Knee Replacement, Versed, and an Enlightened CRNA

My husband had to have a complete knee replacement recently.  He had injured it many years ago and finally it gave out.  That meant surgery.  Surgery that includes the dreaded SEDATION!  Sedation as defined by the medical field, not by normal people.  Naturally I freaked out!  My husband didn't want to remember the surgery and *I* was adamant that he not get Versed.  I reminded him of what he went through after my unqualified DISASTER of an experience with this drug.

I called the surgeon's office and requested an anesthesiologist that I personally have met.  How odd is it that patients can request which surgeon they want, but not the anesthesiologist?  I did not get the anesthesiologist *I* wanted.  My husband was nervous enough without me having one of my tantrums, so I let that one go.  The doctor was from the same group as the one I wanted and I'm pretty sure that she wouldn't have sent a bad one.  (I know this doctor peripherally through horses, so once again horses saved the day)  So we got an anesthesiologist whom we had never met and then got a crna.  I was getting anxious...and *I* wasn't even having surgery!  I just couldn't imagine caring for somebody as out of control as I was after my ORIF.  What if my husband responded like I did?  No way I could take care of him.

The anesthesiologist explained that the crna was NOT all on her own like Aaron, my crna was.  He told us how he would be doing the nerve block and that as soon as my husband was stable and comfortable with Propofol, he would turn the Propofol drip over to the crna.  He stressed that he would be immediately available if a problem arose and that he NEVER left his crna's on their own without oversight, like Aaron was.  He stated that he had no problem taking over from the crna at any time and that he tended to be possessive over his patients.  The crna did not seem in any way annoyed about any of this.  If you have read this blog you know that a lot of crna's have as much disdain for doctors as they do for patients.  This was NOT the case where my husband went.  Our crna was part of the team, not God incarnate.  I know that the two of them saw the glint in my eyes and they were very good about allaying my fears.

The crna is the person I want to talk about.  She was very kind.  When we said "NO VERSED" she was absolutely fine with it.  No argument.  She stated that she herself had been given Versed (she believed the lies?) and had a very bad experience with it.  She stated that she experienced partial amnesia for more than two weeks afterwards.  She had fuzzy mental processes.  Do we want mental agility in our crna's?  Yes.  Do we want the crna's to decide that our own mental processes are not as important as theirs?  No.  Do we want crna's that are so desperate to make their own job easier that they will use a bad drug for that sole purpose?  No.  I'm amazed that we got a crna who was sane.  I've had so many crna's come here and "attack" me for stating the obvious about Versed that it was SHOCKING to get one that absolutely agreed with me.  She not only agreed that Versed was bad, but she kept her promise not to use it.

Apparently we are making progress with crna's.  At least where *I* am at.  It helps that she had firsthand experience with the nasty Versed and hated it.  I still don't get why she allowed it in the first place, but at least it was a learning curve which she extrapolated from and applied to her own patients.  What a great nurse!  SHE didn't decide that Versed was bad for an exalted personage such as herself but just fine for everybody else.  I still can't believe it.

I just wanted to publicly praise one particular crna and the professional way she dealt with me.  (my husband is the opposite of confrontational)  She realized that *I* was an important part of the team as well.  I will allow this woman to be part of any team I may have in the future.  I still want my friend the anesthesiologist, not a substitute, but the crna will be welcomed by me.  The rest of the crna's like Aaron who tried to destroy my life by assaulting me with drugs I had declined and all of them who have posted their rants here, there and everywhere are still on my sh*t list.

There is hope for all of us who have had bad experiences with Versed.  For myself, I would have gone with the nerve block and zero sedation, but for those like my husband who are stressed out by the very idea of monitoring their own surgery, you can get what you need without Versed.

Anesthesia in the Dental Office

A reader sent this to me and I have reproduced it here with his/her permission.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today, at age 47, I had all four of my wisdom teeth extracted. The top two were fully erupted, the bottom right one was a partial bony impact and the bottom left one was a full bony impact. By my request, I was given a local anesthetic only, the procedure took about an hour, and was entirely painless. I was able to drive myself to and from the appointment, and treated myself to a movie on my way home before the anesthetic wore off.

From everything I've read or have been told, it is very rare in the United States to have impacted wisdom teeth removed with only a local anesthetic. Apparently, the standard of care is to provide IV sedation (usually Versed) for a procedure that is absolutely painless if the local anesthetic is administered properly. Before finding the dental surgeon who performed the extractions today, I was told by a nurse at a different dental surgeon's office that IV sedation is "better for everyone involved" when impacted teeth are removed. Of course it's better for the provider when an extra $400-$500 can be tacked onto the bill and the patient won't remember a damned thing about what was done, and the patient can't object to his treatment because he "lacks capacity" under sedation. What arrogance to assume sedation is always "best" for the patient! Unless the patient states a desire to not remember the procedure or is so anxious that the procedure can't be done any other way, there is absolutely NO benefit to the patient.

It wouldn't be so upsetting if this was an isolated comment by a very callous nurse. About three weeks ago, I had my teeth cleaned at a clinic at a technical college. At that point, I knew I was going to have my wisdom teeth removed, and informed the hygienist who was supervising the student working on me. She made some comment about making sure I had someone to drive me home and being careful until the sedative wore off, and I told her that I had absolutely no intention of being sedated. The hygienist replied that the pain would be too great for a local anesthetic, and that I would need to have IV sedation. When I told her I knew what Versed was, that it does absolutely nothing to block pain, and that I already scheduled the surgery without sedation, she stared at me wide-eyed and open-mouthed. She mumbled something about the "dental surgeon knowing what was best," and I left. I was so bothered by her comment that I called her the next morning to ask why she lied to me. She completely denied lying about Versed, and said she had told me only that my surgeon would know whether or not the pain could be controlled by a local anesthetic.

When I first read this blog about 6 months ago, I thought many of the entries were over-the-top in painting a picture of a conspiracy among medical and dental providers about dissembling the true purpose and use of Versed. From my own experience with an endoscopy clinic earlier this year and having my wisdom teeth removed today, I convinced that there is at least a culture, if not a conspiracy, around this drug. There is a big difference between being told "this drug will help you relax" and "this drug will cause you to not remember anything that happens to you, although you will be awake." If more patients understood what they were being given, and why, more would refuse Versed. I suppose that some providers can justify the lie if they believe that a number of patients might forgo important procedures if they became anxious about the notion of being given a drug that would allow them to be awake, yet rob them of their memory. And it may be true that some patients would not be treated, it is not up to a provider, or up to ANYONE, to decide what is right for a patient, except the patient!

