I have written at length about the poison called Versed/Midazolam. I have exposed the lies about how "safe" it is. I have put paid to the idea that this drug is for the PATIENT'S benefit. I have called our alleged "superiors" out about their cavalier use of a drug which destroys patients brains, some times forever. I have asked these questions many times; "Why do medical people love Versed so much?" This has gone unanswered. "Why can't we refuse this little poison?" No answer. "What is it about this drug which causes such consternation among medical workers when it is criticized?" Deafening silence.
So I am left to determine the answers to these questions without benefit of any insight from medical drug pushers. First on the list is this fantasy about "patient compliance." This statement gives the impression that we patients must allow anything at all that the medical worker wants, without regard to patient rights laws and/or patient autonomy, side effects, long term damage from their drug of choice, we are to have no say in any of it. We are to SUBMIT! These people want "patient compliance" whether they have to force you into submission or not. With Versed, they can get that total control which they long for. If you object YOU are called a control freak!!! LOL WTH! That's the pot calling the kettle black! There should NEVER be an issue with "patient compliance." The law states that we don't have to do and allow everything or anything, that our medical people want! It's called patient autonomy and it's the law. What the Hell are these people talking about? Where is it written that we MUST comply? They will use chemical force and coercion to insure that they have this "compliance" at any cost to the patient. Which leads me to the next item...
The cost of patient "compliance" is enormous for the patient. These drugs and procedures aren't free! We have a crisis in health care costs right this minute in our country. This is the second reason (no particular order, just my free association folks) we are being FORCED to have Versed is a cost, borne by the patient and insurance companies, for this drug. Most of the cost being in "levels of care" from nursing and the CRNA attendance. All completely and totally unecessary for clearly half of the patients who get poisoned with Versed. I believe it is likely that far more patients would find that it is completely out of line to receive this little "therapy" if they were asked and if "informed consent" laws were followed. Versed is for the medical workers convenience, not for patient satisfaction. (there are laws about "convenience of the practitioner" as well) If it WAS for the patients we would be able to decline it without starting WW3 or getting it anyway, regardless of our refusals. Versed causes long term brain dysfunction and anxiety disorders in lots of people and THIS doesn't deter them from using Versed either.
My sister has had bad reactions to Versed each and every time it has been used. She wishes to avoid it in the future. I have already opined that *I* think that people with high IQ's are most at risk of complications from Versed. So this could be hereditary. She went in for rotator cuff surgery last Wednesday. She took my advice about how to avoid Versed and I am sorry to say, it didn't work.
Here's what all she did to try to avoid being poisoned by uncaring, lazy, pompous, idiotic, mentally ill, stupid, unskilled miserable excuses for human beings that pass for health care workers in today's world... She called everybody in advance. She informed them that under no circumstances was she to receive Versed. She wrote on her consent forms that they were not to use Versed. She wrote in red "NO VERSED" across the veins in her arms where they put the IV. She spoke with the nurses, the surgeon, the PA AND anesthesia about this in the hospital as well. There was NO CONFUSION! Clearly she was rejecting their drug of choice. She was going to have a general anyway, so the point of Versed is?????
Here's where things fell apart. They GRILLED HER ABOUT WHY SHE DIDN'T WANT VERSED! She should never have gotten involved in this discussion. It doesn't MATTER why she didn't want Versed. It's NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS why she won't allow its use! It's HER choice! It's HER choice! Not the health care workers choice. THAT'S THE LAW! Is this all about control freaks in positions of trust and authority wanting that "patient compliance" at any cost? Who the Hell do they think they are? Of course before hand when they AGREED TO DO THE SURGERY WITHOUT VERSED they didn't make a peep. No they waited until she was at their mercy with an IV running to start their argumentative and aggressive behavior. That's just SICK! These people are an affront to me. They disgust me, I think this is scummy behavior and totally out of line!
So guess what she got? That's right, after all of this, she got Versed anyway. "Just a little bit." She said that Versed wasn't to be used in any amount, for any reason. How does this get "interpreted" to mean "just a little bit?" What planet are these medical morons on? Why can these people not follow simple direction? How hard is it to understand what NO means? It's unbelievable. Shocking, dismaying, infuriating! All this talk about PATIENT compliance, when these people can't comply with one simple directive about one single drug! Never trust ANYBODY in the medical field. They are all pychotic about control issues as far as I can tell. The normal people are in the smallest minority in the health care field.
If you think that having a relative in the medical field will help you avoid the brain destroying drug Versed, think again! Our stepfather is a DOCTOR and my sister works in his office!!!!!!!!! She still was unable to prevent them from using a drug which she had clearly declined. I think she should SUE THEM LIKE SHE THREATENED TO DO IF THEY SHOT HER UP WITH VERSED!!! Apparently NOTHING can stop these arrogant sub-human pod people from doing whatever the hell they want. NOTHING! No law, no begging, no refusals, nothing. Rampant lawlessness pervades our hospitals and treatment centers and there is NOTHING we can do about it. You have to figure that if these creeps won't even WASH THEIR HANDS TO PREVENT INFECTION, they won't be amenable to refraining from injecting us with Versed. They follow no law. They do NOT care about patients or patient safety. They are the untouchables.
I will tell you this. I will physically assault ANYBODY who tries to inject me with Versed. I consider that injecting me with Versed, in violation of the law, and in violation of my wishes to be a personal attack. I will defend myself in any way possible. Versed lowers inhibitions, so I can't be held accountable for my actions once the medical felons shut off my self control. I was extremely violent in the PACU and possibly in the OR, so rest assured, the minute I feel that unnatural "patient compliance" coming on, or notice my speech is slurred, I will be on my feet and fighting. Fair warning. Health care workers can't FORCE me to comply with their selfish, unspeakably arrogant wishes by destroying my brain and will power with Versed ever again. I'm on to them....
Monday, January 31, 2011
PATIENT COMPLIANCE???
I read an article by Dr. Kevin this morning that makes my blood boil. Apparently Doctors are concerned about "patient" compliance. Patient compliance, as in "We are Gods and you lowly patients must follow what we say to the letter or we will fire you. You may NOT disagree or refuse to take whatever nasty drug we want you to regardless of how it affects you." I have a question for you Doctors; What about YOUR compliance with OUR wishes and the LAW?
Anybody who has read this blog and others about Versed use will know what I'm talking about. One of the wonderful things about Versed is patient cooperation, according to literature. I did a whole post on "cooperation" as it pertains to medical care. Medical people are NOT LOOKING FOR COOPERATION! What they want is abject obedience. This assumes that the patient is not a human being, merely a medical entity. They don't want cooperation, they demand you follow their dictates, immediately, to the letter, regardless of what you the patient feel about any of it. You the patient are to do as they say OR ELSE! Well, just who the hell do they think they are?
OK, so why do we have informed consent laws, just as if the patient was in charge of their own body? Why don't you Doctors, nurses etc. COMPLY with our wishes? Why is it always always about us following YOUR wishes? There are laws to insure that Doctors follow the patients directives, which are NOT being enforced or even addressed any more. I am NOT a possession of the medical field. For some reason I am having a really hard time getting this message across! You do as WE say, not vice versa! I am NOT a lower life form subject to YOUR whims!
It is a minor issue to me whether my EMPLOYEES, (sub-contractor, general contractor or whatever other term I need to use to explain my relationship with medical professionals) like my decisions. You can be replaced. YOUR JOB is to LISTEN to me, and make suggestions as to what can be done about whatever problem I present! *I* choose whether or not your preferred course of action is acceptable to me. Just because I pay you an absurd amount of money to diagnose the problem, and/or correct it, doesn't mean that I give up my autonomy and life TO YOU! For the life of me I can't figure out why this is such a complicated issue! Patient rights laws are there to PREVENT this kind of authoritarian BS, yet here we are with "Patient Compliance" an issue in the 21st century. Respect is a TWO WAY street...
