You will probably NOT be able to sue your caregivers no matter what! Let that sink in. There is no malpractice crisis in America. There are almost zero successful malpractice suits because Doctors and all their minions and support groups, hospitals et. al. are effectively immune from prosecution. Why is it that the public believes that Doctors are sued all the time by litigious patients who are just greedy? This is FALSE so how did the Doctors get people to believe it?
The TRUTH OF THE MATTER is that Doctors have gotten progressively more sloppy over the last 20 years. That coincides with the advent of Versed, so let's look at some of the more obvious reasons for this.
The lawyer states that it is NOT ENOUGH that the care giver "ran the stop sign." You said no, you didn't sign an informed consent, you had your procedure misrepresented, one of the side effects that they failed to warn you of happened, the CRNA was working without oversight, they did the old "bait and switch" to allow a student to do your surgery, they let nurses practice threading a catheter into your sexual organs, you were harmed? TOO DAMN BAD! That's right. Just because the medical people broke many laws doesn't mean that you can sue, you can't.
So the medical people ran the stop sign. They were only trying to help you. You have to PROVE that not only did they run the stop sign, you have to prove that the stop sign was there for a reason, that the stop sign wasn't a yield sign, and that by running the stop sign they caused you permanent harm.
Not only do you have to prove that they caused permanent harm, but that EVEN IF you said no, that you would not have continued with the procedure once they told you all the stuff that could happen. Saying no (stop sign) doesn't really mean no. It means nothing. This is why you can't say no. Even if you say no, it could have meant that you really meant yes, but you didn't know that you really needed this regardless of risk and you are too stupid to decide.
Are you confused? That's what they want. while they say they want patients to be involved in their own health care, this is a lie. They only want you involved to the point where you recognise that they are GODS and you show the proper deference.
If you try to sue, you will be viciously attacked by the defence counsel. They will fight you tooth and nail. Just because you said NO, didn't have an informed consent, weren't given alternatives to intrusive surgery, weren't warned of any side effects, and were basically hit in the head with drugs, especially Versed, got a preventable infection, had severe side effects that ruined your life, too damn bad. You are pond scum and deserve to be further harmed by the medical profession.
If you don't have deep pockets forget about being able to sue. The lawyers know that it will be a protracted fight and will want you to pay for their out of pocket expenses at the very least. These can add up. At the top of the list is your "expert witness."
This is a Doctor who is also a witness. Not just any expert Doctor will do. THIS Doctor has to make his living doing trials because the AMA has probably black balled him/her for speaking out against his fellow medical professionals. That's right, the AMA retaliates against Doctors who tell the truth about the harm done to patients. This will cost you $10,000 to $25,000.
There are a lot of miscellaneous fees too, court fees, filing fees, etc. This all adds up. If you are already injured this will probably be too costly. The Doctors have plenty of money to defend themselves.
Versed is a perfect drug because mental illness is subjective. Not many of us have the foresight or money to have a cognitive function test done before we are injected with Versed. The drug was a total surprise to me, as it is to most people. I have spoken of the excuses given as to why Versed couldn't possibly be the culprit so I won't go over them here, but rest assured they will never admit that their wonder drug causes enormous suffering in a lot of people.
Next time you go to the hospital go over the consent with a fine tooth comb. Strike anything you don't want and initial it. Write in large red letters with the red indelible pen you brought with you, NO VERSED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES! Protect yourself. This may enable you to sue when they go ahead and do whatever the hell they freaking want to anyway.
Stay awake as long as possible. Stay awake and supervise THE WHOLE THING if possible. You can't tell me that these Doctors aren't a lot more careful when they have an awake and cognizent patient. That way if there is an oops moment you can remember. If you are going to be a wake anyway, just amnestic, there is no reason why you can't be awake and AWARE...
Document document document. If you do get a lawyer interested make sure that you know who it was that screwed up. You need the name and title of every person in the room and who they are working for, the hospital, an anesthesia group, who is it you need to talk to if there is a problem. This is really important.
Get your records as soon as possible even if there was no problem. Hospitals heavily redact (in violation of the law) your chart if they think there is a problem. They don't get into any trouble for this so it is standard procedure. Make sure you get you copies lest something show up later. These people are adversaries, you need to even up the playing field.
Be prepared. Keep in mind that you may need to sue. As lax as hospitals and surgeons are about your life and safety you need to be an advocate for yourself even before you need a lawyer.
I am adding that the district attorney in St. Maries Idaho told me that ALL OF THE PATIENT RIGHTS LAWS ARE CIVIL LAWS. What that means boys and girls is that the Doctors, hospitals, clinics etc. have absolutely no criminal offense laws that pertain to them. They know this. The civil lawsuits that they have been crying about for so long are basically non existant. This has led to the health care crisis we have today. There is no government oversight to make sure that we are not RIPPED OFF by predators at the hospital. We ARE considered prisoners of the hospital and they feel that they can do everything that they want to do to you. There is nothing we can do about it!!! There are no lawyers who want to take these cases of assault and patient rights violations. There is money to be made by forcing us to endure more treatment than we want and the drug of choice to ensure that we can be abused is Versed.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Informed Consent?
What does informed consent REALLY mean? Do you think that it means what it was meant for? Does it mean that you the patient get to discuss your treatment and decide for yourself whether you want this? Whether the risks out weigh the benefits? Do YOU get to decide to decline certain parts of the treatment? Do you get the opportunity to sign out AMA instead of going through with it? Are you truly informed about the risks or are you just told what the medical providers want you to know? Can you STOP them at any time? All of these questions are part of the informed consent laws that are totally lost in medical care these days.
Here is what Informed Consent means today; They tell you an abridged version of your procedure omitting anything that would make you say no. You sign it without knowing a damned thing. Informed Consent! They will tell you "I don't have time to tell you every little thing." "That was the (interchangeable person other than themselves) job." "That side effect has never happened before." Oh there are endless excuses for the hapless patient. By the way, these excuses are not only lies, but they are totally in defiance of informed consent laws.
Here are some other misconceptions about "informed Consent." Informed consent is where we medical people get to inform the patient to whatever degree we feel won't upset the patient and the patient consents. WORSE YET; The medical people get to play psychic! They get to decide that you would have gone ahead with your procedure EVEN IF THEY HAD TOLD YOU THE TRUTH! Can you believe it! No wonder most of them are arrogant! YOU have to PROVE that you would have declined the treatment if they had explained it. Even if you say no very loud and clear, they can still dispense with informed consent on the premise that you really would have agreed, if only they had the time to explain it to you.