I've also learned that there ARE providers who will work with you and respect your wishes about not being administered Versed (or Propofol, or other amnestics.) If this is what you want, just be firm and state your intentions clearly. Someone who thinks they know what's best for you, regardless of your wishes, is probably not someone you want providing your care. Be patient, and find the right provider. He or she is out there!

Like Good Political Songs?

The Avett Brothers - Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise (Official Video) - YouTube

EMT's Unauthorized Use of Versed/Midazolam

EMT's use the "sedative" (amnesia and obedience drug ONLY) Versed/Midazolam to make their jobs easier too.  I include them in my "medical personnel" description, but some may not think of EMT's using Versed.  They appear to love it as much as the minions in hospitals and surgical suites do.  A friend of mine sent me this article:

Click here: 3 Texas medics suspended over drug administration

Pay special attention to the posts below the article.  They are ALL in favor of using the brain poison and without authorization from a person who has an MD behind their name.  They feel it its their RIGHT to inject Versed into anybody and everybody without MEDICAL DOCTORS permission.  The EMT's don't like it when a real doctor interferes with their plan of action.  The EMT's want us to know that Versed/Midazolam is "safe".  People don't DIE from getting shot up with Versed!  Of course not.  The EMT's did nothing wrong and didn't deserve to be disciplined.  Benzos are 100% safe, too bad for the dead people but it wasn't the Versed.  All kinds of excuses.

 Note; The article takes great pains to say that it wasn't the Versed that killed these people, that the EMT's were merely punished for using Versed without authorization.  If Versed was so risk free than why would the EMT's need authorization in the first place?  Why would the doctor(s) be upset with the EMT's for using the drug on the patients who later died, if they didn't believe that Versed/Midazolam wasn't inextricably tied to the deaths?  It makes no sense.

 Something about this drug makes normal (?) people write rabid responses to anybody who dares criticize its use  The author of the news report is wrong, sensationalizing etc.  Versed is good and necessary and they WILL use it. The EMT's don't care if a doctor authorizes its use or tells them not to use it.  Easy enough to fail to report what they are doing isn't it?  Except for this particular case where the EMT's were called on the carpet for using Versed without permission.  (and without a second thought as to the safety of the patients they were "caring" for.)

Here's Your Obamacare

Obamacare aka "The Patient Predation and Unaffordable Care Act" is a disaster.  We have all seen little Jonny Gruber prancing around, telling us we are all stupid and detailing what the real deal on Obamacare is.  Like I and others who read the atrocity already knew, the law was passed on Christmas Eve when congress was not in session to conceal from the public what was in it.  The entire bill was nothing but a power/money grab by a duplicitous government in order to bail out the medical care/insurance industry and extract more taxes from a hapless public.  But don't trust me, after all *I* am one of the American public that Jonny boy claims is stupid.  Here is an essay from a doctor whom I follow on his blog here; In My Humble Opinion
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

The Not So Humorous Unintended Consequence of Healthcare Reform is Monopoly

Check

The administrator's voice wavered as I picked up the phone.  He was calling about the nursing home patient that I admitted the day before.  While normally forthright, I could feel the discomfort in his tone as he danced around the issue.  The patient's insurer had called.  Apparently they made an "arrangement" with the Mega ACO owned by the latest consolidation of Goliath health systems.  They wanted my patient transferred to another doctor.  Apparently the insurer now required all it's patients to be seen by only medical group physicians.

The administrator was almost whispering now.

The truth is, if it was up to me, I would have you see all our patient's!

The medical group doctor hardly ever rounded.  She was almost never available for urgent calls.  Her patients were transferred out to the hospital at the drop of a hat.  Yet, incredibly, she was managing three quarters of the nursing home population.   But the medical group physician had one advantage that trumped clinical quality or even cost of care.  She was measurable.  Her every move was recorded in an electronic medical system that could be beamed into the greedy hands of administrators, case managers, and insurers at whim.  This data could be analyzed and assessed, and spit back at her with ultimatums and extracted promises.

We sat silently on the phone at a loss for words.  The nursing home could not dare damage the fickle relationship with the ACO.  Otherwise the growing stream of patients coming from the local hospital would diminish.  It had been that way for some time now.  The threat was implicit to the arrangement.  The not so humorous unintended consequence of healthcare reform is monopoly.  And there is a power grab by huge expansive hospital systems for the billions of dollars, I mean patients, ripe for the picking. Physicians and nursing homes, doctors and nurses have all become pawns.  They are fodder for a game playing out around the country.

The administrator was the first to speak.

You know that the ACO will be merging with your other hospital systems soon.

He was right.  It was only a matter of time before they would be kicking me out of the nursing home business and replacing me with some no named company man.  As I began to hang up I sensed a ring of optimism bouncing over the phone line into my unwilling ear.

You might want to join the medical group, we really need you to see more patients here.

I hung up.

Check...mate.

ANOTHER Amnesia Drug

A reader sent me this link.

 Anesthesia-related memory loss lasts days, study warns

This one is about yet another Versed style drug which causes AMNESIA.  The description of the effects of the drug are exactly like the description of Versed.  Amnestic, hypnotic, sedative used for CONSCIOUS SEDATION and ANESTHESIA INDUCTION.  Sound familiar?  The study needs to say that PRE-ANESTHESIA DRUGS and SEDATIVE DRUGS used as an adjunct to anesthesia are the culprit for continued memory loss.  Well duh, disrupt the delicate process of memory retention with a powerful drug and then be astonished when the memory loss that THEY WANTED AND CAUSED continues.  What the Hell?  Cause amnesia deliberately and then be all shocked like when it persists?  Are these people really smarter than the rest of us?

Oh yes, this Etomidate is a "good" drug except for the long term memory loss. Who cares that the patient is in a nursing home with Alzheimer's afterward?  The patient is out of their hair by then.  Good job medical people.

If you don't want your brain destroyed by the medical field decline ANY kind of sedation.

...Costly, Unnecessary Sedation."

This article is from CBSNews, hardly an alternative health care site.  (for those of you who view this idea as somewhat less than mainstream.)  

 Click here: Study: Colonoscopies often come with costly, unnecessary sedation - CBS News

Sedation is over used, over valued and is detrimental to our health and our pocket book.  So why are medical people so determined to use it?

Why The Disrespect From Medical Workers?