If you don't like it too damn bad. Health care reform shouldn't be all about how to force health care decisions on every one. Sure we all need help from time to time. This help should be available, especially in light of the horrendous cost of such help. However, medical people should be able to understand that THEY are NOT in charge of the patient. The patient is in charge. It's their body and mind, it's their quality of life, and its not like it's all for FREE is it. If it were free, then maybe there would be an expectation of following orders as reciprocity for free care... Make sense?
For all of you medical people who feel that you are our DICTATOR and that you deserve not only obscene amounts of money to provide "help" (please look up the definition of "help" and see what that means) but you also demand crawling subservience, unquestioning obedience and hat-tipping deference from your serfs, you need your head examined.
I have to go now. My Senators are looking at med mal tort reform today. We need to have a way to enforce patients rights, which right now are completely in disarray judging by all this "PATIENT compliance" talk, so I am not in favor of tort reform! How else are we patients to get compliance from MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS? They won't follow the law (patient rights and autonomy) and it has gotten so bad that they are writing articles on OUR compliance, omitting anything at all about THEIR compliance! You medical people are OUT OF CONTROL talking about "patient compliance." The reality is that YOU PEOPLE should be talking about how to deal with "patient AUTONOMY!" (look up autonomy and then come back and draw a written diagram for me putting patient compliance into the equation) Got to make some calls.
Anybody who has read this blog and others about Versed use will know what I'm talking about. One of the wonderful things about Versed is patient cooperation, according to literature. I did a whole post on "cooperation" as it pertains to medical care. Medical people are NOT LOOKING FOR COOPERATION! What they want is abject obedience. This assumes that the patient is not a human being, merely a medical entity. They don't want cooperation, they demand you follow their dictates, immediately, to the letter, regardless of what you the patient feel about any of it. You the patient are to do as they say OR ELSE! Well, just who the hell do they think they are?
OK, so why do we have informed consent laws, just as if the patient was in charge of their own body? Why don't you Doctors, nurses etc. COMPLY with our wishes? Why is it always always about us following YOUR wishes? There are laws to insure that Doctors follow the patients directives, which are NOT being enforced or even addressed any more. I am NOT a possession of the medical field. For some reason I am having a really hard time getting this message across! You do as WE say, not vice versa! I am NOT a lower life form subject to YOUR whims!
It is a minor issue to me whether my EMPLOYEES, (sub-contractor, general contractor or whatever other term I need to use to explain my relationship with medical professionals) like my decisions. You can be replaced. YOUR JOB is to LISTEN to me, and make suggestions as to what can be done about whatever problem I present! *I* choose whether or not your preferred course of action is acceptable to me. Just because I pay you an absurd amount of money to diagnose the problem, and/or correct it, doesn't mean that I give up my autonomy and life TO YOU! For the life of me I can't figure out why this is such a complicated issue! Patient rights laws are there to PREVENT this kind of authoritarian BS, yet here we are with "Patient Compliance" an issue in the 21st century. Respect is a TWO WAY street...
If you don't like it too damn bad. Health care reform shouldn't be all about how to force health care decisions on every one. Sure we all need help from time to time. This help should be available, especially in light of the horrendous cost of such help. However, medical people should be able to understand that THEY are NOT in charge of the patient. The patient is in charge. It's their body and mind, it's their quality of life, and its not like it's all for FREE is it. If it were free, then maybe there would be an expectation of following orders as reciprocity for free care... Make sense?
For all of you medical people who feel that you are our DICTATOR and that you deserve not only obscene amounts of money to provide "help" (please look up the definition of "help" and see what that means) but you also demand crawling subservience, unquestioning obedience and hat-tipping deference from your serfs, you need your head examined.
I have to go now. My Senators are looking at med mal tort reform today. We need to have a way to enforce patients rights, which right now are completely in disarray judging by all this "PATIENT compliance" talk, so I am not in favor of tort reform! How else are we patients to get compliance from MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS? They won't follow the law (patient rights and autonomy) and it has gotten so bad that they are writing articles on OUR compliance, omitting anything at all about THEIR compliance! You medical people are OUT OF CONTROL talking about "patient compliance." The reality is that YOU PEOPLE should be talking about how to deal with "patient AUTONOMY!" (look up autonomy and then come back and draw a written diagram for me putting patient compliance into the equation) Got to make some calls.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Drug Addicts Work On US!
I recently posted about drug impaired medical workers. Upon pondering this further and looking at some data, I am adding yet another reason why we patients are having trouble getting our practitioners to follow simple instructions. Instructions that anybody over the age of 2 years (terrible two's) can follow. The word "NO" seems to have as much effect on the people pushing Versed as it does on an infant! My contention is that drugs may be exerting an effect on our medical people.
Before you go ballistic, there are many many sources for this information, I am not pulling this out of my hat!
I have read that the problem of drug addiction for medical workers, in particular those who work in anesthesia, is about the same as the general pop. That's very interesting as 10% to 20% of the population is addicted to drugs, excluding alcohol, I believe. So, ONLY 10% to 20% of anesthetists are ADDICTED TO DRUGS! That's one in ten people who are responsible for your life and brain function, minimum... That could mean that one in FIVE medical workers is impaired by drug use. This is supposed to be acceptable?
A couple of things about this. The 10% to 20% is probably a number picked out of the air as there is no random drug testing, no pre-employment drug screen that I'm aware of, no "incident" drug testing etc. Also of note is the CYA mentality of our anesthetists as shown on this blog and elsewhere on the internet. They will admit to no wrongdoing, admit no errors of judgement, admit no REALITY to interfere with their opinion of themselves... Everybody else is wrong and they are perfect. So more than likely they would never admit to drug addiction or admit that this drug addiction could impair them.
Then there is the issue of availability. A hospital would be every drug addicts dream job. The drugs contained within medical walls are of a purity that street addicts long for. Clean sharp needles and an unlimited supply of highest quality drugs... Add to that the esteem in which anesthetists are held by most others (not me!) and the ease with which they can obtain these chemicals creates another problem for anesthetists, doesn't it? They have complete, total access to FREE pure drugs and the means to use them. They are above reproach, and there is no monitoring in place for drug use. So maybe, even if this person would never have become a drug addict on the outside due to cost concerns and all the rest, they can easily become a drug addict in a medical setting.
Every day I hear that legalizing drugs, making them cheaper and more easily available, and supplying addicts with clean needles would encourage drug addiction. Access equals addiction. So if this statement is true, then the people most at risk are people involved with anesthesia, pain management if you will. This is a logical thought progression. So that phony 10% to 20% COULD be MUCH HIGHER! So what is the true rate of addiction in CRNA's, MDA's and AA's, etc? Is it closer to 30%? 40%? In other words is it one in four? One in three?
The excuses I am hearing about medical personnel addiction problems are the same ones that all addicts use. Stress is at the top of the list. However anesthesia CHOSE that profession! The absurd amount of money to be extracted from a helpless patient is worth the stress right? What makes them think that their job is any more stressful than mine? It isn't. They don't have to worry about paying the bills like I do either, so please spare us all the whining about stress. Stress is no excuse for subjecting trusting patients to a drug addicted provider. We all have stress, family problems, and all the rest. Most of us have resisted the idea of becoming a drug addict, even if those drugs are prescribed by medical personnel. So don't bother to go there...
So now when I think about why anesthesia workers are so sanguine about injecting brain melting DRUGS into unsuspecting patients, I am thinking about this addiction problem too! If they are already using drugs themselves, like them, and believe that they are self medicating for stress, then they would be less inclined to believe that the patient doesn't need or want drugs. Especially something as inherently evil as Versed/Midazolam. If these people are already breaking all kinds of laws to enable their addiction, then of course they would have no problem breaking informed consent laws would they? This drug addiction would lead to a lack of respect for the law, just like any other drug addict has. Hookers, thieves, home invasion robbers etc. almost all of whom have an addiction to feed, all of whom have contempt for the law are examples of what substance abuse can lead to, albeit extreme examples!