Here are some of the excuses from my own experience. "I didn't have time to explain it." You don't want to feel the pain." This is true, I don't want to feel pain. However I don't want amnesia to trick me into thinking there was no pain. See the difference? They have pain medication, which I wanted. They had amnesia drugs which I clearly did not want. They knew perfectly well that I didn't want to be knocked silly or out.
My CRNA, the omnipotent God, "read my mind" and decided that I truly did want amnesia and general anesthetic. He pushed his own desires off on me, pretending that he only had my best interests at heart. He lied to me about Versed. He pretended to go along with my statements declining this kind of drug and declining the general anesthetic. This totally pisses me off. If you are reading this and recognise me little CRNA, you are not psychic. I hate you for degrading me and treating me like a dog. I absolutely despise you! This man is a brutal dictator once he has a helpless patient. Don't let him work on you if you want that "patient autonomy" which is the law. Don't let him touch you, he will defy you and fail to get an informed consent. Don't let him fool you. This man needs to work at Gitmo. Better yet he needs to be in jail.
The sad part is that Aaron is not alone in his thinking. This attitude is pervasive. "We don't work in a vacuum" is what one person said in defence of their practice of deceiving the patient. This person claims that no violation of the patient can occur because there are so many people involved with the patients care. This is false. These people are in collusion to deprive you of your patient rights.
Another problem is their claim that they are "treating patients with respect." Using a drug like Versed to gain compliance and forcing the patient to be obedient against their will is NOT respectful. I don't give a damn how the anesthesia provider or surgeon SAYS that they are respectful, if they are giving you drugs against your will this is a violation. Just like rape folks. We said NO. Just because we were unable to vocalize our objections, or were ignored because you think we lack capacity once you inject us with Versed, that does NOT mean that you have our permission to continue!
Informed consent should mean that we are told what the drugs are and the plan of our surgery. This would include a description of the amnesia, obedience, the inability to object once sedated with Versed. Also included should be the fact that the care providers can't tell if you have amnesia, the fail rate, (10%) and that if the amnesia doesn't work that you will be tortured and unable to stop the procedure.
We should also have a description of the surgery, including negative side effects. We should be told where the incision is going to be, how long our convalescence will be, what complications COULD happen. It would be nice to know the rate of complication for the particular surgeon, but since we can't even get what the LAW REQUIRES in regard to informed consent, good luck with this.
If you do not get an informed consent that says anything except for "I consent to the surgery and anything that the Doctor needs or wants to do" run, not walk to the nearest exit. This is a torture chamber and these people have zero respect for you. They are already in violation of the law. Don't stay it will only get worse.
If you get an informed consent that goes on and on about "blood products" or "living will" on the page and one tiny paragraph at the bottom about submitting to the surgery, don't sign it. They will trick you with this document and you will find out after that you actually signed a consent, not for blood products or the living will, but anything at all that the surgeon wants. There is a reason they sneak this into something that seems innocuous!
In my case there was a blurb about the surgery at the bottom of the blood products page. Most of the page concerned blood transfusions, which was explained in detail. Not explained and unnoticed by me was the surgery consent at the bottom. There was no explanation of conscious sedation, no mention of general anesthetic or risks of these things. Nothing concerning the surgery itself, no side effects, nothing. This is against the law, but it doesn't matter. By law the surgeon must see the patient before surgery to go over the risks and benefits of the surgery and get his own informed consent signed. This step is often eliminated.
If you don't get a separate form, if you don't see anything about conscious sedation, amnesia etc., if you haven't seen the surgeon in the hospital, get out of there. My surgeon never showed up until I was already in the OR. He never explained anything to me at all.
The CRNA chose not to reveal that he was going to force me to endure whatever he wanted. He also chose not to get informed consent at all because he already knew that I couldn't do anything about it. He attacked me and humiliated me with impunity. The informed consent law did not protect me. Don't let them get away with saying they "don't have time" to explain anything, they are in a rush to get you to the surgeon. This is against the law. They have to explain it to you regardless of time restraints, it's the law. Question everything. If they seem cagey, leave and reschedule the surgery.
It is my belief that my surgeon Dr. Frankenstein chose not to see me in advance because he didn't want me to turn down the surgery. He needed more practice at this particular surgery and knew that I would not allow him to knock me out. He did send in his PA, Traitor, who couldn't answer any questions. (Traitor also referred to me as "it." This is also a red flag.) This is all in violation of patient rights laws.
People the only way we are going to get true informed consent is to petition our elected officials about it. Hospitals are truly rogue institutions. We need to assert our rights not to be given treatment without explanation. We have rights, you need to know them and you need to know what the informed consent is required by law to have in it.
Here is what Informed Consent means today; They tell you an abridged version of your procedure omitting anything that would make you say no. You sign it without knowing a damned thing. Informed Consent! They will tell you "I don't have time to tell you every little thing." "That was the (interchangeable person other than themselves) job." "That side effect has never happened before." Oh there are endless excuses for the hapless patient. By the way, these excuses are not only lies, but they are totally in defiance of informed consent laws.
Here are some other misconceptions about "informed Consent." Informed consent is where we medical people get to inform the patient to whatever degree we feel won't upset the patient and the patient consents. WORSE YET; The medical people get to play psychic! They get to decide that you would have gone ahead with your procedure EVEN IF THEY HAD TOLD YOU THE TRUTH! Can you believe it! No wonder most of them are arrogant! YOU have to PROVE that you would have declined the treatment if they had explained it. Even if you say no very loud and clear, they can still dispense with informed consent on the premise that you really would have agreed, if only they had the time to explain it to you.
Here are some of the excuses from my own experience. "I didn't have time to explain it." You don't want to feel the pain." This is true, I don't want to feel pain. However I don't want amnesia to trick me into thinking there was no pain. See the difference? They have pain medication, which I wanted. They had amnesia drugs which I clearly did not want. They knew perfectly well that I didn't want to be knocked silly or out.
My CRNA, the omnipotent God, "read my mind" and decided that I truly did want amnesia and general anesthetic. He pushed his own desires off on me, pretending that he only had my best interests at heart. He lied to me about Versed. He pretended to go along with my statements declining this kind of drug and declining the general anesthetic. This totally pisses me off. If you are reading this and recognise me little CRNA, you are not psychic. I hate you for degrading me and treating me like a dog. I absolutely despise you! This man is a brutal dictator once he has a helpless patient. Don't let him work on you if you want that "patient autonomy" which is the law. Don't let him touch you, he will defy you and fail to get an informed consent. Don't let him fool you. This man needs to work at Gitmo. Better yet he needs to be in jail.