I've been thinking about the disrespect I and a lot of my friends have been treated to by medical workers.  Why are they doing this to us?  It's not even a selective disrespect.  It seems that ALL patients are equally treated like dirt.  Unless you are in medical care you are unworthy.  Even then, unless you are a crna, you are a lower life form.  They even disrespect the doctors.  Why is that?

Here's the deal.  I've worked all my life. I'm a productive member of society.   Just because I CHOSE not to go into the medical field doesn't mean I'm an inferior life form.  It means that maybe I really don't like people (in general) much.  Maybe it's about having to work inside all the time.  Maybe it's because my hyperactivity doesn't allow for extended periods of relative inactivity?  I HATE trying to stay busy.  I like a job where the job itself is busy.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Part of it is the time spent in school, sitting in a classroom.  Part of it is the expense of higher learning.  I have never been comfortable with debt.  I don't like begging people for student loans.  I don't like filling out paperwork.  Lots of reasons NOT to go into health care.  That doesn't make me stupid or unworthy of care.

I WORK!  I pay huge sums of money for my health insurance.  How does it happen that even though I'm making these astronomical payments for health care, that when I want to use it I am treated like a deadbeat? Why am I taken to task for every little thing about me that isn't perfect?  Yes I have packed on a few pounds, but I'm nowhere near obese.  I can't be obese and do my job.  Why is personal attack the main theme from health care workers?  Can't they just fix the problem without the nastiness?  It's like I don't deserve treatment no matter how much I pay.  I pay and pay and pay with money *I* earn so that I can afford treatment.  Treatment grudgingly given.  So what exactly is the point of paying all that hard earned money if I can't use my insurance when I (finally) have a problem?

Most of my friends have experienced this lack of respect from medical workers as well, so I know it's not just me.  Why can't the medical field just treat the damn problem without all the sermonizing?  Do they think it's helpful for patients to be treated like juvenile malingerers by health care?  All those pure and spotless people who will never grow old, never smoke, drink, speed, or do anything lest they "ruin" their health.  Of course they have excuses for their unhealthy choices but for you patients?  Not so much.

In my last encounter with health care I went for months complaining of chest pain.  I went to work every day, exhausted, did my physically demanding job and then some.  My gp was uninterested in the (serious) heat exhaustion I experienced one day, which symptoms continued for 2 weeks.  He was uninterested in my chest pain.  I was made to feel like I was some kind of scammer trying to get on disability!  It was insulting.  I guess I personally am not good enough to rate medical care.  I had refused a colonoscopy (Versed issue) and the statins didn't agree with me so I adjusted my diet instead.  I guess that makes me a persona non grata.  Oh, they still took my money for appointments, but ignored my problem or blamed ME for it.

Even the cardiologist demanded to know why I was back in his office.  The stress test showed nothing, but it did reactivate the previously controlled (by Verapamil) chest pain.  Since I don't complain a lot about things, I guess that means that I'm not really ill.  So at the end, because I found another doctor ( a horse person like me) that called the cardiologist personally I got the treatment I needed.  My cardiologist had CONVINCED me that my chest pain was stress related.  I told the new doctor I was there for non-cardiac chest pain.  Those words passed my lips and I had to eat them later.  Without him, it was just a matter of time before I collapsed of a heart attack.

So for all my class A personality types, don't let the medical machine disrespect you and make light of your complaint.  THEY CAN BE WRONG!  Don't let them tell you that it's your ________ (name the vice/condition) that is causing it.  Don't buy into the "it's all your fault and you are faking it" that a lot of medical people try.

For prospective heart patients whose personalities are like mine...If you are going to work exhausted, and performing by sheer willpower, don't think it's just that you are growing old.  If you are too tired to talk, don't think it's just that you are working hard.  If you have chest pain that feels like a heart attack, regardless of the blood/stress tests get treated.  Change doctors if you have to until you find one who doesn't treat you like uninteresting pond scum.  Don't be ashamed to USE your insurance. That's why you pay for it isn't it?  Don't let the medical people intimidate and shame you.

Versed and Hysterectomy

This article is of particular interest to women...  Men SHOULD be interested because your wife or girlfriend might be subjected to a hysterectomy herself with personality changes as a result.  Robin, the author of the piece, got Versed first in order to force her into submission for her life altering surgery.  She got the triple whammy, Versed and its brain damage and a hysterectomy with physical damage and psychological hormonal changes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.hormonesmatter.com/victimized-medicine/

VICTIMIZED BY MEDICINE

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2014 / ROBIN KARR

I don’t particularly like saying I’ve been “victimized” nor do I like thinking of myself as a “victim”. I never have. The truth is though, according to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, I have been victimized. Merriam defines victimized as follows: to treat (someone) cruelly or unfairly: to make a victim of; to subject to deception or fraud. Victim is defined as: a person who has been attacked, injured, robbed, or killed by someone else; a person who is cheated or fooled by someone else and someone or something that is harmed by an unpleasant event (such as an illness or accident).

In 2007, I was knocked out with Versed and surgically assaulted. I wrote about what happened to mehere. The reason I use the word “assaulted” is because I did not consent to surgery – more specifically I did not consent to castration. Indeed, I was treated cruelly. I was attacked, injured, and robbed.

When there is no consent for surgery, it’s absolutely considered assault and battery. With over half a million women undergoing hysterectomy each year, it’s hard to imagine that there is informed consent in all of those cases – really hard to imagine. It would be bad enough if women were only up against hysterectomy and castration abuse, but sadly, there are many more ways women are being abused and victimized by medicine. You can read more about that here.

So what’s a victim to do? How does a victim start over and find purpose in her life again? Where exactly does a victim turn for help? How does a victim heal from the trauma? I suspect the answers to these questions might differ from one victim to another. The answers would also likely depend largely on the circumstances. And, while I can’t answer for other victims, I can certainly explain how I’ve managed to go on and even find purpose again.

One of the most important steps I took was to reach out. I know from experience that it is never a good idea to isolate oneself – although it is often human nature to do just that during times of trauma. For me personally, I knew that I needed to contact lawyers to see how I might go about pursuing a medical malpractice suit, since I did not consent to surgery.

I also contacted the police to see if filing criminal charges was an option for me. I found out it wasn’t because, according to the police officers I spoke with, it’s considered a “civil” case when a person’s been harmed by a doctor inside a hospital. More regarding how I feel about that another day though.

I reached out to local lawmakers and testified in both Indiana and Kentucky regarding hysterectomy informed consent laws or rather the lack of them. And last but not least, I reached out to other women who’ve been abused by medicine. Sadly, there are many – too many.