The only reason to refuse to embrace pre-employment drug screening, random drug testing, and "incident" drug testing by medical people is because they KNOW that this would cause problems for themselves or their medical brethren. There is no excuse for not implementing this type of program immediately if not sooner. If it's good enough for air traffic controllers and truck drivers, among others, then it's a good idea for those people whom we trust with our lives (just like the above) and who have unlimited access to drugs. (Just so medical people don't feel that I am only picking on them, I believe that police should be subjected to drug testing as well. They too are in a position of authority and trust, and have access to drugs. They also have lethal weapons and are responsible for public "safety" just like medical personnel.)
Before you go ballistic, there are many many sources for this information, I am not pulling this out of my hat!
I have read that the problem of drug addiction for medical workers, in particular those who work in anesthesia, is about the same as the general pop. That's very interesting as 10% to 20% of the population is addicted to drugs, excluding alcohol, I believe. So, ONLY 10% to 20% of anesthetists are ADDICTED TO DRUGS! That's one in ten people who are responsible for your life and brain function, minimum... That could mean that one in FIVE medical workers is impaired by drug use. This is supposed to be acceptable?
A couple of things about this. The 10% to 20% is probably a number picked out of the air as there is no random drug testing, no pre-employment drug screen that I'm aware of, no "incident" drug testing etc. Also of note is the CYA mentality of our anesthetists as shown on this blog and elsewhere on the internet. They will admit to no wrongdoing, admit no errors of judgement, admit no REALITY to interfere with their opinion of themselves... Everybody else is wrong and they are perfect. So more than likely they would never admit to drug addiction or admit that this drug addiction could impair them.
Then there is the issue of availability. A hospital would be every drug addicts dream job. The drugs contained within medical walls are of a purity that street addicts long for. Clean sharp needles and an unlimited supply of highest quality drugs... Add to that the esteem in which anesthetists are held by most others (not me!) and the ease with which they can obtain these chemicals creates another problem for anesthetists, doesn't it? They have complete, total access to FREE pure drugs and the means to use them. They are above reproach, and there is no monitoring in place for drug use. So maybe, even if this person would never have become a drug addict on the outside due to cost concerns and all the rest, they can easily become a drug addict in a medical setting.
Every day I hear that legalizing drugs, making them cheaper and more easily available, and supplying addicts with clean needles would encourage drug addiction. Access equals addiction. So if this statement is true, then the people most at risk are people involved with anesthesia, pain management if you will. This is a logical thought progression. So that phony 10% to 20% COULD be MUCH HIGHER! So what is the true rate of addiction in CRNA's, MDA's and AA's, etc? Is it closer to 30%? 40%? In other words is it one in four? One in three?
The excuses I am hearing about medical personnel addiction problems are the same ones that all addicts use. Stress is at the top of the list. However anesthesia CHOSE that profession! The absurd amount of money to be extracted from a helpless patient is worth the stress right? What makes them think that their job is any more stressful than mine? It isn't. They don't have to worry about paying the bills like I do either, so please spare us all the whining about stress. Stress is no excuse for subjecting trusting patients to a drug addicted provider. We all have stress, family problems, and all the rest. Most of us have resisted the idea of becoming a drug addict, even if those drugs are prescribed by medical personnel. So don't bother to go there...
So now when I think about why anesthesia workers are so sanguine about injecting brain melting DRUGS into unsuspecting patients, I am thinking about this addiction problem too! If they are already using drugs themselves, like them, and believe that they are self medicating for stress, then they would be less inclined to believe that the patient doesn't need or want drugs. Especially something as inherently evil as Versed/Midazolam. If these people are already breaking all kinds of laws to enable their addiction, then of course they would have no problem breaking informed consent laws would they? This drug addiction would lead to a lack of respect for the law, just like any other drug addict has. Hookers, thieves, home invasion robbers etc. almost all of whom have an addiction to feed, all of whom have contempt for the law are examples of what substance abuse can lead to, albeit extreme examples!
The only reason to refuse to embrace pre-employment drug screening, random drug testing, and "incident" drug testing by medical people is because they KNOW that this would cause problems for themselves or their medical brethren. There is no excuse for not implementing this type of program immediately if not sooner. If it's good enough for air traffic controllers and truck drivers, among others, then it's a good idea for those people whom we trust with our lives (just like the above) and who have unlimited access to drugs. (Just so medical people don't feel that I am only picking on them, I believe that police should be subjected to drug testing as well. They too are in a position of authority and trust, and have access to drugs. They also have lethal weapons and are responsible for public "safety" just like medical personnel.)
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Drug Addict Dr. Bravely Tells All!
I am mystified why a Dr. would bare his soul like this, but it is very enlightening. I am not even going to give you a synopsis because you need to read it for yourself; Pain Medicine News What I am going to do is show a copy the graph that this article uses... Please note the percentage of physicians (especially anesthesia) who KNOW that a collegue is impaired, yet do nothing. The patients don't know because they are given Versed, so that they can't recall that the physician (or others) was behaving peculiarly... Is this why my surgeon did such a bad job? Is this why he was an hour and a half late? Is this why he was such a b#$%^&d in the OR and sweet as pie when I saw him in his office? I guess he figured that with the huge amounts of Versed in my system that I would be unable to make this kind of comparison? Not looking good, but Dr. Freeland who wrote this article is refeshingly candid. I hope you enjoy the good Dr.s honesty even as it alarms you!
By the Numbers: Substance Abuse and MDs
| ||||||||||||||||||||
17 | The percentage of physicians with personal knowledge of a physician colleague who was impaired or incompetent to practice medicine. |
67 | The percentage of those physicians who reported the impaired or incompetent colleague to the proper authorities. |
26 | The percentage of anesthesiologists who had personal knowledge of a physician colleague who was impaired or incompetent to practice medicine. |
67 | The percentage of those anesthesiologists who reported the impaired or incompetent colleague to the proper authorities. Source: Results of a survey, published in July 2010 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA 2010;304:187-193), of 1,891 practicing physicians in the United States, representing anesthesiology, psychiatry, cardiology, pediatrics, general surgery and internal medicine. |
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Ignorance is Bliss
CRNA's are royally PISSED at me. They have come on MY blog and taken me to task, called me names and in general treated me like I'm an ignorant rube. You know what? I shouldn't have to be a Doctor or a nurse in order to be treated like a human being and have my wishes respected.
If it hadn't been for a CRNA suffering from some kind of megalomania, I would never have even known that CRNA's existed! How would I have ever known that a nurse did my anesthesia, in light of the fact that my CRNA was posing as a Dr.? If my CRNA hadn't taken it upon himself, without informing me that HIS plan was diametrically opposed to mine, to give me all those treatments and drugs which I had vigorously declined, I would still be ignorant about CRNA's! I only found out that CRNA's existed when I called the anesthesia group to complain about the "Dr." who handled my anesthesia! Whose fault is that? Mine or his? If he had followed the law, and told me the truth about anything, I would have left... We ALL would have been better off! (I would have found out about the existance of CRNA's the RIGHT way, the LAWFUL way, a way which wouldn't have alarmed and angered me, or made me "research" them.)
Do you think I appreciate having all the knowledge that I now have? NO I DON'T! I should have been allowed to live my life without knowing what an ASA1 designation is. I didn't want to have in depth knowledge about amygdalas, GABA uptake receptors, ganglia etc. I should never have known what Versed/Midazolam is, having clearly declined any drug like it! I never wanted to know that fricken NURSES were knocking people out, creating amnesia in them, turning them into zombies and causing ENORMOUS suffering and harm to millions of people. I DID NOT NEED THIS INFORMATION IN MY BRAIN! (what's left of it after the ministrations of an idiot.) I DON'T WANT TO BE A GOD DAMN DOCTOR! If I did I would have gone to medical school!!!!!!! I just wanted to be able to pay for respectful care within the parameters which I clearly defined! I should be able to trust that when I need medical help, such is available WITHOUT having to be a walking medical tome! I am angry that I have been forced to learn all this stuff. It doesn't enhance my life at all!
