I had SPECIFICALLY FORBIDDEN ANY SUCH THING? What monster ego did he have to have in order to justify this type of action? His own excuse afterward was that he "didn't tell me how to drive a truck and *I* couldn't tell him how to do his job!" Really? Informed consent laws state otherwise. Silly me, I expected this mental midget to at least follow the law! Comparing the 2 things is an exercise in futility. I don't deliberately run over people with my truck. He ran right over me with Versed. Deliberately. All because I declined general anesthetic. He knew just how to force me to accept this, to make his life easier and that was to give me a drug, also declined, that turned me into a zombie, called Versed. If I don't like g/a, what mental process did he use to arrive at the conclusion that I would welcome Versed? Can anybody tell me how this makes any sense? I'm supposed to respect the judgement and skills of a man who does this kind of thing? Oh, Hell to the NO!

In my opinion, having experienced this drug Versed up close and personal, it's a VERY BAD DRUG! No ifs ands or buts about it. The use of this poison on me was the epitome of arrogance and felonious behavior on the part of my crna. It has created and caused bad reactions in me and in lots of other patients. The ONLY reason that I was given this drug was for the benefit of my little nursey poo, who imagined that he was a God and my presence at the medical center was solely for his amusement and his bank account. That's right, judging by the laughter I got from him, it was AMUSING to him that I was so angry about it. He was amused to learn that I had recall of all his nasty, disrespectful and hateful remarks after he poisoned me with Versed! No shame here! He exhibited his anti-social behavior for us all to see, as have many more since I began this blog. NOBODY has the right to use this drug on unsuspecting patients, for ANY reason. It's the LAW, regardless of how bad they want to use it to make their jobs easier.

I don't give a damn how much education medical people have, how many years they have on the job, or how much they paid for their schooling. Most really smart people recognise how much they DON'T KNOW!!! Most smart people would be able to extrapolate from the experiences recounted by myriad patients regarding Versed, that there is a problem with this drug! Why do medical people have such a hard time with that concept?

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Awesome Post Snatched From Versedbusters!

bartleby012 has left a new comment on the post "Introduction":

"What you do with the info, Heather, is empower yourself with it. And the cornerstone of that empowerment is awareness -- which, thankfully, is the very thing that a site like Versed Busters raises. You can do a few things with this awareness:

First, refuse Versed in the future should a medical practitioner want to administer it to you. There is simply no good or valid reason to ever purposely induce amnesia during a medical procedure. It is only a recent development in medical thinking that amnesia is somehow a "benefit" to the patient, but sadly all too often the patient isn't given an opportunity to make that judgment for himself. At any rate, I maintain that the pharmacological inducement of amnesia is NEVER a medical necessity, and I welcome any medical professional to cite a single credible and objective basis for thinking otherwise.

Second, raise other people's awareness to this terrible drug and familiarize yourself with your rights as a patient, as well as with the concept of informed consent.

And third, recognize that time moves forward; not backward. If your repeated exposure to Versed has caused you memory problems, there is no constructive purpose in dwelling on it, or in torturing yourself with wondering what changes the drug may have caused to your mind. To do either is an easy (and potentially agonizing) trap to fall into. Obviously you do want to address those emotions because it would be unhealthy to suppress them, but one important thing to keep in mind is to not allow them to take over your life. Instead, the best way to recover on a cognitive level, I think, is to let all that extra "stuff" go (and by "stuff," I mean anger, resentment, the endless "what ifs," etc.).

It is absolutely atrocious that a drug like Versed even exists, and worse still that it remains in such widespread use. But Versed is simply yet another reflection of the craziness of the world we live in. I don't know if you ever saw the movie Lock Up starring Sylvester Stallone, but in an early scene, the main character defines his daily approach to life with the acronym "D.T.A." -- which stands for "Don't trust anyone." Unfortunately, with the ethics and behavior of the contemporary medical profession being such as they are, that particular approach is the only viable one for today's patients. Indeed, in an age where potent, brain-disabling drugs are being given out like candy by doctors and nurses all over the world, without the patient receiving even the most basic explanation of these drugs' side effects or mechanisms of action, trust is sadly no longer an option. Awareness, however, is -- in fact, it is an imperative. And don't expect doctors, nurses, or pharmaceutical companies to bestow it upon you. Instead, each patient needs to gain it for himself, which is why sites like Versed Busters are so valuable.

I wish you well in the future with your health problems."

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This post was in reply to a woman who wondered what to do with the information and insight she gleaned from www.versedbusters.blogspot.com She realized that it was most likely her exposure to the brain poison Versed that caused her symptoms. When people are trying to figure out just why their brain has disintegrated, they look around and see if others have had the same problem. As far as I know patients do not look to see what has caused problems with other people and then decide to have the same symptoms. This is a very bad drug, this Versed.