And while contacting lawyers, police, lawmakers, and other women made make me feel less like a victim externally, I still felt like a victim internally. I have never allowed myself to assume the role of victim and I didn’t want to do that in this case either. I searched my heart and knew what I needed to do. I needed to write. So, I created a blog site here and then a website here and eventually a Facebook page here.And, I’ve written a variety of articles for Hormones Matter as well.

The way I process, heal and communicate is through my written words. Ultimately, as negative and painful as undergoing unconsented hysterectomy and castration has been for me, it forced me to connect with and understand who I am at the deepest level of my being. When my former doctor took the violent actions he did against me, something so precious –so incalculable- was taken from me in that instant: my value and my worth – as a human being and especially as a woman. I had to dig deep to find myself again. I’m still digging…

As the anniversary of my surgical assault draws near on September 27, I can’t help but think about that day that changed my life, health and sexuality forever. I’ve asked myself over and over again why was I targeted for unnecessary surgery and why was I knocked out against my will, sliced open, and castrated. This is what I have concluded. During the two hours I was in surgery, I was nothing more than an object that happened to possess the pieces or body parts necessary to make money for that doctor and that hospital. Behind those surgical doors, I was treated as property (though never purchased), that my former doctor felt he had the right to touch and use for his own purposes.

During those two hours, I had no voice, no thoughts, no feelings, no soul, no mind, no emotions, no power and no potential. I only had a vagina and the life-sustaining organs that lived inside of it. And he felt entitled to that – entitled to take away my life-sustaining organs and my womanhood without actually knowing or caring anything about me. He violated me in the worst possible way one human being can violate another human being. That doctor ruined my life, my sexuality, and my health without even the slightest regard for how profoundly my life would change. Every dream I carried inside of me was crushed beyond recognition because of what he did with his scalpel.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned through this nightmare experience, it’s that I have to speak out about what happened and call things the way they are – even if that’s not necessarily what others are comfortable hearing and knowing.

I don’t sugarcoat what happened to me. I can’t. What was done to me was violent, shameful, wrong, immoral, unacceptable and downright evil. It was painful, hurtful, disrespectful, discriminatory, barbaric and criminal. I try to soften the trauma of what happened by reaching out to other women who’ve been victimized to let them know they are not alone in their devastation.

And, of course, my hope is to help women who’ve not yet been victimized know the truth about hysterectomy and castration that their doctors simply will not tell them. In other words, in helping other women, I’m taking the horror of what happened to me and I’m turning it into something of worth. I’m turning my pain into something I can at least live with and not lose my sanity completely.

I feel. I connect. I cry. I learn. I speak. I fight. I write.

The devastation I’ve endured in this situation is matchless to anything I have ever experienced before other than the loss of my two youngest children. There’s no way I can say it isn’t. At my weakest moments, I remember my strength. I remember that I have a voice. I speak and I speak loudly. I speak not only for my own sake, but for the sake of millions of other women. When I tell my story, I’m telling the story of all women who’ve been abused and victimized by medicine. Knowing I am helping someone else, helps me survive.

Speak Up! Speak Out!

I would love for more women to take a stand with me against the medical abuse of women. Please consider sharing your own story on the Hormones Matter site. Let’s connect and see what we can do together as one large voice!

A Problem With Denial and Red Herrings

In my previous post I linked to an article about Jeffrey McCallister, a nurse who sexually assaulted "sedated" patients.  I did some more research about it and came across the following from the NYDaily.  When I looked through the comments I found a comment which is so strange I had to comment on it.  Apparently the commenter is in denial about what medical care entails these days and instead focuses on something else...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Former Oregon nurse pleads guilty to sexually abusing ER patients - NY Daily News

FMD MEDINA

4 days ago

he's white. he'll get 18 months in a minimum security facility. he will be released in 6 months and wear an ankle bracelet. he'll write a book which becomes a bestseller and retire to a country where abusing women is not only legal but encouraged.

if he were black, he would be beaten every day to and from his trial, sentenced to life with no hope of parole and shanked to death while in prison.

the life of a black man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So now we have a person who has changed the sexual assaults into a race comment.  Come on people.  The problem isn't that Jeffrey McCallister is white.  This male nurse, ominously a former police officer, is a criminal if proven guilty.  He will be sentenced according to the law.  The real problem is the use of a drug which actually ENCOURAGES lawless acts.  How many patients are tortured using this drug?  Just how many patients are sexually assaulted under sedation?  Who would know due to the nature of Versed?  The real problem is that the medical field covers up this kind of abuse.  I guess they figure that as long as the patient can''t remember being violated, then there is no harm.  Is this the mindset YOU want from medical people?  Versed not only fries your brain, it also facilitates rape, sodomy, and oral sex along with the routine torture patients are subjected to because of Versed/Midazolam.

This commenter, FMD Medina completely disregards the issues and focuses on the shade of the (alleged) perps epidermis, and uses completely fabricated scenarios.  I find it so strange that EVERYTHING is about skin tone these days.  Sure, ignore the problem with what the guy did and the hospital administration who allegedly facilitated, ignored and otherwise allowed Jeffrey to do what he did, and instead whine about the color of his skin.  So many things these days, real problems, are swept under the rug in favor of discussing color.  It's maddening.  It doesn't matter what Jeffrey McCallister did, it only matters that his skin color will get him off the hook?  Will it?  I seem to remember a cute little white guy, with the same first name as this nurse, getting shanked in prison by a black guy...  Jeffrey Dahmer didn't get any special treatment because he was a small relatively attractive white guy, now did he?  Who cares what color Jeffrey McCallister is?  What he did and the people who allowed the abuse to continue should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  I don't care what color they are.

PS I believe there is a law that criminals can't profit from their crimes by writing books and keeping the proceeds.  So even that argument is specious.  Plus, if it's legal to make crime pay by writing memoirs, then that avenue would also be available to black criminals.

PPS  Just in;  McCallister has pleaded guilty and received a negotiated 15 year, un-appealable prison sentence.  He also has a 5 year post prison security sentence bringing the total to 20 years.  He will register as a sex offender.  So when he gets out of prison at age 54, his life will be effectively over.  Does that sound like 6 months?  So much for the "white privilege" the commenter above alludes to.  Personally *I* think it should have been a longer sentence, but at least it's not only 7 years like murderers sometimes get.

Another Nurse Does It!