Medical people have opined that I should have "studied" drugs and treatments in advance of going to the hospital! Are you crazy? Why in the world should I have to do that? (the law states the medical people must REVEAL this information, it isn't up to the patient to know it all anyway.) Additionally, given that I declined sedatives, declined g/a, and am familiar with nerve blocks, what should I have researched? I had no idea that some arrogant nurse was going to do my anesthesia and impose his will upon me, so how would I have gone about researching this stuff? How would I have known about the apparent "Narcissistic Personality Disorder" that many CRNA's seem to suffer from, when I didn't even know that CRNA's existed and that one would be assigned to MY care? Tell me why I would need all this knowledge simply to get my arm fixed? It's absurd! So *I* should have trained myself in medical protocol in order to get decent treatment? I needed to be a damn LAWYER in order to insure that consent laws were followed? You guys are the "professionals" so why is it up to me? I hired expensive medical people to do a simple job, how was I to know that in order to FORCE them to do their job as defined by me, (and the law) I had to be both a Doctor AND a lawyer? Why do I have to pay medical people so much if they expect ME to have the same knowledge (and more) as they have?
Nobody can know everything in spite of what CRNA's think! I CHOSE to hire people who allegedly had the information and skills which I thought I needed at the time! Not to mention that even if I were a Dr. I couldn't do my own axillary block or anesthesia anyway. I employed "professional" people to "help" me and instead I got incompetent, uppity employees who felt that I was too stupid to make my own decisions. (and in light of the complications I really didn't need this kind of "help" anyway) This in spite of the fact that prior to the Versed I had an IQ in the top 1% of the nation! This in spite of the fact that the law says that *I* AM allowed to make those decisions for myself! Yes people in spite of the fact that I had no medical training at the time, by law, I am still allowed to make my own decisions! I have plenty of experience with what works and does not work ON ME! Those people didn't know me from Adam, and it behooved them to LISTEN to me and refrain from doing that which I declined. (it's the law) If Aaron (CRNA) had FOLLOWED MY PRECISE INSTRUCTIONS I wouldn't be here "ranting" and upsetting all these medical folks. THAT'S MY CRNA'S FAULT! How do they twist that into being MY failing?
For all you medical people who feel that I "should have known" anything at all about medical practices, why? How many of you trust the Police? Do you have knowledge of every law, traffic and otherwise that there is? Do you know what a misdemeanor is as opposed to a violation? I.E. when does a traffic violation turn into a misdemeanor or a felony? What about the degrees of a felony. What is "intent" as it pertains to the law? If you are not going to do bad things or become a Police Officer, why would you need to know this? All you really know about what police do is that they come when you call, they stop people for disobeying traffic laws and they catch the bad guys. UNLESS YOU ARE INVOLVED WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT! You don't need to have all that info in your head in order to drive your car do you? You trust that most people follow the law don't you? We all trust that police and other enforcement officers KNOW the law and follow it themselves! Should you research all the laws AND research the officers in your area before you leave the house or before you allow them to help you with a crime against you? Then why would I expect medical people to break the very laws which pertain to them and to have to have all the knowledge that they have (and then some) in order for them to help me?
How about your mechanic? Do you trust him/her? They do a better job of following the law than medical practitioners do and they are more honest. Do you know how a diesel engine creates spark? They don't have spark plugs, so how do the have ignition? Did you even know that you must have ignition to run your personal conveyance? What are the 3 things that any internal combustion engine needs to run? How do you adjust these things? Do you know about fuel injection vs carburetion? What about pop up pistons, what do they do? What is a brake rotor, what's its function, as opposed to drum brakes? What is "top dead center" referring to? What's a cam lobe? What's dwell? What causes your transmission to slip? What are coppers? What happens when they go out? YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW THIS BECAUSE YOU CAN HIRE SOMEBODY YOU CAN TRUST TO KNOW THIS FOR YOU! You can take your car to your dealership or favorite mechanic and KNOW that they will fix what's wrong! You will have an estimate of what it will cost, your old parts back, and THEY WILL NOT DO ONE SINGLE THING THAT YOU DIDN'T GIVE THEM PERMISSION TO DO!
Can you see how annoying the attitude of highly paid medical personnel is? Nobody else gets their rate of pay AND STILL expects the general public to know as much as they do. (Unless you want substandard care that is.) What other "professional" feels that their clients should have absolutely NO SAY in what they do and then be able to charge the client exorbitant prices for it? I should NEVER, EVER have been treated in such a way by medical people as to FORCE me to acquire this much knowledge about a field which I had no interest in. But now that I have, medical practitioners have only THEMSELVES to blame. I was an innocent (gullible?) patient, fully trusting in my medical team. Now I am probably more "informed" than any CRNA because I know not only what they know about their drugs, in particular Versed/Midazolam, but I am well on the way to UNDERSTANDING brain function and how these poisons work to destroy that brain function! I have not bothered with specifics of dosages YET but I am better prepared to face off with medical miscreants than these people would ever want to believe (part of the whole Narcissistic Personality Disorder thing, which I also wish I didn't know about) and I am NOT HAPPY about it! I also know more about THE LAW as it pertains to medical treatment than (most?) lawyers do, and certainly more than the medical people that the laws pertain to! I was forced to learn these thing in order to protect myself!
I wish I had been allowed to stay in a state of ignorant bliss about medical care in today's world. I wish I had never heard of Versed or CRNA's! Looking back, ignorance truly was bliss. I had such faith in medicine and the people who practice it... I had such faith in the laws in place to prevent the very things that happened to me. I wish I was still living in ignorant bliss about the exact details of every single consent law there is, and how they are routinely circumvented by medical treatment centers... I will never be the same, now that I have been enlightened.
If it hadn't been for a CRNA suffering from some kind of megalomania, I would never have even known that CRNA's existed! How would I have ever known that a nurse did my anesthesia, in light of the fact that my CRNA was posing as a Dr.? If my CRNA hadn't taken it upon himself, without informing me that HIS plan was diametrically opposed to mine, to give me all those treatments and drugs which I had vigorously declined, I would still be ignorant about CRNA's! I only found out that CRNA's existed when I called the anesthesia group to complain about the "Dr." who handled my anesthesia! Whose fault is that? Mine or his? If he had followed the law, and told me the truth about anything, I would have left... We ALL would have been better off! (I would have found out about the existance of CRNA's the RIGHT way, the LAWFUL way, a way which wouldn't have alarmed and angered me, or made me "research" them.)
Do you think I appreciate having all the knowledge that I now have? NO I DON'T! I should have been allowed to live my life without knowing what an ASA1 designation is. I didn't want to have in depth knowledge about amygdalas, GABA uptake receptors, ganglia etc. I should never have known what Versed/Midazolam is, having clearly declined any drug like it! I never wanted to know that fricken NURSES were knocking people out, creating amnesia in them, turning them into zombies and causing ENORMOUS suffering and harm to millions of people. I DID NOT NEED THIS INFORMATION IN MY BRAIN! (what's left of it after the ministrations of an idiot.) I DON'T WANT TO BE A GOD DAMN DOCTOR! If I did I would have gone to medical school!!!!!!! I just wanted to be able to pay for respectful care within the parameters which I clearly defined! I should be able to trust that when I need medical help, such is available WITHOUT having to be a walking medical tome! I am angry that I have been forced to learn all this stuff. It doesn't enhance my life at all!
Medical people have opined that I should have "studied" drugs and treatments in advance of going to the hospital! Are you crazy? Why in the world should I have to do that? (the law states the medical people must REVEAL this information, it isn't up to the patient to know it all anyway.) Additionally, given that I declined sedatives, declined g/a, and am familiar with nerve blocks, what should I have researched? I had no idea that some arrogant nurse was going to do my anesthesia and impose his will upon me, so how would I have gone about researching this stuff? How would I have known about the apparent "Narcissistic Personality Disorder" that many CRNA's seem to suffer from, when I didn't even know that CRNA's existed and that one would be assigned to MY care? Tell me why I would need all this knowledge simply to get my arm fixed? It's absurd! So *I* should have trained myself in medical protocol in order to get decent treatment? I needed to be a damn LAWYER in order to insure that consent laws were followed? You guys are the "professionals" so why is it up to me? I hired expensive medical people to do a simple job, how was I to know that in order to FORCE them to do their job as defined by me, (and the law) I had to be both a Doctor AND a lawyer? Why do I have to pay medical people so much if they expect ME to have the same knowledge (and more) as they have?