The sad part is that Aaron is not alone in his thinking. This attitude is pervasive. "We don't work in a vacuum" is what one person said in defence of their practice of deceiving the patient. This person claims that no violation of the patient can occur because there are so many people involved with the patients care. This is false. These people are in collusion to deprive you of your patient rights.
Another problem is their claim that they are "treating patients with respect." Using a drug like Versed to gain compliance and forcing the patient to be obedient against their will is NOT respectful. I don't give a damn how the anesthesia provider or surgeon SAYS that they are respectful, if they are giving you drugs against your will this is a violation. Just like rape folks. We said NO. Just because we were unable to vocalize our objections, or were ignored because you think we lack capacity once you inject us with Versed, that does NOT mean that you have our permission to continue!
Informed consent should mean that we are told what the drugs are and the plan of our surgery. This would include a description of the amnesia, obedience, the inability to object once sedated with Versed. Also included should be the fact that the care providers can't tell if you have amnesia, the fail rate, (10%) and that if the amnesia doesn't work that you will be tortured and unable to stop the procedure.
We should also have a description of the surgery, including negative side effects. We should be told where the incision is going to be, how long our convalescence will be, what complications COULD happen. It would be nice to know the rate of complication for the particular surgeon, but since we can't even get what the LAW REQUIRES in regard to informed consent, good luck with this.
If you do not get an informed consent that says anything except for "I consent to the surgery and anything that the Doctor needs or wants to do" run, not walk to the nearest exit. This is a torture chamber and these people have zero respect for you. They are already in violation of the law. Don't stay it will only get worse.
If you get an informed consent that goes on and on about "blood products" or "living will" on the page and one tiny paragraph at the bottom about submitting to the surgery, don't sign it. They will trick you with this document and you will find out after that you actually signed a consent, not for blood products or the living will, but anything at all that the surgeon wants. There is a reason they sneak this into something that seems innocuous!
In my case there was a blurb about the surgery at the bottom of the blood products page. Most of the page concerned blood transfusions, which was explained in detail. Not explained and unnoticed by me was the surgery consent at the bottom. There was no explanation of conscious sedation, no mention of general anesthetic or risks of these things. Nothing concerning the surgery itself, no side effects, nothing. This is against the law, but it doesn't matter. By law the surgeon must see the patient before surgery to go over the risks and benefits of the surgery and get his own informed consent signed. This step is often eliminated.
If you don't get a separate form, if you don't see anything about conscious sedation, amnesia etc., if you haven't seen the surgeon in the hospital, get out of there. My surgeon never showed up until I was already in the OR. He never explained anything to me at all.
The CRNA chose not to reveal that he was going to force me to endure whatever he wanted. He also chose not to get informed consent at all because he already knew that I couldn't do anything about it. He attacked me and humiliated me with impunity. The informed consent law did not protect me. Don't let them get away with saying they "don't have time" to explain anything, they are in a rush to get you to the surgeon. This is against the law. They have to explain it to you regardless of time restraints, it's the law. Question everything. If they seem cagey, leave and reschedule the surgery.
It is my belief that my surgeon Dr. Frankenstein chose not to see me in advance because he didn't want me to turn down the surgery. He needed more practice at this particular surgery and knew that I would not allow him to knock me out. He did send in his PA, Traitor, who couldn't answer any questions. (Traitor also referred to me as "it." This is also a red flag.) This is all in violation of patient rights laws.
People the only way we are going to get true informed consent is to petition our elected officials about it. Hospitals are truly rogue institutions. We need to assert our rights not to be given treatment without explanation. We have rights, you need to know them and you need to know what the informed consent is required by law to have in it.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Good Doctor's, Nurses Read this!
There are good Doctors and Nurses. It is my hope that most of Doctors and Nurses are very concerned about their patients. On this blog I go an about the inconsiderate and abusive behavior of the ones I ran in to 3 years ago in a large newer hospital. In this piece I will say some good things.
When I had to have the expensive and devastating surgery done over I chose a small hospital in a town of less than 4,000. While I was, quite naturally, not the same pleasant woman from my previous surgery, and they could not understand my anger and paranoia about being given Versed, they were very kind. I got to speak to the anesthesia provider, another CRNA, (from the same outfit as the horrid man who did the original) days ahead of the surgery! He assured me that Versed would NOT EVEN BE IN THE SAME ROOM AS ME!
I got my surgery with only Fentanyl 2 mils. for the tourniquet pain and some nausea medication. I got a Bier block which worked for the pain in my wrist, it was expertly done. Not only did the new CRNA go along with MY plan, he also kept releasing and re tightening the tourniquet to prevent the extreme pain that the previous operation had caused.
Tourniquet pain is nothing to laugh at folks. When my arm came back to life after the axillary block of the first operation the pain was excruciating! I had no idea what had caused it, had no idea that a tourniquet had been applied at hundreds of pounds and then just left there for the entire operation. I thought that that severe pain was a result of the axillary block that the original CRNA had botched. The dreaded NERVE DAMAGE that the original CRNA had used to try to coerce me into a general anesthetic. God I was scared. I couldn't function with that kind of pain forever! I didn't know how long it would last, nobody saw fit to tell me anything, either before or after. Shouldn't this be mentioned in an informed consent?
When I had to have the expensive and devastating surgery done over I chose a small hospital in a town of less than 4,000. While I was, quite naturally, not the same pleasant woman from my previous surgery, and they could not understand my anger and paranoia about being given Versed, they were very kind. I got to speak to the anesthesia provider, another CRNA, (from the same outfit as the horrid man who did the original) days ahead of the surgery! He assured me that Versed would NOT EVEN BE IN THE SAME ROOM AS ME!
I got my surgery with only Fentanyl 2 mils. for the tourniquet pain and some nausea medication. I got a Bier block which worked for the pain in my wrist, it was expertly done. Not only did the new CRNA go along with MY plan, he also kept releasing and re tightening the tourniquet to prevent the extreme pain that the previous operation had caused.
Tourniquet pain is nothing to laugh at folks. When my arm came back to life after the axillary block of the first operation the pain was excruciating! I had no idea what had caused it, had no idea that a tourniquet had been applied at hundreds of pounds and then just left there for the entire operation. I thought that that severe pain was a result of the axillary block that the original CRNA had botched. The dreaded NERVE DAMAGE that the original CRNA had used to try to coerce me into a general anesthetic. God I was scared. I couldn't function with that kind of pain forever! I didn't know how long it would last, nobody saw fit to tell me anything, either before or after. Shouldn't this be mentioned in an informed consent?
I wish I could say that having a good experience in the meantime helped me. Sadly, it was so hard to convince the medical providers NOT to give me this drug, and in corresponding with anesthesia providers on the phone and on-line, I am still very worried about getting Versed again.