Here's a new story, this one out of Oregon.  It features yet another male nurse found sexually assaulting "sedated" patients.  The horrors of Versed/Midazolam just keep going.  No matter how many stories there are about abuse of patients with this drug, physical torture AND sexual assault, the medical community ignores the problems.  So not only do we get our brains absolutely fried with this wonder drug, we also get other types of abuse heaped upon us.  Simply for the need of medical attention.

Click here: E.R. Nurse Guilty of What!? ...with Patients!?

How many more patients are out there, feeling OK after their medical treatment, unaware that they have been brutally violated?  I guess for medical practitioners, as long as the patients don't remember they were violated, then it's just fine.  Is this really what you want from medical care?  A nice "sedative" to give you complete amnesia while leaving you awake and very, very "cooperative"?  

A Conversation About Joan River's Debacle On Studentdoctor.net

This article was just sent to my inbox.  Very interesting conversation.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/joan-rivers-cardiac-arrest-outpatient.endo.1095633/

I had to copy the link, I hope it works.

Another Article On Joan Rivers/Sedation

We are still trying to get to the bottom of the debacle with Joan Rivers.  Here is another article on what may have happened, featuring my favorite drug. Click here: Joan Rivers Crisis Highlights Sedation Risks  Sadly each time somebody is cruelly harmed by medical care vis a vis Versed there is a brief flurry of activity and people other than me writing about the dangers.  Soon enough it is swept under the rug.  The medical field in general doesn't want us to refuse their amnesia and patient control drug.  No matter how dangerous it is for us, the attractions for medical people in general and crna's in particular are such that it's nearly impossible to get any real action on telling the public how bad this drug can be.  Medical people don't care, the law doesn't protect us and any criticism of Versed at all is met with resistance.  Just look in the comments section of the above link to see some of that.

Eventually I am proved right. Sedation...Increases Risks

I got this one from a friend of mine.  I can't believe it!  FINALLY I am vindicated.  If you haven't read any of my other posts, I was a victim of a crna with a syringe of Versed/Midazolam.  He poisoned me with it, against my will, immediately prior to giving me an axillary nerve block.  So here we have a recent article from Johns Hopkins and surprise surprise, they say the same thing I have been saying.  I have found other articles, but this one is the most succinct in regards to sedation and nerve blocks.  The article also addresses the COST of sedation.  Something I recently had a crna try to argue with me over.  She told me how "cheap" Versed/Midazolam is, in the vial.  She didn't want to talk about the excess additional charges associated with Versed use.  This article talks about it.

Click here: Sedation Before Nerve Block Increases Risks, Not Pain Relief - 02/13/2014

Here's the whole article linked above.  I have highlighted and italicized those passages which I particularly like.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sedation Before Nerve Block Increases Risks, Not Pain Relief

Release Date: February 13, 2014

New research suggests that sedating patients before a nerve block needed to diagnose or treat chronic pain increases costs, risks and unnecessary surgeries, and sedation does nothing to increase patient satisfaction or long-term pain control.

 

“Sedation doesn’t help, but it does add expense and risk,” says study leader Steven P. Cohen, M.D., a professor of anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “In some places, every patient is being sedated. Our research shows it should be used very sparingly.”

 

Nerve blocks, performed by injecting anesthetics and/or steroids into any number of areas of the body, from the spinal column to the hip joint, are often performed ahead of surgery and in addition to other invasive procedures, such as the ablation of nerves to treat arthritis in the back, to more accurately pin down the source of pain. If the nerve block fails to numb pain, surgery or the nerve ablation may not help. Increasingly, physicians have used light or even deep sedation in a bid to ease anxiety and pain while the injection is given.

 

However, results of the new study, reported online Feb. 13 in the journal Pain Medicine, show that sedation before a nerve block significantly increases false-positive results, which means patients are more likely to be sent in for surgeries and other procedures that won’t cure the underlying pain. Another worry, Cohen says, is the health risk when someone is sedated.

 

Cohen and researchers from several other medical centers in the United States recruited 73 patients with back or limb pain who were scheduled to receive multiple nerve blocks. Roughly half of the group received the first injection with sedation and the second without. The remaining patients received their injections in the opposite order. Patients were given six-hour pain diaries, a routine step that helps patients determine whether the injections bring relief, and were asked to rate their satisfaction with the treatment. They were also seen a month later and asked to rate their pain and function after the treatment.

 

Although the sedated patients reported less pain immediately after the nerve block injection, on every other measure — from 30-day pain assessments to overall patient satisfaction — the results were the same whether or not they were sedated.

 

“A lot of cost for very little benefit,” Cohen says.

 

The increase in false-positive results — the belief that the pain has been relieved when it has not been — can result from many factors, Cohen says. The medication used for the sedation itself can have pain-relieving properties. The sedative can relax muscles. Patients may need to take extra time away from daily activities after being under anesthesia, and that rest alone could make the patient feel better.

 

But if patients believe that the nerve block eased their underlying pain, the physician will often conclude he or she has found the source and will move ahead with the appropriate treatment, which may include spinal fusion or radiofrequency ablation of nerves for arthritis, Cohen says. In the end, he says, many patients end up back at square one — still in pain, but having suffered through a potentially unnecessary operation.

 

Cohen says that while many physicians may use sedation in a sincere effort to make the procedure less traumatic for patients, there is also a perverse financial incentive to use it.

 

“Unfortunately, medicine in many places has become a business. The fact is, you get paid more money to do the procedure with sedation,” he says. “The costs of anesthesia can be more than the fee for the procedure itself. And patients are getting harmed.”

 

The research was funded by the Center for Rehabilitation Sciences Research, part of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md.

 

Haroon Hameed, M.D., and Michael E. Erdek, M.D., both of Johns Hopkins, contributed to this study, as well as researchers from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda; the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences; the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz.; the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio; and the University of Florida in Gainesville.

 

For more information from Johns Hopkins Medicine about pain management, click here.

Joan Rivers Sedated?

I got an email from a fellow Versed sufferer and she correctly says that there was only one news source that reports that Joan Rivers was "sedated" for her exam.  I have read many reports as well, and my friend is right.  Nobody else is saying anything at all about sedation.  I have read about general anesthesia which is overkill for this kind of exam.  I can't imagine medical personnel doing a general on an elderly lady for an endoscopy.  Too bad the news can't give us an actual REPORT on what happened to our beloved comedienne.  It might save somebody else the same fate.