Nobody can know everything in spite of what CRNA's think! I CHOSE to hire people who allegedly had the information and skills which I thought I needed at the time! Not to mention that even if I were a Dr. I couldn't do my own axillary block or anesthesia anyway. I employed "professional" people to "help" me and instead I got incompetent, uppity employees who felt that I was too stupid to make my own decisions. (and in light of the complications I really didn't need this kind of "help" anyway) This in spite of the fact that prior to the Versed I had an IQ in the top 1% of the nation! This in spite of the fact that the law says that *I* AM allowed to make those decisions for myself! Yes people in spite of the fact that I had no medical training at the time, by law, I am still allowed to make my own decisions! I have plenty of experience with what works and does not work ON ME! Those people didn't know me from Adam, and it behooved them to LISTEN to me and refrain from doing that which I declined. (it's the law) If Aaron (CRNA) had FOLLOWED MY PRECISE INSTRUCTIONS I wouldn't be here "ranting" and upsetting all these medical folks. THAT'S MY CRNA'S FAULT! How do they twist that into being MY failing?
For all you medical people who feel that I "should have known" anything at all about medical practices, why? How many of you trust the Police? Do you have knowledge of every law, traffic and otherwise that there is? Do you know what a misdemeanor is as opposed to a violation? I.E. when does a traffic violation turn into a misdemeanor or a felony? What about the degrees of a felony. What is "intent" as it pertains to the law? If you are not going to do bad things or become a Police Officer, why would you need to know this? All you really know about what police do is that they come when you call, they stop people for disobeying traffic laws and they catch the bad guys. UNLESS YOU ARE INVOLVED WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT! You don't need to have all that info in your head in order to drive your car do you? You trust that most people follow the law don't you? We all trust that police and other enforcement officers KNOW the law and follow it themselves! Should you research all the laws AND research the officers in your area before you leave the house or before you allow them to help you with a crime against you? Then why would I expect medical people to break the very laws which pertain to them and to have to have all the knowledge that they have (and then some) in order for them to help me?
How about your mechanic? Do you trust him/her? They do a better job of following the law than medical practitioners do and they are more honest. Do you know how a diesel engine creates spark? They don't have spark plugs, so how do the have ignition? Did you even know that you must have ignition to run your personal conveyance? What are the 3 things that any internal combustion engine needs to run? How do you adjust these things? Do you know about fuel injection vs carburetion? What about pop up pistons, what do they do? What is a brake rotor, what's its function, as opposed to drum brakes? What is "top dead center" referring to? What's a cam lobe? What's dwell? What causes your transmission to slip? What are coppers? What happens when they go out? YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW THIS BECAUSE YOU CAN HIRE SOMEBODY YOU CAN TRUST TO KNOW THIS FOR YOU! You can take your car to your dealership or favorite mechanic and KNOW that they will fix what's wrong! You will have an estimate of what it will cost, your old parts back, and THEY WILL NOT DO ONE SINGLE THING THAT YOU DIDN'T GIVE THEM PERMISSION TO DO!
Can you see how annoying the attitude of highly paid medical personnel is? Nobody else gets their rate of pay AND STILL expects the general public to know as much as they do. (Unless you want substandard care that is.) What other "professional" feels that their clients should have absolutely NO SAY in what they do and then be able to charge the client exorbitant prices for it? I should NEVER, EVER have been treated in such a way by medical people as to FORCE me to acquire this much knowledge about a field which I had no interest in. But now that I have, medical practitioners have only THEMSELVES to blame. I was an innocent (gullible?) patient, fully trusting in my medical team. Now I am probably more "informed" than any CRNA because I know not only what they know about their drugs, in particular Versed/Midazolam, but I am well on the way to UNDERSTANDING brain function and how these poisons work to destroy that brain function! I have not bothered with specifics of dosages YET but I am better prepared to face off with medical miscreants than these people would ever want to believe (part of the whole Narcissistic Personality Disorder thing, which I also wish I didn't know about) and I am NOT HAPPY about it! I also know more about THE LAW as it pertains to medical treatment than (most?) lawyers do, and certainly more than the medical people that the laws pertain to! I was forced to learn these thing in order to protect myself!
I wish I had been allowed to stay in a state of ignorant bliss about medical care in today's world. I wish I had never heard of Versed or CRNA's! Looking back, ignorance truly was bliss. I had such faith in medicine and the people who practice it... I had such faith in the laws in place to prevent the very things that happened to me. I wish I was still living in ignorant bliss about the exact details of every single consent law there is, and how they are routinely circumvented by medical treatment centers... I will never be the same, now that I have been enlightened.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
MDA vs CRNA In Plain English
My last post was about a comment from a CRNA (obviously) who wanted my readers to "know" that anesthesia from a nurse is just as safe as anesthesia from a doctor! I vehemently DISAGREE! One of my regular readers found this organization which refutes "Dano's" comments and also touches on some other things I have brought up. Happy reading!
Here's the link;DoctorByYourSide.org - Get the Facts on Anesthesia, Anesthesia Risks and Anesthesiologists I have reproduced it in its entirety here because this is an important piece of information to have...
Here's the link;DoctorByYourSide.org - Get the Facts on Anesthesia, Anesthesia Risks and Anesthesiologists I have reproduced it in its entirety here because this is an important piece of information to have...
Get the Facts on Anesthesia, Anesthesia Risks and Anesthesiologists
There are many misconceptions about anesthesiology. Get the information you need to make the right choice for you and your family. Below are the most commonly asked questions concerning the administration of anesthesia.
Isn’t the person giving the anesthesia always an Anesthesiologist (Physician)?
No, often you will meet a physician who performs a pre-operative evaluation, but unless you specifically ask for Anesthesiologist (Physician), the person who actually performs the anesthetic may be an Anesthesiologist, a CRNA (nurse anesthetist) or an AA (anesthesia assistant). It’s your choice and you have the right to know.
What’s the difference between an anesthetist and an Anesthesiologist?
An Anesthesiologist is:
- A Physician who has completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college (usually four years),
- Plus four years of medical school with an MD or DO degree. After medical school, a doctor has the choice of additional specialization. Some choose Surgery, Pediatrics or other medical fields. Those who enjoy critical care medicine often choose Anesthesiology.
- As a specialist, an Anesthesiologist must complete four years of advanced training in anesthesia.
- The American Board of Anesthesiology provides Board Certification for Anesthesiologists.
In contrast, a nurse anesthetist:
- Does not have a medical degree.
- Has a nursing degree.
- And two years of additional anesthesiology training (online available).
I looked on the Internet and read that nurse anesthetists have the same training in anesthesia as Anesthesiologists. Is this true?
Anesthesiologists start their training after they are already Physicians. This is a huge difference.
Physicians have studied and treated medical conditions and are trained to recognize and diagnose medical complications. Physician Anesthesiologists are qualified to treat medical complications because they are licensed physicians.
Nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and anesthesia assistants (AAs) have limited medical and anesthesia training and are not licensed to practice medicine or treat medical complications. This limited anesthesia training is not a substitute for four years of medical school and four years of specialty training in anesthesiology.
My plastic surgeon uses a nurse anesthetist and supervises the anesthesia himself. Is this safe?
Most surgeons never receive any anesthesia specific training since anesthesia is an elective rotation in medical school.
You should feel free to ask anyone who is supervising anesthesia how much formal anesthesia training they have had and what their credentials are. If complications arise during your cosmetic surgery, it is important to have an Anesthesiologist present to help the plastic surgeon manage your care.
I called my hospital and they told me they use an “Anesthesia Care Team”. What does that mean?