I want to publicly thank my benefactors at a Community Hospital in Idaho. They were kind, concerned and didn't throw me out of the hospital for being so belligerent about Versed. I got the operation I wanted in the first place at this small hospital.
I also want to thank the Doctor from "Trying to make sense of it all." He is a great man, who understands how very important "informed" consent is. He has given me a bird's eye view of what happens, even in the most prestigious hospitals. Thanks Doctor!
I want to thank so many of the CRNA's from nurse-anesthesia.org. To all of you who showed concern for our plight in regards to informed consent and the sneaky application of Versed, thank you very much. Any one of you nurses would be just fine with me. You are a credit to your profession. Now if you could figure out how to weed out the bad guys from your midst. You know who I am talking about...
For my surgeon who cleaned up after my botched surgery, THANKS! My thumb never went numb, let alone my whole hand. I had none of the side effects from my first operation. Good job. You are the bomb. Lucky you, if I break anything else I will see you first. This is a great comfort. I have no intentions of allowing one surgery in one hospital to prevent me from enjoying that which makes my life worth living. Horses. I will never break another horse, or ride hunter/jumper horses because of the permanent damage to my hand caused by the original surgery, but at least it didn't get WORSE after the corrective surgery! Thanks again Dr., you saved my hand!
If any of you anesthesia providers want to put your name on a list of providers who don't arbitrarily use Versed, please contact me. We may be able to start a consumer list, even a secret one, where concerned patients can check and see if they are getting an anesthetist that doesn't use Versed.
Ditto anybody whose colonoscopy clinic allows the patient to have a colonoscopy, endoscopy, etc. without conscious sedation, that would be information that our readers might like to have. We are getting closer and closer to having customers be able to have some choice about their health care. Lets get a jump on it and have savvy patients pick their team!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Surgeons, Ethics, Informed Consent
It is unethical to choose not to reveal side effects of the surgeon's desired surgery. Too many times the Doctor only tells the patient things that are designed to make the surgery seem desirable to the patient. There are many reasons for this, unfortunately it is usually to coerce the patient into accepting this particular surgery. Maybe the surgeon needs practice at this surgery or knows that the patient may not agree if they knew the risk of the surgery. Maybe this is the MOST EXPENSIVE remedy!
My surgeon, Dr. Frankenstein, did not reveal any of the risks for the particular surgery I had performed. He forgot to tell me that my hand would be numb and that I would have a 70% loss of grip in my hand because of him "tugging on the nerves." He neglected to mention that he had to slash through the tendons in order to do this surgery. I found the incision right straight through my tendons on the inside of my wrist. This too should not have been a surprise!
Dr. Frankenstein allowed the CRNA or somebody to put a tourniquet on too tight and leave it like that for the entire surgery. New style tourniquets are made so that they can be tightened and released so that the extreme tourniquet pain doesn't happen. Naturally I was not important enough to worry about tourniquet pain. The pain from them leaving that tourniquet on was more than the incision or surgery. It was agonizing and I didn't know if it would last forever or not! This should have been explained to me and steps should have been taken to ensure that it didn't happen. There is no excuse for this.
Dr. Frankenstein also deliberately withheld information about alternative surgeries that were less intrusive and had fewer side effects. There is an external fixator type remedy that would have been so much better for me. Unfortunately this was never mentioned until after my horrible outcome from HIS desired surgery.
Dr. Frankenstein pretended to go along with my wishes to remain awake and alert. He knew that he doesn't work on anybody who is conscious and he deliberately withheld this information from me. He allowed or directed the anesthesia nurse to give me Versed to gain compliance and then ordered me to be knocked out. No informed consent and absolutely no communication.
I go on about this because all of this is in direct violation of the law and is UNETHICAL! It is unethical to conceal things in order to get an affirmative response from the unwitting patient. It is a violation of trust to do this as well. I trusted that my Doctor had my best interests at heart, not his own desires. I trusted him to reveal any downside to my surgery, as I have explained. I trusted him to make known to the anesthetist that I was not to be drugged, but instead he colluded with them so that he could have his own way. This is UNETHICAL and illegal.
I trusted my Doctor to make sure that I was treated with respect. Dr Frankenstein allowed my CRNA to make crude and insulting statements about me, in my presence and his. He directed this person to knock me out in flagrant violation of my wishes. He allowed nurses to practice on me.
I trusted that my modesty would be protected, and instead I was apparently a living corpse for students to practice threading a catheter into my vagina. Right in front of the nasty CRNA!!! Of course they deny all of this, just like they denied that I was treated like steer at the slaughter house. I got a kidney infection from it! This is unethical. I never gave permission to use my body as a teaching tool. Once again this is unethical and illegal. It's immoral too. Nobody should have their sexual organs exposed and experimented on without informed consent! If they are going to use us as a live cadaver, the hospital should at least be responsible for treating any infections that result... Maybe the whole surgery should be free as long as we are simply the test subject.
This is all medical care as it is today. It's shameful. Informed consent is a nuisance, ethics are out the door and immoral behavior is rampant. There are too many people complaining about this stuff for it to be just an isolated incident. It is a pattern of abuse. Be very careful out there.
All of this is my personal experience and opinion, and I have had to extrapolate a lot of what happened because the hospital lied to me and refused to admit or reveal certain things. The AMNESIA DIDN'T WORK!!! I know what they lied about after the Versed and before the general anesthetic, and from that I can assume that they lied about other things that I can only surmise. I would think that it should be unethical to refuse to reveal the truth about what happens in the OR.
My surgeon, Dr. Frankenstein, did not reveal any of the risks for the particular surgery I had performed. He forgot to tell me that my hand would be numb and that I would have a 70% loss of grip in my hand because of him "tugging on the nerves." He neglected to mention that he had to slash through the tendons in order to do this surgery. I found the incision right straight through my tendons on the inside of my wrist. This too should not have been a surprise!
Dr. Frankenstein allowed the CRNA or somebody to put a tourniquet on too tight and leave it like that for the entire surgery. New style tourniquets are made so that they can be tightened and released so that the extreme tourniquet pain doesn't happen. Naturally I was not important enough to worry about tourniquet pain. The pain from them leaving that tourniquet on was more than the incision or surgery. It was agonizing and I didn't know if it would last forever or not! This should have been explained to me and steps should have been taken to ensure that it didn't happen. There is no excuse for this.
Dr. Frankenstein also deliberately withheld information about alternative surgeries that were less intrusive and had fewer side effects. There is an external fixator type remedy that would have been so much better for me. Unfortunately this was never mentioned until after my horrible outcome from HIS desired surgery.