I grabbed this quote from the NCBI page entitled "Laparoscopy and Endoscopy: Sedation, Analgesia, and Monitoring"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Agents Used for Sedation and Analgesia

Ideal drugs for endoscopic sedation have a rapid onset and short duration of action, maintain hemodynamic stability, and do not cause major side effects. Commonly used agents include opiates, such as meperidine or fentanyl, benzodiazepines, such as midazolam or diazepam, or a hypnotic, such as propofol. The choice among these agents is a matter of personal preference, but typically consists of a benzodiazepine administered alone or in combination with an opiate.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...typically consists of a benzodiazepine administered alone..."  Want to guess which benzo they use?  That's right it's the damn Versed again.  

All around the web I find the same silence about which drug was used on Joan.  I can't even find information about whether she was given general anesthetic instead of simply amnesia via "sedation."  I guess that for once, HIPPA laws are being followed.  Or are the powers that be exerting their influence upon the media and deliberately hiding the fact that it was Versed which caused the problems for Joan?  After all, Versed is the most favored drug for anything and everything.  Mustn't alarm patients about the amnesia drug.  Can't tell them that this drug has killed a bunch of children in dentist's offices and patients across a broad spectrum have had dire consequences from Versed.  Nope, Versed is just too convenient for the medical field for them to reveal what is happening vis a vis its use.  So we are left to try to read between the lines...  I think it was Versed that was involved in Joan's problem.  Just my opinion.  Read up on the severe side effects of this wonder drug... 

Is This What Happened To You?

I got this e-mail today;

Hi,

First, thank you for your wonderful blog. It is refreshing and reassuring to know that there are others who share at least some of my feelings. My story isn't all that exciting, but I hope you'll read and comment on it.

A few years ago, I had a scheduled endoscopy at a local hospital. I was told that I would be given sedation that would allow me to be awake through the procedure but that I should bring a driver to take me home afterwards. I was given an IV that made me feel very woozy and I remember the nurse putting a numbing paste on the back of my throat. After what seemed like a minute or two I asked when they were going to start. The nurse told me they'd already done the procedure and I was going to be taken to recovery. I was never, ever told that I would be given a drug (Versed) that would induce amnesia! I was upset about this at the time but never said anything.

Last week I had a colonoscopy scheduled for Thursday. By Monday of that week, I still hadn't received any paperwork from the clinic so I stopped by and was given a copy. I read through it at lunch time, and realized they were planning to sedate me. This was not an option in any case as I had nobody to drive me home, but the paperwork said I would be given a sedative to "relax" me and a narcotic for pain. I asked the receptionist what drugs were given, and told it was Versed and Demerol. I told him in no uncertain terms that I did not want the Versed. I was told that I could still not drive home with the Demerol alone, and that I could request the procedure without any drugs but that this was "not recommended." I told him this was what I wished to do (no drugs), and he said he'd check with the doc and get back to me. The doc was OK with not using any drugs.

On the day of my procedure, the MA who took my history and vitals already knew I wanted to do the procedure without Versed or Demerol. She marked this on my wrist band and on my chart as well. A saline IV was started, which was acceptable because I know they need access in case anything goes wrong (like a punctured bowel and they have to give me a transfusion.) The nurse and doctor doing the procedure were very friendly and professional and did not question or patronize me for wanting to do the procedure without drugs. The procedure went fine...just a little bit of crampy gas from time to time.

Although my request to not have Versed (or Demerol) was handled perfectly by everyone involved, I have become more and more angry and suspicious over the past few days about why my preparation instructions never mentioned I would be given an amnesic. If I hadn't had the endoscopy 5 years ago, I never would have thought to ask this question. I've discussed this with some colleagues in the medical field (I myself am an EMT and preparing for PA school), and I invariably get an incredulous look and something along the lines of "Well, why wouldn't anybody want to forget?" This is MY body, MY mind, MY life and I decide what happens! I can't even begin to believe that most people don't think this omission about what Versed really does isn't a problem! I WANT MY MEMORIES INTACT...even the bad ones, even the very traumatic ones, and NOBODY has the right to steal them from me! Why do I feel like I'm the only person who feels like this? I so need validation about this right now.

I did call the Patient Advocacy department at the hospital today and explained my concern to a very nice nurse. She contacted the nurse manager in gastroenterology, who said she will bring this up at a meeting tomorrow and see if there is a consensus to modify the colonoscopy preparation paperwork to say that a drug that "makes patients forget" will be given during the procedure. The nurse manager from gastro is supposed to call me tomorrow and let me know the outcome. We'll see. If they refuse to change the wording to make it more transparent, I think their motives are quite clear. In any case, I told the nurse from patient advocacy that for any future procedures I was to be given NO Versed, NO benzodiazepenes, and NO amnesics of any kind, ever. She told me the information would be put on my hospital record. We'll see about that, too.

First of all this is an example of the HUGE problem with not only Versed, but "informed consent" in general.  This patient, quite rightly, was upset that the "sedation" (medical doublespeak, Versed is nothing like a sedative) wasn't completely explained to him.  He obviously expected to be sedated (made serene) but not to experience a complete blackout of events.  Medical people fake surprise when somebody mentions that they should have been told of the AMNESIA.  "Oh my goodness, why would anybody want to remember their procedure?"  Patient rights demand that we are told exactly what will happen to us.  Pretending that the patient is somehow outside the realm of normalcy by not wanting chemical Alzheimers is WRONG.  Ommiting pertinant information about a drugs action is illegal, no matter how much medical people want to pretend that it's normal.  They CONCEAL the drug itself in order to CONCEAL the procedure from the patient.  Why do they want to CONCEAL everything from the patient?  They have no RIGHT to do this, or to act like "everybody" wants amnesia.  Everybody does NOT want amnesia.  It is our right to KNOW what Versed is and does, and we have the right to REFUSE THIS DRUG.

Fortunately this particular patient was allowed to refuse drugs without repercussions.  Nobody sneaked it into his "saline".  So there is some progress.  However this patient noticed the false and misleading verbiage in his second encounter.  He was alert and aware of medical fraud as it pertains to their AMNESIA drug.  Medical people want to use this drug for two reasons  1) it allows them to treat their patient roughly without fear of being caught.  2)  it adds thousands of dollars to the most routine procedures.  Notice that there is nothing about Versed being "good" for patients.  These medical people have seen over and over, just how bad this drug is for a lot of people.  They have become inured to patient suffering because of Versed.  THEY want to use Versed and have come up with myriad ways to sneak it into unsuspecting patients.  The lack of concise language in the so-called "informed consent" is a deliberate ploy to get what they want.