The “Anesthesia Care Team” model typically is an Anesthesiologist simultaneously supervising up to four nurse anesthetists in different operating rooms. All pre-operative evaluations must be approved by the Physician Anesthesiologist, however the primary person delivering the anesthetic is usually the nurse anesthetist.
In some states, nurse anesthetists are allowed to practice without the supervision of a physician.
If I ask for an Anesthesiologist will I have to pay more money?
No, in the vast majority of cases the insurance company reimbursement for the nurse anesthetist (CRNA) is the same as it is for the Anesthesiologist. If you are having a non-insured case performed (e.g. plastic surgery), then the price will be up to the individual performing the anesthesia and may be cheaper or more expensive.
Considering that there is no cost difference to you to have an Anesthesiologist (Physician) administer your anesthesia, wouldn't you want a doctor by your side in case a complication does arise?
Remember, the biggest risk is not knowing who is administering your or your loved one's anesthesia. You can rest assured with a doctor by your side.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
New Comment on "Turf Wars in Alphabet Soup Land"
Here's the comment. You may also like to go read what this person "Dano" feels is "PROOF" that CRNA's are just as good as Doctors... I will have my comments on here as usual.
First of all it is absolutely ABSURD to use a study such as this. It tries to compare apples and oranges. CRNA's may be just fine for routine things like sedation, although the FDA wants a machine for sedation because this job is so easy. CRNA's are not getting, nor are they adequately trained for the hard cases. Those cases are (mostly? always?) handled by DOCTORS. Since the DOCTORS are getting the tricky anesthesia cases where the mortality rate is understandably much HIGHER, it seems to me that this study proves the exact opposite of what "Dano" is trying to prove. It seems to prove that despite the much more dangerous anesthesia problems confronting real Doctors, they have the same success rate as CRNA's who get the easy sedation and ASA1 cases.
In this study (seems to me it was funded by CRNA's themselves, more research necessary) they try to use billing, medical BILLING and data to reach some sort of conclusion that they are just as good as Doctors. Nice try. We would need to know how many people DIED as a result of their anesthesia. Then we would need to know how many of these patients were ASA1, ASA2, ASA3 etc. and what their prognosis was prior to medical intervention. None of this is available. We need a real comparison of outcome based medicine, not some stupid research into billing and claims. I want to know how many CRNA's screw up their patients as opposed to how many Doctors screw up THEIR patients by comparing like patients, not billing statements. Since CRNA's in general do NOT work on the worst patients, this might be hard.
The main reason for this study is that CRNA's want to raise their rates and make just as much as Doctors for much less training. For proof of that look at the CRNA web site and read all the whining and moaning going on about this very thing. They want to be independent contractors
and they truly feel that normal people will choose a NURSE to handle their anesthesia even if the cost is the same as for an MDA. Are they out of their mind? If CRNA's are so cocksure that patients would trust a nurse as much as a Dr. why do the CRNA's CONCEAL THE FACT THAT THEY ARE JUST A NURSE? My CRNA NEVER ONCE TOLD ME HE WAS JUST A NURSE! This is illegal and it doesn't say much for the whole group of CRNA's. Dano if you are so proud of your profession, let me ask you this; Do you tell your patients that you are an anesthesia nurse? Do you tell your patients that they have an absolute RIGHT to have a Dr. perform their anesthesia, instead of a CRNA? Chances are you DON'T!
The outfit that "Dano" cites as empirical evidence that CRNA's are just as good as Doctors is RTI. What type of studies do they do? They research health RECORDS and other data which as we all know are replete with omissions, lies, falsehoods and other CYA insertions. That's it. They don't ask patients, don't identify which procedures are being studied, not at all. They are looking at medical CLAIMS against CRNA's. This is ANECDOTAL evidence at best. It's a big stretch to compare outcomes based on this kind of "evidence" and Dano you know it. There's a huge difference between having CRNA supplied colonoscopy anesthesia and having your Dr. supplied open heart surgery, with co-morbidity. You really can't compare outcomes by the kind of medical records this outfit used. This is very disingenuous of you Dano.
For more proof of a deliberately skewed "study" look who is behind it. Paul Santoro, (big surprise) the AANA president. The next on the list is the Journal of Nursing Economics (another surprise huh?) I have EMPIRICAL evidence to refute the so-called FACT that nurses cost less. Honeybabe I have the BILL!
I also had a bad outcome from my nurse supplied anesthesia. A nurse isn't an acceptable alternative to a Doctor for my anesthesia. I never would have believed that a NURSE would be doing my anesthesia in the first place. This would have been unacceptable to me ESPECIALLY in light of the fact that my CRNA was going to give me general anesthesia. Of course that little item was another FACT that wasn't revealed to me by the nursey poo.
I would NEVER EVER have allowed a nurse to give me a "dangerous" axillary block either. What the hell! I'm going to let a NURSE give me a shot right into the nerve and risk permanent nerve damage? Not on your life. Especially since he went on and on about how dangerous it was... Well, I guess it was a lot more dangerous than it needed to be because I DIDN'T HAVE A DOCTOR! No wonder the jerk simply shot me up with a poison like Versed. He NEVER wanted me to find out just how badly I was abused. He claimed that he had to give me g/a because my nerve block didn't work! Well, jeez, ya think? Never mind that I had stated emphatically NO to g/a or anything like Versed/Midazolam! A NURSE was playing Dr. of course it didn't work. He knew it wouldn't work ahead of time because he isn't a Dr. and doesn't have the training of a Dr. I had no problems with it, but HE HIMSELF claims that his work was substandard (by inference) and that's why the g/a. I remember exactly what happened, (no amnesia from the overdoses of Versed this non Dr. gave me) so his little subterfuge didn't work anyway, but it sure made me aware of the LIES that he and everybody told me.
Which brings me back to my statement that the examination of MEDICAL RECORDS doesn't prove a thing about how "safe" anesthesia nurses are! The study that Dano cites is nothing but a fluff piece without merit, slanted in favor of the very people who instigated the study. Kinda like the FDA really works for the drug manufacturers, it doesn't actually have anything to do with patient safety. You need to go to the website that Dano wants you to. Look at who is salivating over this little bit of lunacy! Look at the comments on the page, look at the rebuttal from the MDA's, keeping in mind that CRNA's hold themselves in very high regard and form your own opinion. After all, I am not a disgruntled patient, the victim of a medical assault, I AM SIMPLY A "RANTER" according to the poster "Dano."
"Let me direct anyone interested to an article in "The Hill" posted on 9/2/2010 in the healthcare blog titled Study: (Doc supervision of nurse anesthetists is expensive,ineffective and "irrational" )I don't think it will change the ranter's minds but may just educate and put to ease the general populace about CRNA,s!! Just cut and paste what is the between (parenthesis) above"
First of all it is absolutely ABSURD to use a study such as this. It tries to compare apples and oranges. CRNA's may be just fine for routine things like sedation, although the FDA wants a machine for sedation because this job is so easy. CRNA's are not getting, nor are they adequately trained for the hard cases. Those cases are (mostly? always?) handled by DOCTORS. Since the DOCTORS are getting the tricky anesthesia cases where the mortality rate is understandably much HIGHER, it seems to me that this study proves the exact opposite of what "Dano" is trying to prove. It seems to prove that despite the much more dangerous anesthesia problems confronting real Doctors, they have the same success rate as CRNA's who get the easy sedation and ASA1 cases.
In this study (seems to me it was funded by CRNA's themselves, more research necessary) they try to use billing, medical BILLING and data to reach some sort of conclusion that they are just as good as Doctors. Nice try. We would need to know how many people DIED as a result of their anesthesia. Then we would need to know how many of these patients were ASA1, ASA2, ASA3 etc. and what their prognosis was prior to medical intervention. None of this is available. We need a real comparison of outcome based medicine, not some stupid research into billing and claims. I want to know how many CRNA's screw up their patients as opposed to how many Doctors screw up THEIR patients by comparing like patients, not billing statements. Since CRNA's in general do NOT work on the worst patients, this might be hard.