Dr. Frankenstein pretended to go along with my wishes to remain awake and alert. He knew that he doesn't work on anybody who is conscious and he deliberately withheld this information from me. He allowed or directed the anesthesia nurse to give me Versed to gain compliance and then ordered me to be knocked out. No informed consent and absolutely no communication.
I go on about this because all of this is in direct violation of the law and is UNETHICAL! It is unethical to conceal things in order to get an affirmative response from the unwitting patient. It is a violation of trust to do this as well. I trusted that my Doctor had my best interests at heart, not his own desires. I trusted him to reveal any downside to my surgery, as I have explained. I trusted him to make known to the anesthetist that I was not to be drugged, but instead he colluded with them so that he could have his own way. This is UNETHICAL and illegal.
I trusted my Doctor to make sure that I was treated with respect. Dr Frankenstein allowed my CRNA to make crude and insulting statements about me, in my presence and his. He directed this person to knock me out in flagrant violation of my wishes. He allowed nurses to practice on me.
I trusted that my modesty would be protected, and instead I was apparently a living corpse for students to practice threading a catheter into my vagina. Right in front of the nasty CRNA!!! Of course they deny all of this, just like they denied that I was treated like steer at the slaughter house. I got a kidney infection from it! This is unethical. I never gave permission to use my body as a teaching tool. Once again this is unethical and illegal. It's immoral too. Nobody should have their sexual organs exposed and experimented on without informed consent! If they are going to use us as a live cadaver, the hospital should at least be responsible for treating any infections that result... Maybe the whole surgery should be free as long as we are simply the test subject.
This is all medical care as it is today. It's shameful. Informed consent is a nuisance, ethics are out the door and immoral behavior is rampant. There are too many people complaining about this stuff for it to be just an isolated incident. It is a pattern of abuse. Be very careful out there.
All of this is my personal experience and opinion, and I have had to extrapolate a lot of what happened because the hospital lied to me and refused to admit or reveal certain things. The AMNESIA DIDN'T WORK!!! I know what they lied about after the Versed and before the general anesthetic, and from that I can assume that they lied about other things that I can only surmise. I would think that it should be unethical to refuse to reveal the truth about what happens in the OR.
Anesthesia Providers, Truth and Informed Consent
Right off the bat many of us have been surprised to learn that nurses are now knocking us out, performing nerve blocks and other things previously done by Doctors. These people are called CRNA's; Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists. Obviously these people are not doctors no matter how many letters they have following their name. If it doesn't say M.D. they are not trained to the same standard as a Doctor. In fact the law says a couple of things about these CRNA's and their use in the hospital. Pay attention because these laws are also being routinely breached.
CRNA's are required by law to introduce themselves and state their purpose for being in your room. Funny how they never seem to say, "Hi, I'm a nurse and I will be performing your anesthesia today instead of a Doctor!" Mine introduced himself by his first name and insinuated he was a Doctor. This is a big no no. I, quite naturally, would have taken exception to this. I was having a "dangerous" nerve block as explained by my wannabe Doctor, and I have had previous problems with anesthesia agents. I needed a Doctor. The law states that I can request a Doctor, but first you have to be informed that this person is a nurse, not a Doctor, and will be performing the Doctor's job. So we are right back to "informed consent" aren't we?
This bait and switch should be contained in the "informed consent." You have a right to have the CRNA explained to you along with the information that you are not required to have a nurse instead of a Doctor. This is more information that the medical people choose not to reveal. This is our right to know. It's the law. Who will win this battle? It should be patients, not deceptive hospital personnel.
The law also states that the CRNA must be under the supervision of a Doctor. Good luck with that. This is another law that the hospital finds itself unable to comply with. Since hospitals have no fiduciary duty to the patient, what the hell do they care which laws are broken, they are not responsible.
So why is it then that we as patients are not allowed to select our anesthesia provider, just as we selected our surgeon or GP? Can anybody answer that? I didn't even get to speak to mine until show time. The hospital selected this lawless person to administer anesthesia to me without properly informing me of who he was and what he was doing, and yet they have no responsibility for him in the hospital. He is a free agent to obey or not the laws pertaining to his job.
In regard to the expense of CRNA's. The whole concept as near as I can make out was that CRNA's would save money. You can have the little nurse take care of the light weight anesthesia and save the others for a Doctor, who allegedly makes more money. Only problem is, this CRNA person has to be supervised by a Doctor as per the law.
So instead of one person making a 6 figure salary, now you have 2 people making 6 figure salaries. The CRNA (that's right folks nursey poo makes a 6 figure salary) AND the supervising Doctor. Here's where it can get really ticklish, so if you are an ANESTHESIOLOGIST (not a nurse) why don't you set me straight.
The supervising Doctor gets paid for supervising whether he/she actually does or not because that's the law. This has to be on paper at least, even if the Doctor was nowhere near the OR. The Doctor could be "supervising" many CRNA's and getting paid for each one of them whilst he/she (the Doctor) is in the cafeteria. They do bill you for the Doctor AND the CRNA, for the same procedure, get out your billing statement and see. This saves money?
There are a lot of things going on behind the white wall of silence that do not pass the smell test. If these people think that this shabby care can go on, all the while becoming so expensive that only welfare recipients and government employees can afford it think again. Health care is the next bubble to burst as it becomes a luxury few can afford. Unless they start euthanizing all of their "human capital" (you know all those pesky working people who pay all the bills) our politicians are going to HAVE TO PASS LAWS TO ALLEVIATE THIS PROBLEM! THERE IS NO OTHER WAY OUT OF THIS MESS WE CALL HEALTH CARE IN THIS COUNTRY!
Sorry folks, but we cannot have medical people forcing us into expensive, unnecessary treatments, like conscious sedation! We have to have some control over what happens to us in the hospitals and clinics. We need to get control of the people in those hospitals. Medical care has become an orgy of lawbreaking and expense. The first on my wish list is to put restraints on the use of Versed. It's unnecessary for most, unreasonably expensive, and nearly impossible to decline.
CRNA's are required by law to introduce themselves and state their purpose for being in your room. Funny how they never seem to say, "Hi, I'm a nurse and I will be performing your anesthesia today instead of a Doctor!" Mine introduced himself by his first name and insinuated he was a Doctor. This is a big no no. I, quite naturally, would have taken exception to this. I was having a "dangerous" nerve block as explained by my wannabe Doctor, and I have had previous problems with anesthesia agents. I needed a Doctor. The law states that I can request a Doctor, but first you have to be informed that this person is a nurse, not a Doctor, and will be performing the Doctor's job. So we are right back to "informed consent" aren't we?