As far as the "new and improved" information in the patient paperwork describing Versed as "making patients forget" this is yet another ruse to make patients sanguine about medical care so that they can be abused.  Versed doesn't "make you forget" which sound innocuous, it gives you complete and total amnesia along with abnormal obedience and a motor mouth.  Why not say what Versed really does?  I'm sure that there are patients who might like this!   If everybody welcomes amnesia and hates the idea of remembering every detail of their procedure, then what's the problem with being honest and transparent?  After all, if ALL patients want to forget the whole thing, then medical people would gleefully detail what Versed is and does, wouldn't they?   So why don't they?

E-Mail From A Friend

I got the following e-mail from a friend of mine.  The entire e-mail is here along with the link.

 I checked out AllExperts today, and was surprised to read Dr. Levy's response to a patient who had problems with Versed.

It doesn't sound like him at all ! Besides saying that providers "should have no problem" with the patient refusing Versed,

he admitted that it "was likely Versed caused the problem," not Propofol, which he now toots as a "wonderful drug,"

something he always said about Versed.

Is it finally sinking in that patients really ARE having problems, or is he just giving up the fight ?

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Anesthesiology-962/2014/8/anesthesiology-54.htm

The doctor referenced in the e-mail has been an ardent supporter of Versed and has, in the past, endorsed this drug while belittling people who had a problem with it.  It does seem that he has turned the corner.  I guess hundreds of questions from unhappy patients regarding the long term effects of Versed has made him reevaluate his support for Versed.  One can hope.  

I do not endorse Propofol either.  Anything that disrupts the memory of the brain, but leaves the rest intact is not something I would chance.  Also I have read that the "patient cooperation" is better with Propofol than Versed.  I don't like the sound of that.  For me, either I am completely knocked out or completely awake.  Nothing in between and certainly not forced into obedience!  The doctor says that Propofol is a necessary part of anesthesia, but I beg to differ.  What did the anesthetists do before Propofol was invented?  Case closed.

AWESOME Comment From A Nurse!

I got a really good comment by a nurse in regard to this comment from my post "I'm Sorry For The Anesthesia Nurses". 

AnonymousApril 11, 2013 at 12:07 PM

Actually a CRNA IS qualified to deliver anesthesia. In fact, CRNAs were administering anesthesia long before there was any such thing as an anesthesiologist. To become a CRNA, one must complete a bachelor's degree in nursing (with at least a 3.5 GPA for most CRNA schools), pass the NCLEX certification exam, complete at least 2 years of bedside nursing in the intensive care unit, get a high score on the Graduate Record Examination, apply, interview, and be accepted to a credentialed CRNA program, complete 2 years of rigorous coursework and clinicals, and pass a licensing exam. We are taught and are qualified to do everything an anesthesiologist (MDA) can do. No one with a doctorate in basket weaving is qualified to provide anesthesia, unless of course the basket weaving degree was earned in addition to their Master's of Nurse Anesthesia, Doctorate of Nurse Anesthesia, or Medical degree. Please get your facts straight before posting ignorant rants on topics which you know nothing about.

As you can see the comment is from (obviously) an anesthesia nurse.  I want everybody to know how these nurses feel about "stupid" patients who do not know anything about anything.  "Ignorant rants" is what they all say when you object to being poisoned with Versed.  Boo Hoo, I'm so crushed to be denigrated!  (NOT)  Anyway, the following is a rebuttal to the above comment.   I promise you that *I* am not the author of the following... 

AnonymousJuly 31, 2014 at 9:59 PM

As someone who did a second bachelor's degree program in nursing I find it a joke that a "3.5 GPA" is a valid argument. The only time in my life I ever made "Dean's List" was in nursing school, if that tells you anything. My husband is a physician (M.D.) as was my father. They refuse to ever let anyone other than another PHYSICIAN WHO SPECIALIZES in anesthesia even look at them. Both said they themselves would never touch anesthesia as too many things can-and do-go wrong. Just as they were not qualified, neither is a CRNA who has no where near the education or experience of a board certified ANESTHESIOLOGIST who completed a much more difficult undergrad than nursing and most likely with higher than a "3.5." Afterwards 4 MORE YEARS of medical school and THEN YEARS of residency /fellowship which consisted of NO LESS THAN 120 HOURS PER WEEK! (I remember him being gone for days at a time, despite living in resident housing right behind the Emergency Department of the hospital. A CRNA's training can not even come anywhere close to that. My father used to say, If nurses want to 'play doctor' then they should have gone to medical school. Nurses have their place, as do internists, pediatrician a, etc. but anesthesia is most definitely NOT one of them. 

Now you can see that while I like most floor nurses I detest anesthesia nurses.  I absolutely AGREE with everything this nurse says.  She is bright, well written and knows what she is talking about.  Compare her comment against the nasty, humorless, sanctimonious first comment.   That's the difference between anesthesia nurses who want total control and will conk you in the head with Versed just to get rid of you and the nurse directly above.  Amazing difference isn't it?

New Sanctimonious Pack of Lies

The following comment is from yet another anonymous.  Funny how these anesthesia people refuse to take responsibility for their diatribes isn't it?  lol

"This is ridiculous, you are clearly over reacting to the situation, Versed is not a completely 100% benign drug, no drug is, there are always possible side effects or complications with any drug, it is a calculated risk vs benefit ratio that must be considered and weighed with each patient based on their history and current condition.

To accuse anesthesia practitioners as being malicious or deceitful by administering this medication is just ignorant, this medication is not given for our benefit, we are patient advocates first and Versed is one tool in our tool box to help prevent surgical awareness and recall. If you don't know, intraop awareness and recall is a major concern, mostly because if this occurs there is no way of us to know because during most procedures the patient is chemically paralyzed to protect the patient from injury related to moving while the surgeon is operating. Versed is an amnestic medication given so you don't experience intraop awareness or post op recall. Now call me crazy but I would much rather not remember being cut open or scoped or whatever procedure I would be going through and a couple hours of recovery time than to actually remember it all. By signing the anesthesia consent form you are giving us permission to provide you the 3 A's of anesthesia (amnesia, analgesia, and anesthesia), If you would like to know all the details of every medication you are to be given, ASK! I personally always tell my patients what versed does and to this date I have never had 1 patient say they don't want it or have a problem with temporary chemical induced amnesia.
To say Versed is driving the cost of medical procedure through the roof is also just wrong, Versed is cheap (a box of 25 2mg/2ml vials costs approximately 54$, that equates out to $2.16 per 2mg vial (which is the typical premedication dose). The number of people that require the level of "post versed therapy" you are referring to vs the # that don't is minuscule, so to say it's a driving force in making huge profits for the medical field is just inaccurate, there is no conspiracy here to suck $ out of patients by giving them drugs that are going to have a negative long term effect on their psyche.
I have personally undergone several procedures in which I have received Versed and have never had a single problem with it. To wish all those terrible things you speak of on another is just wrong, I'm sorry you had a bad experience but I would never wish the same on another if it were me that went through it.