The main reason for this study is that CRNA's want to raise their rates and make just as much as Doctors for much less training. For proof of that look at the CRNA web site and read all the whining and moaning going on about this very thing. They want to be independent contractors
and they truly feel that normal people will choose a NURSE to handle their anesthesia even if the cost is the same as for an MDA. Are they out of their mind? If CRNA's are so cocksure that patients would trust a nurse as much as a Dr. why do the CRNA's CONCEAL THE FACT THAT THEY ARE JUST A NURSE? My CRNA NEVER ONCE TOLD ME HE WAS JUST A NURSE! This is illegal and it doesn't say much for the whole group of CRNA's. Dano if you are so proud of your profession, let me ask you this; Do you tell your patients that you are an anesthesia nurse? Do you tell your patients that they have an absolute RIGHT to have a Dr. perform their anesthesia, instead of a CRNA? Chances are you DON'T!
The outfit that "Dano" cites as empirical evidence that CRNA's are just as good as Doctors is RTI. What type of studies do they do? They research health RECORDS and other data which as we all know are replete with omissions, lies, falsehoods and other CYA insertions. That's it. They don't ask patients, don't identify which procedures are being studied, not at all. They are looking at medical CLAIMS against CRNA's. This is ANECDOTAL evidence at best. It's a big stretch to compare outcomes based on this kind of "evidence" and Dano you know it. There's a huge difference between having CRNA supplied colonoscopy anesthesia and having your Dr. supplied open heart surgery, with co-morbidity. You really can't compare outcomes by the kind of medical records this outfit used. This is very disingenuous of you Dano.
For more proof of a deliberately skewed "study" look who is behind it. Paul Santoro, (big surprise) the AANA president. The next on the list is the Journal of Nursing Economics (another surprise huh?) I have EMPIRICAL evidence to refute the so-called FACT that nurses cost less. Honeybabe I have the BILL!
I also had a bad outcome from my nurse supplied anesthesia. A nurse isn't an acceptable alternative to a Doctor for my anesthesia. I never would have believed that a NURSE would be doing my anesthesia in the first place. This would have been unacceptable to me ESPECIALLY in light of the fact that my CRNA was going to give me general anesthesia. Of course that little item was another FACT that wasn't revealed to me by the nursey poo.
I would NEVER EVER have allowed a nurse to give me a "dangerous" axillary block either. What the hell! I'm going to let a NURSE give me a shot right into the nerve and risk permanent nerve damage? Not on your life. Especially since he went on and on about how dangerous it was... Well, I guess it was a lot more dangerous than it needed to be because I DIDN'T HAVE A DOCTOR! No wonder the jerk simply shot me up with a poison like Versed. He NEVER wanted me to find out just how badly I was abused. He claimed that he had to give me g/a because my nerve block didn't work! Well, jeez, ya think? Never mind that I had stated emphatically NO to g/a or anything like Versed/Midazolam! A NURSE was playing Dr. of course it didn't work. He knew it wouldn't work ahead of time because he isn't a Dr. and doesn't have the training of a Dr. I had no problems with it, but HE HIMSELF claims that his work was substandard (by inference) and that's why the g/a. I remember exactly what happened, (no amnesia from the overdoses of Versed this non Dr. gave me) so his little subterfuge didn't work anyway, but it sure made me aware of the LIES that he and everybody told me.
Which brings me back to my statement that the examination of MEDICAL RECORDS doesn't prove a thing about how "safe" anesthesia nurses are! The study that Dano cites is nothing but a fluff piece without merit, slanted in favor of the very people who instigated the study. Kinda like the FDA really works for the drug manufacturers, it doesn't actually have anything to do with patient safety. You need to go to the website that Dano wants you to. Look at who is salivating over this little bit of lunacy! Look at the comments on the page, look at the rebuttal from the MDA's, keeping in mind that CRNA's hold themselves in very high regard and form your own opinion. After all, I am not a disgruntled patient, the victim of a medical assault, I AM SIMPLY A "RANTER" according to the poster "Dano."
Friday, January 14, 2011
More on Horrible Side Effects
Versed is touted as a safe drug! As you read through the side effects of this allegedly "harmless" and "safe" drug, keep in mind that this risk is as nothing compared to the freedom from patients that Versed affords medical practitioners. These people can hardly wait to inject you with this substance to the patients detriment. They do not care about these side effects to the point that they are categorically denied!
This is from Midazolam TOC Here's what it says; ( emphasis in original)
Midazolam: Adverse Reactions
This is from Midazolam TOC Here's what it says; ( emphasis in original)
Midazolam: Adverse Reactions
Depending on its dose, midazolam can cause any stage of a cardiovascular and respiratory depression. High i.v. doses have caused cardiac and respiratory arrest with lethal consequences. Usual doses normally cause a minor decrease of the blood pressure and oxygen saturation. The amnesia desired, e.g. for endoscopies, can last much longer than the intervention, sometimes for hours (semiconsciousness). Occasionally daydreams with sexual content occur. In addition to a multitude of central nervous symptoms (vertigo, dizziness, headaches, rarely hallucinations, etc.), midazolam can also cause visual disturbances and nausea. Repeated administration (e.g. as a sleeping aid) leads to tolerance and dependence within weeks; withdrawal syndrome often occurs if the drug is discontinued abruptly. (Please note that AMNESIA is desired. NOT patient relaxation. That's the difference between the lies that patients are told and the real reason Versed is used. "LETHAL consequences." That means boys and girls that this drug can KILL YOU! It only takes a couple of mls. to turn you into a zombie. I don't know of any other drug with this kind of potency. I'm sure there are, but this one is especially lethal. Take a good hard look at the "multitude of central nervous symptoms." These are also side effects that the medical community will deny to their dying breath. They want to give you Versed THAT BAD! Also NAUSEA! My mother was told that if she had allowed them to poison her with Versed, that she would not have nausea. I have heard THAT little story from other patients too who were told that with Midazolam they wouldn't have nausea. Why would you tell people lies like that? There is an MDA on line who emphatically denies that the amnesia from Versed "can last much longer than the intervention." People complain that they had amnesia for the whole day or longer and are met with stubborn self serving platitudes and ridicule from anesthesia providers.)
Midazolam: Interactions
A dangerous central nervous sedation can develop if midazolam is combined with alcohol or other centrally sedative drugs (e.g. opioids). Cimetidine and ranitidine cause higher midazolam levels. ("Dangerous central nervous sedation!" Well, who has heard anything about this from your friendly anesthesia provider? Versed has zero side effects didn't you know?)
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Recent Comment About Vigilance; True!
"M" commented on my post "So many, it's impossible." This person's comment is worth further discussion. There was an "M" that I believe is a CRNA who used to comment on my blog in a very haughty and condescending manner. This "M" may be a completely different one, but I hope it's the same person. They seem to have had a change of heart, IF this is the same person. (If this is the same "M" the CRNA and you would like to have a guest spot on here to explain your profession and the whole Versed problem in a nice way please e-mail me) Here's the newest "M" comment also available in the comments section of the "so many it's impossible" post.
"You tell your daughter that there are bad people everywhere doing everything and to be vigilant. Luckily they are in the extreme minority of both Anesthesiologists and CRNAs." (3Jan11)
In the interest of fairness, I have to believe what "M" says is true. I believe that the people who use Versed in a medical setting to further their careers as sexual predators is a small minority. However this completely negates the fact that Versed is being over used and used in situations where it is CLEARLY not in the best interests of the PATIENT. Versed is being used by almost every single CRNA, nearly all of the time. You can see this if you look through the nurse-anesthesia web site and the allnurses web site. You can also see the disdain for patients as they personally attack me and Tim from versedbusters because we hated this med., weren't told of it's effects and had a severe and long lasting PTSD reaction along with permanent cognitive function decline.