This bait and switch should be contained in the "informed consent." You have a right to have the CRNA explained to you along with the information that you are not required to have a nurse instead of a Doctor. This is more information that the medical people choose not to reveal. This is our right to know. It's the law. Who will win this battle? It should be patients, not deceptive hospital personnel.
The law also states that the CRNA must be under the supervision of a Doctor. Good luck with that. This is another law that the hospital finds itself unable to comply with. Since hospitals have no fiduciary duty to the patient, what the hell do they care which laws are broken, they are not responsible.
So why is it then that we as patients are not allowed to select our anesthesia provider, just as we selected our surgeon or GP? Can anybody answer that? I didn't even get to speak to mine until show time. The hospital selected this lawless person to administer anesthesia to me without properly informing me of who he was and what he was doing, and yet they have no responsibility for him in the hospital. He is a free agent to obey or not the laws pertaining to his job.
In regard to the expense of CRNA's. The whole concept as near as I can make out was that CRNA's would save money. You can have the little nurse take care of the light weight anesthesia and save the others for a Doctor, who allegedly makes more money. Only problem is, this CRNA person has to be supervised by a Doctor as per the law.
So instead of one person making a 6 figure salary, now you have 2 people making 6 figure salaries. The CRNA (that's right folks nursey poo makes a 6 figure salary) AND the supervising Doctor. Here's where it can get really ticklish, so if you are an ANESTHESIOLOGIST (not a nurse) why don't you set me straight.
The supervising Doctor gets paid for supervising whether he/she actually does or not because that's the law. This has to be on paper at least, even if the Doctor was nowhere near the OR. The Doctor could be "supervising" many CRNA's and getting paid for each one of them whilst he/she (the Doctor) is in the cafeteria. They do bill you for the Doctor AND the CRNA, for the same procedure, get out your billing statement and see. This saves money?
There are a lot of things going on behind the white wall of silence that do not pass the smell test. If these people think that this shabby care can go on, all the while becoming so expensive that only welfare recipients and government employees can afford it think again. Health care is the next bubble to burst as it becomes a luxury few can afford. Unless they start euthanizing all of their "human capital" (you know all those pesky working people who pay all the bills) our politicians are going to HAVE TO PASS LAWS TO ALLEVIATE THIS PROBLEM! THERE IS NO OTHER WAY OUT OF THIS MESS WE CALL HEALTH CARE IN THIS COUNTRY!
Sorry folks, but we cannot have medical people forcing us into expensive, unnecessary treatments, like conscious sedation! We have to have some control over what happens to us in the hospitals and clinics. We need to get control of the people in those hospitals. Medical care has become an orgy of lawbreaking and expense. The first on my wish list is to put restraints on the use of Versed. It's unnecessary for most, unreasonably expensive, and nearly impossible to decline.
Some Thoughts on Medical REFORM
I have been contacting my state legislature, AND THEY HAVE BEEN CONTACTING ME BACK! Everybody is concerned with runaway health care costs. In my state we have "tort reform." We also have a silly little "hearing" that everybody must go through where they tell you that you don't have a case. It is a waste of time and money. Physicians in my state are immune from prosecution no matter how many laws they break and no matter how substandard their care is. Most states are like that.
If you know ANYBODY, your cousins second cousins ex wife's step grandmother, ANYBODY who has been able to sue for medical malpractice please let me know. If this person actually won, that's even more unusual. I want to know the year and the problem. I believe that medical practitioners have successfully lobbied our legislators (they have scads of money to buy off people) and threatened them with being without medical care at all if they are not held in reverence and perfect holiness at all times. They are above reproach and impervious to lawsuits and now they get to have some fun. We need to stop them!
Here is one of the things I am talking about with my legislators; Number one on the list is the idea of patient self determination and "informed consent." Since Doctors and hospitals are playing fast and loose with "informed consent" here is an effective and reasonable way to get them to tell us the truth. If it can be proven through mediation that the informed consent laws were breached, either through deliberate omission, or by not having an "informed consent" at all, the patient has no liability for any charges arising from said treatment.
So, if you went to the hospital expecting to be "awake and alert" and find that they gave you Versed, omitted the amnesia, omitted the long term anxiety, omitted the unnatural obedience, failed to tell you that once you were sedated that you would no longer be able to stop the procedure, then you don't have to pay. It's very simple. Show the "informed consent" which details all of this and there's no problem.
You can see by my example that the REFORMED "informed consent" is a lot more detailed than the current one. This reflects the concerns of many of us that this drug in particular has had inadequete consent forms in regards to its use. This is not "something to relax you." Whether you remember it or not, you will be terrified, just unable to express it or do anything about it. You will feel pain, scream, beg for mercy and the procedure will continue.
Take it from somebody who retained memory, I was immobile, yes, but relaxed? Hardly. I was angry, upset, horrified, humiliated etc. but there wasn't a damn thing I could do but lie there like a corpse and take it. Unless they ordered me to do something, which I promptly did AGAINST MY OWN WILL! It was the most dehumanizing experience of my life. My CRNA claims I was "very relaxed" during all of this. Difference of persective.
So, "informed consent" must contain facts that a normal person would want to know, not just what the medical professionals choose to reveal. Simple, effective and watch the medical folks scream bloody murder. Just think of all the free colonoscopies and other minor procedures that we will get before the medical community "gets it!" Now that is small comfort if you have an idiosycratic reaction like so many of us have had, but it's a start.
Just think, if a law like this had been on the books, you may not have even gotten this drug and you wouldn't be here reading this now! I will have some thoughts on surgeons and the truth and about anesthesia providers and the truth in other posts.
If you know ANYBODY, your cousins second cousins ex wife's step grandmother, ANYBODY who has been able to sue for medical malpractice please let me know. If this person actually won, that's even more unusual. I want to know the year and the problem. I believe that medical practitioners have successfully lobbied our legislators (they have scads of money to buy off people) and threatened them with being without medical care at all if they are not held in reverence and perfect holiness at all times. They are above reproach and impervious to lawsuits and now they get to have some fun. We need to stop them!
Here is one of the things I am talking about with my legislators; Number one on the list is the idea of patient self determination and "informed consent." Since Doctors and hospitals are playing fast and loose with "informed consent" here is an effective and reasonable way to get them to tell us the truth. If it can be proven through mediation that the informed consent laws were breached, either through deliberate omission, or by not having an "informed consent" at all, the patient has no liability for any charges arising from said treatment.
So, if you went to the hospital expecting to be "awake and alert" and find that they gave you Versed, omitted the amnesia, omitted the long term anxiety, omitted the unnatural obedience, failed to tell you that once you were sedated that you would no longer be able to stop the procedure, then you don't have to pay. It's very simple. Show the "informed consent" which details all of this and there's no problem.