You need to seek psychological therapy for your issues if you haven't yet, five years is a loooong time to be this obsessed about one single bad experience."

No honey babe, I am not "over reacting" to the situation.  I was deliberately and maliciously injected with a "lethal injection drug" in defiance of my stated wishes, without permission and it caused me harm.  I have NOT "over reacted" I have reacted like any normal person who is assaulted.

I'm glad you admit that Versed isn't a completely benign drug.  I already know this due to my own "over reaction" to the poison, but thanks for confirming it.  The last part of your run on sentence is false.  Completely and categorically false.  There is no "calculated risk vs (sic) benefit ratio".  You know this is a bald faced lie.  You don't calculate any risk vs. benefit at all when it comes to Versed.  You just routinely use it on everybody.  Risk vs. benefit my patooty.  Nice try.  ..."considered and weighed with each patient based on their history and current condition."?  You expect us to believe this sanctimonious and self serving lie as well?  ROFL.  You don't consider and weigh any such thing with regard to Versed and you know it.  The most patients can expect is that you will give 2mls of the poison to start with and then you may "consider and weigh" how much more you can get away with injecting.  Whether we need/want it or not.

You ARE being deceitful and malicious.  You want an amnestic and "cooperative" patient at any cost to the patient.  It amazes me the amount of denial and self righteousness you people exhibit.  The medication isn't given for YOUR benefit?  Really?  Then how come I couldn't opt out of Versed?  I had a terrible reaction to it, but according to you it was given for MY benefit?  If it was for MY benefit, I wouldn't have gotten it.  What did *I* need Versed for?  Answer:  I didn't.  I said NO to any such thing.  Therefore it was given for the benefit of the nasty little anesthesia nurse.  The one who was illegally posing as a doctor.

As for your "tool box" analogy, you need to get rid of the bad tool.  I had AWARENESS you idiot!  Haven't you read any part of my story?  The evil drug Versed didn't work on me, just like it doesn't work on a whole bunch of us.  What I recall was horrible comments about me, the inability to resist them, the sickening obedience and the like.  You use it to PREVENT intraoperative awareness?  You can't tell if somebody is experiencing intraoperative awareness?  Well, you can't tell if Versed is causing amnesia either, but that doesn't stop you from letting patients SCREAM in pain does it?  You don't give a damn about awareness at all.  So this is just an excuse to use Versed isn't it?

If you had actually read my story you would know that I DID NOT SIGN AN ANESTHESIA CONSENT.  I would NEVER have signed it if it contained the three A's like you claim.  What is anesthesia?  You seem to have some weird idea that anesthesia is different than analgesia.  As for the amnesia part, that was MADE UP after it was discovered that Versed causes amnesia.  Before that people were either awake or knocked completely out.  Why is that?  FOR PAIN RELIEF YOU MORON.  That's what anesthesia is. Pain relief.  Amnesia has no place in anesthesia.  To use amnesia to pretend that your patients aren't suffering is cruel.

Of course I asked what "Vitamin V" was.  I had declined any sort of incapacitating drug, which is my RIGHT.  I also declined general anesthesia for my minor surgery, which, by the way, is best performed WITHOUT GENERAL ANESTHESIA.  Stop trying to twist what happened to me into some kind of normal occurance in which I was able to ferret out any details.  Vitamin V was explained to me as simply a muscle relaxant, not the chemical alzheimers drug, not the amnesia drug, not an incapacitating drug where I would be awake and aware, just forced into compliance.  Of course that wasn't explained to me because I had ALREADY DECLINED ANY DRUGS LIKE THAT.  Get off your damn high horse and read what I have written.

Versed IS being used to drive the cost of treatment through the roof as I have explained on this blog MANY times.  You medical people love it BECAUSE IT'S CHEAP.  Did you really think I didn't know that?  The drug itself is cheap so all that lovely money for "tiers of care", extra monitoring and all the rest is PURE PROFIT!  Any time the cheap sedation drug is used  THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS are added to the bill.  This is just another attempt by you to justify the use of Versed.  Or maybe you never knew just how much it costs to use your "cheap" amnesia and patient compliance drug.  I've heard that you people have a very narrow and limited knowledge of anything other than your love of the drug.  Are you aware of all the charges heaped upon patients as a direct result of using Versed?  Maybe instead of researching the cost of the drug alone, you should understand the other costs associated with it.  Round out your education.

For your information, I didn't need Versed.  I WANTED to be aware and have FULL RECALL of my minor surgery.  Why would you assume that I didn't?  Because it goes with your plan to poison all of your patients?  You are a bad person.  There is no excuse for using Versed even though you gave it the old college try.  Just because YOU claim not to want to remember your medical team torturing you doesn't mean that we all want amnesia.  If I were you I wouldn't brag about getting Versed many times...if you had read my blog you would know that I find it's mostly bright people who have a bad reaction to this drug.  The idea that you like it makes me think you don't have much of an IQ.

PS If your patient is going to have intraoperative recall without Versed then you are using the wrong "tools" in the wrong amounts.  YOU FAIL!  That's one of the reasons you use Versed, admit it.  You are a FAILURE at your job and Versed lets you hide it.  You just HOPE that the Versed works and the patient doesn't remember lying there in pain, paralyzed being operated on.  God you people are bad.

PPS Throwing in another personal insult at the end is absolutely what I have come to expect from our "caring" drug pushers.  You just couldn't resist a little dig could you?  For your information, lots of people with PTSD continue to have a problem with it well after the cause of the PTSD has ended.  You really need to do some research on it before you say something as disparaging as you did.  I have heard this so many times before..."get help". BORING.

Why don't you stop giving people a drug, KNOWN TO CAUSE MENTAL PROBLEMS (not just PTSD) to everybody?  You claim that nobody has objected to chemical amnesia, so either you are a neophyte or you are lying.  Everybody *I* know would decline an amnesia drug especially knowing all the problems and expense associated with it.  We all want PAIN RELIEF.  What person would subject themselves to torture whether they remember it or not?  Nobody *I* know.  I think maybe YOU should seek medical help for your narcissitic personality disorder.  I hear that it's nearly impossible to treat, but for the sake of your patients I do hope you will at least try.