You can see by my example that the REFORMED "informed consent" is a lot more detailed than the current one. This reflects the concerns of many of us that this drug in particular has had inadequete consent forms in regards to its use. This is not "something to relax you." Whether you remember it or not, you will be terrified, just unable to express it or do anything about it. You will feel pain, scream, beg for mercy and the procedure will continue.
Take it from somebody who retained memory, I was immobile, yes, but relaxed? Hardly. I was angry, upset, horrified, humiliated etc. but there wasn't a damn thing I could do but lie there like a corpse and take it. Unless they ordered me to do something, which I promptly did AGAINST MY OWN WILL! It was the most dehumanizing experience of my life. My CRNA claims I was "very relaxed" during all of this. Difference of persective.
So, "informed consent" must contain facts that a normal person would want to know, not just what the medical professionals choose to reveal. Simple, effective and watch the medical folks scream bloody murder. Just think of all the free colonoscopies and other minor procedures that we will get before the medical community "gets it!" Now that is small comfort if you have an idiosycratic reaction like so many of us have had, but it's a start.
Just think, if a law like this had been on the books, you may not have even gotten this drug and you wouldn't be here reading this now! I will have some thoughts on surgeons and the truth and about anesthesia providers and the truth in other posts.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
What to look at for "next time"
This time they "gotcha." Either they failed to explain Versed, never said a word about it, or lied to you about it. Be careful because even though you know about it now, they are so devious and so concentrated on their own desires that it COULD HAPPEN AGAIN!!! Here are some guidelines for not having this happen to you EVER AGAIN!
Before you decide to have that surgery, no matter how trifling, talk to your Doctor. Ask pointed questions about the preferred method of anesthesia. A really good blog about this is this one specifically about colonoscopy. Versed is almost universally used for this and this blogger makes some very good points.Before Your Colonoscopy, Read This»Colonoscopy Warning
Don't let your Doctor obfuscate. They are good at this. He/she may tell you, "Well you have to take that up with the anesthesia provider." NO, YOU DON'T. Your surgeon/Doctor knows full well how HE/SHE WANTS THE PATIENT." If you take exception to "conscious sedation" tell them this is unacceptable under any circumstances. Depending on their response is whether you tell him where to go. Its either see you at the hospital or see you in hell. There is no in between. There is no small amount of Versed. There is no "slight" amnesia. If he/she can't be truthful NOW, don't expect that to change in the hospital. Don't you wish you had known any of this before they got you the first time? It's OK, its the best kept secret I've ever seen!
Now that you have talked to your main provider, the hospital is the next hurdle. Did you know that you can strike and part of the consent that you don't want? I didn't know that. Nobody told me even when I questioned some of it like student nurses and student Doctors "practicing" on me. I was concerned but not alarmed because I had no idea about Versed. I expected to "awake and alert" as per my stated wishes. If I had known that I was going to be knocked in the head I would have been more careful, I still TRUSTED medical providers.
READ THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT! TAKE A PEN AND DRAW A LINE THROUGH EVERYTHING ON THERE THAT PERTAINS TO STUFF LIKE DOCTOR CAN DECIDE! Doctor isn't allowed to decide anything without informing YOU and asking your PERMISSION! Period. This is one way they get around the "informed consent." Your Doctor knows this and that is why he/she isn't telling you the truth. Once you are on THEIR TURF and sign in, they feel like they can do whatever they like. Remember the MONEY. The hospital exists to make money, not care for patients. The patients are a necessary evil so that the hospital can make MONEY!
Even if you are just having a splinter removed or having your shoulder put back into place, don't for one minute imagine that none of this will happen to YOU! Once you sign that hold harmless agreement allowing them free rein to do whatever they like, you'll be shocked at how much stuff they will do to you! STRIKE IT OUT EVEN IF IN YOUR WILDEST DREAMS IT COULDN'T POSSIBLY PERTAIN TO YOUR TREATMENT. You want something fixed, they want to make it as expensive as possible, and they want to use your anesthetized body as a training and research tool.
There are also some clauses about disposing of tissue. Don't give them that permission either. Suppose they remove the wrong whatever, or take out something they SAY was cancerous. You may need that bit to as evidence later. You don't want them saying "Well you gave us permission to dispose of it, and its gone now along with any proof of wrong doing." "Too bad, so sad, now pay us."
There may be some clauses about allowing them to twiddle with your DNA. Now if they want to pay you for that privilege, that's up to you, but to allow them to make money with any part of you while charging you enormous amounts of money for it is just wrong. Strike that line.
I can almost guarantee that there will be a clause about allowing students to practice. This is the best way I can think of to get one of those new staph infections. At the very least you may wind up with a kidney infection, or an especially looong surgery with escalating risks of complication. Unless you just love the idea of being a guinea pig or lab rat, and pay for any complications, infections etc, don't let them do this. There are other trusting souls besides you who will do this. Don't be the living cadaver!
Don't agree to anything besides what you discussed with your Doctor already. The rest of the stuff is an outrage. I wish I could remember all the things that were covered in the check in document, which by the way, I can't get a copy of. I'm sure there were more that I felt didn't apply to me and stupidly signed it anyway. I just knew that verbally declining things, saying no, not signing an "INFORMED" consent for my particular operation, would keep me safe. I was wrong.
Once you have crossed off these things do not think that you are safe yet. You must write on the "informed consent," the one which you will demand before they put the IV in, that "under no circumstances" am I to receive "conscious sedation," Versed, Midazolam or any other drug in that class or that causes amnesia. I was told (afterward) by an anesthesiologist that I hadn't said the magic words "under no circumstances" was I to receive this stuff. Like anybody even told me anything about it right? I didn't even know what to refuse, let alone those magic words! "Just say NO" only works in old television ads featuring Nancy Reagan!!
Once you are in the OR they may try some more sneaky word "parsing." They may claim that being unconscious or sleeping is the same as having amnesia. Unless you are a drunk or a sleepwalker, they are lying through their teeth. Don't fall for any of it. Be suspicious! Know that they do NOT HAVE YOUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART! They are trying to make their job easier. They will be looking for ways to get around the "informed consent." Be very careful that you say nothing that could be misconstrued as consent!
Be firm and polite, but don't let them get away with anything.
Ask to see the bottles that they are drawing medication from. First of all you will have a penicillin type drug 30 minutes before your scheduled surgery. Check the bottle before you let them inject it in the IV. Look at the medications on the cart. If you see one labeled Versed, ask that it be removed from the tray completely. Tell them that even after you are "put out" that they are NOT ALLOWED TO ADD VERSED TO THE MIX.
I was told by one CRNA that even if you declined Versed in preop, that you absolutely will get it in the OR! NO YOU WON'T! Make sure they know that. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES! If you have an idiosyncratic reaction like so many of us do, it doesn't really matter if you had amnesia or not, got it preop, during surgery or what it still causes harm. There is no SAFE way to use this drug! I hate to put too fine a point on it but they will sell their grandmother to get that Versed into you!
Now you have some information on how to deal with "informed consent." If you have read the posts at http://www.versedbusters.blogspot/ you know that you are not the only one to have this reaction. You know that you had an idiosyncratic reaction to this drug in the past. It caused you to "decompensate" and it made you stop breathing. You have all the tools you need to prevent another personal catastrophe caused by this absolutely evil drug Versed.
Before you decide to have that surgery, no matter how trifling, talk to your Doctor. Ask pointed questions about the preferred method of anesthesia. A really good blog about this is this one specifically about colonoscopy. Versed is almost universally used for this and this blogger makes some very good points.Before Your Colonoscopy, Read This»Colonoscopy Warning
Don't let your Doctor obfuscate. They are good at this. He/she may tell you, "Well you have to take that up with the anesthesia provider." NO, YOU DON'T. Your surgeon/Doctor knows full well how HE/SHE WANTS THE PATIENT." If you take exception to "conscious sedation" tell them this is unacceptable under any circumstances. Depending on their response is whether you tell him where to go. Its either see you at the hospital or see you in hell. There is no in between. There is no small amount of Versed. There is no "slight" amnesia. If he/she can't be truthful NOW, don't expect that to change in the hospital. Don't you wish you had known any of this before they got you the first time? It's OK, its the best kept secret I've ever seen!
Now that you have talked to your main provider, the hospital is the next hurdle. Did you know that you can strike and part of the consent that you don't want? I didn't know that. Nobody told me even when I questioned some of it like student nurses and student Doctors "practicing" on me. I was concerned but not alarmed because I had no idea about Versed. I expected to "awake and alert" as per my stated wishes. If I had known that I was going to be knocked in the head I would have been more careful, I still TRUSTED medical providers.
READ THE ENTIRE DOCUMENT! TAKE A PEN AND DRAW A LINE THROUGH EVERYTHING ON THERE THAT PERTAINS TO STUFF LIKE DOCTOR CAN DECIDE! Doctor isn't allowed to decide anything without informing YOU and asking your PERMISSION! Period. This is one way they get around the "informed consent." Your Doctor knows this and that is why he/she isn't telling you the truth. Once you are on THEIR TURF and sign in, they feel like they can do whatever they like. Remember the MONEY. The hospital exists to make money, not care for patients. The patients are a necessary evil so that the hospital can make MONEY!
Even if you are just having a splinter removed or having your shoulder put back into place, don't for one minute imagine that none of this will happen to YOU! Once you sign that hold harmless agreement allowing them free rein to do whatever they like, you'll be shocked at how much stuff they will do to you! STRIKE IT OUT EVEN IF IN YOUR WILDEST DREAMS IT COULDN'T POSSIBLY PERTAIN TO YOUR TREATMENT. You want something fixed, they want to make it as expensive as possible, and they want to use your anesthetized body as a training and research tool.
There are also some clauses about disposing of tissue. Don't give them that permission either. Suppose they remove the wrong whatever, or take out something they SAY was cancerous. You may need that bit to as evidence later. You don't want them saying "Well you gave us permission to dispose of it, and its gone now along with any proof of wrong doing." "Too bad, so sad, now pay us."
There may be some clauses about allowing them to twiddle with your DNA. Now if they want to pay you for that privilege, that's up to you, but to allow them to make money with any part of you while charging you enormous amounts of money for it is just wrong. Strike that line.
I can almost guarantee that there will be a clause about allowing students to practice. This is the best way I can think of to get one of those new staph infections. At the very least you may wind up with a kidney infection, or an especially looong surgery with escalating risks of complication. Unless you just love the idea of being a guinea pig or lab rat, and pay for any complications, infections etc, don't let them do this. There are other trusting souls besides you who will do this. Don't be the living cadaver!
Don't agree to anything besides what you discussed with your Doctor already. The rest of the stuff is an outrage. I wish I could remember all the things that were covered in the check in document, which by the way, I can't get a copy of. I'm sure there were more that I felt didn't apply to me and stupidly signed it anyway. I just knew that verbally declining things, saying no, not signing an "INFORMED" consent for my particular operation, would keep me safe. I was wrong.
Once you have crossed off these things do not think that you are safe yet. You must write on the "informed consent," the one which you will demand before they put the IV in, that "under no circumstances" am I to receive "conscious sedation," Versed, Midazolam or any other drug in that class or that causes amnesia. I was told (afterward) by an anesthesiologist that I hadn't said the magic words "under no circumstances" was I to receive this stuff. Like anybody even told me anything about it right? I didn't even know what to refuse, let alone those magic words! "Just say NO" only works in old television ads featuring Nancy Reagan!!
Once you are in the OR they may try some more sneaky word "parsing." They may claim that being unconscious or sleeping is the same as having amnesia. Unless you are a drunk or a sleepwalker, they are lying through their teeth. Don't fall for any of it. Be suspicious! Know that they do NOT HAVE YOUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART! They are trying to make their job easier. They will be looking for ways to get around the "informed consent." Be very careful that you say nothing that could be misconstrued as consent!
Be firm and polite, but don't let them get away with anything.
Ask to see the bottles that they are drawing medication from. First of all you will have a penicillin type drug 30 minutes before your scheduled surgery. Check the bottle before you let them inject it in the IV. Look at the medications on the cart. If you see one labeled Versed, ask that it be removed from the tray completely. Tell them that even after you are "put out" that they are NOT ALLOWED TO ADD VERSED TO THE MIX.
I was told by one CRNA that even if you declined Versed in preop, that you absolutely will get it in the OR! NO YOU WON'T! Make sure they know that. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES! If you have an idiosyncratic reaction like so many of us do, it doesn't really matter if you had amnesia or not, got it preop, during surgery or what it still causes harm. There is no SAFE way to use this drug! I hate to put too fine a point on it but they will sell their grandmother to get that Versed into you!
Now you have some information on how to deal with "informed consent." If you have read the posts at http://www.versedbusters.blogspot/ you know that you are not the only one to have this reaction. You know that you had an idiosyncratic reaction to this drug in the past. It caused you to "decompensate" and it made you stop breathing. You have all the tools you need to prevent another personal catastrophe caused by this absolutely evil drug Versed.
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