Otherwise, vigilance is exactly what I am advocating for patients. It is in the best interest of MOST patients not to have Versed. It's hard to be vigilant when you have amnesia and are compliant because of Versed. We patients MUST take charge of our medical care. Question everything and decline what we don't want. This is OUR duty as patients. Our power has been usurped and co opted by arrogant medical personnel. Take back the power! Use the law to YOUR advantage, do not allow them hide behind it. It is our RIGHT to have everything explained, right down to Versed, amnesia and compliance. It's THEIR job to reveal ALL to us as patients, not our job to extract information! Don't let them get away with non compliance with the law!
Versed is an AMNESIA drug, that's its purpose. It is not used to make the patient comfortable OR to combat anxiety. There are other drugs which are better suited for this! Versed is also given so that medical people can have a "cooperative" patient. This also has nothing to do with patient needs. It has to do with the ease with which medical people can perform their job (or not) With Versed there is no interaction with patients. No explanations are necessary. You will obey their every command without question. They can claim that you "consented" to things while under the influence. How would you know whether you did or not? Luckily *I* REMEMBER what went on while I was supposedly amnestic. If I had gotten the amnesia that they strove for by overdosing me with Versed, I wouldn't have a leg to stand on would I?
Vigilance should also be used on the so-called "consent" forms. Read them thoroughly. You may be absolutely SHOCKED at the fine print. I snagged a post from anesthesiolboists blog in which the "anesthesia consent" contained permission to do blood work and other things. No way should that be slipped into the "anesthesia" consent. Like my "blood transfusion" document containing a blanket consent for anything the Dr. found desirable. No, each consent should contain an item of consent, not be used as a trick to get the patient to sign for anything at all.
My final comment on the "vigilance" post from "M" is this... Whether or not what happened to me was intentionally sexual or not, I was assaulted. My crotch was exposed and breached in the OR without my knowledge or consent. My urethra, bladder, vagina and kidneys were subjected to unnecessary risk of perforation and/or infection as a direct result of Versed. Without Versed these people would never have been allowed the opportunity to egregiously flout my lack of consent for all of this... I got a KIDNEY infection and bladder infection as a result of a minor wrist surgery wherein Versed was used for compliance and g/a was used in defiance of my wishes. (according to subsequent blood work I do have some loss of kidney function after this hospital acquired infection...) I thought I WAS being vigilant! Too bad for me and many others that the consent was bypassed by the use of Versed. Which drug I would never have consented to either! The old adage "You can't be too careful" is appropriate here. Thanks "M"
"You tell your daughter that there are bad people everywhere doing everything and to be vigilant. Luckily they are in the extreme minority of both Anesthesiologists and CRNAs." (3Jan11)
In the interest of fairness, I have to believe what "M" says is true. I believe that the people who use Versed in a medical setting to further their careers as sexual predators is a small minority. However this completely negates the fact that Versed is being over used and used in situations where it is CLEARLY not in the best interests of the PATIENT. Versed is being used by almost every single CRNA, nearly all of the time. You can see this if you look through the nurse-anesthesia web site and the allnurses web site. You can also see the disdain for patients as they personally attack me and Tim from versedbusters because we hated this med., weren't told of it's effects and had a severe and long lasting PTSD reaction along with permanent cognitive function decline.
Otherwise, vigilance is exactly what I am advocating for patients. It is in the best interest of MOST patients not to have Versed. It's hard to be vigilant when you have amnesia and are compliant because of Versed. We patients MUST take charge of our medical care. Question everything and decline what we don't want. This is OUR duty as patients. Our power has been usurped and co opted by arrogant medical personnel. Take back the power! Use the law to YOUR advantage, do not allow them hide behind it. It is our RIGHT to have everything explained, right down to Versed, amnesia and compliance. It's THEIR job to reveal ALL to us as patients, not our job to extract information! Don't let them get away with non compliance with the law!
Versed is an AMNESIA drug, that's its purpose. It is not used to make the patient comfortable OR to combat anxiety. There are other drugs which are better suited for this! Versed is also given so that medical people can have a "cooperative" patient. This also has nothing to do with patient needs. It has to do with the ease with which medical people can perform their job (or not) With Versed there is no interaction with patients. No explanations are necessary. You will obey their every command without question. They can claim that you "consented" to things while under the influence. How would you know whether you did or not? Luckily *I* REMEMBER what went on while I was supposedly amnestic. If I had gotten the amnesia that they strove for by overdosing me with Versed, I wouldn't have a leg to stand on would I?
Vigilance should also be used on the so-called "consent" forms. Read them thoroughly. You may be absolutely SHOCKED at the fine print. I snagged a post from anesthesiolboists blog in which the "anesthesia consent" contained permission to do blood work and other things. No way should that be slipped into the "anesthesia" consent. Like my "blood transfusion" document containing a blanket consent for anything the Dr. found desirable. No, each consent should contain an item of consent, not be used as a trick to get the patient to sign for anything at all.
My final comment on the "vigilance" post from "M" is this... Whether or not what happened to me was intentionally sexual or not, I was assaulted. My crotch was exposed and breached in the OR without my knowledge or consent. My urethra, bladder, vagina and kidneys were subjected to unnecessary risk of perforation and/or infection as a direct result of Versed. Without Versed these people would never have been allowed the opportunity to egregiously flout my lack of consent for all of this... I got a KIDNEY infection and bladder infection as a result of a minor wrist surgery wherein Versed was used for compliance and g/a was used in defiance of my wishes. (according to subsequent blood work I do have some loss of kidney function after this hospital acquired infection...) I thought I WAS being vigilant! Too bad for me and many others that the consent was bypassed by the use of Versed. Which drug I would never have consented to either! The old adage "You can't be too careful" is appropriate here. Thanks "M"
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Light Entertainment!
The following is an amusing rendition about what happened to this man when his CRNA gave him Versed against his wishes. I snatched this from Notes of an Anesthesioboist: Sign Here, Please
Anonymous said...
"I had a paradocical rxn to versed in the past and told the anesthesiologist that I didn't consent to receiving it, ut the CRNA gave it to me anyway. I remember her smirking as she patted me on the shoulder and told me that: don't worry about any problems, you can trust me". Really professional. When the procedure was over, the CRNA was red-faced and begging me to consent to a blood draw fo HIV/Hep C; it seems that after she pushed the Versed into my IV I had another paradoxical reaction and she got bit and stuck as I ripped my IV out. I told her no and she said that my anesthesia consent permitted this, I told her and the surgeon: "I hereby revoke my consent to any blood draws or further treatment since you administered a drug that the anesthesiologist agreed not to use". Suddenly the CRNA got very quiet. My wife told her: "don't worry about any problems honey, you can trust him"......My wife has had enough clinical experience to know that consent can be revoked at any time and she asked how the CRNA felt now. I told her that I have to live with the Versed side-effects and that she has to live with the consequences of exposure. Interestingly enough, my surgeon was totally supportive; when I saw him 2 weeks later I told him that I would have agreed to a blood test if the CRNA wasn't such a jerk..he said let her worry about the consequences. And I got a formal apology from the anesthesiologist."
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Instructions for avoiding Versed/Midazolam
Although I have directions on how to avoid and/or prevent Versed from being used on you elsewhere in this blog, it's a long ways back. I am going to restate these instructions again.
My sister called me in a panic this evening because she is facing a rotator cuff surgery in the very near future! She has had nothing but bad experiences with Versed and being the very sweet lady that she is, she has been unable to convince her anesthesia providers NOT to give it to her. They have insisted on giving her MORE Versed as if that would help. They have assured her that they will use only Fentanyl without Versed and then immediately injected her with Versed. At this point she is unsure whether to even allow the Fentanyl as it seems that it's always Versed/Fentanyl as if the 2 drugs are inseparable. Here is what I told her...
First of all, never point to any scientific studies or Dr.s who agree that Versed is a really bad drug for a substantial number of patients. Please believe that your anesthesia person, usually just a nurse and NOT a Dr., does not care what you or anybody else thinks. They want you to have Versed. So don't say a word about science or empirical evidence. Don't bother to fight with them. They are your employees, not Gods.
Do NOT say anything about the internet. They do not care about the internet unless those posts agree with them, I.E Versed is just wonderful and has zero side effects.
Here is what you do;
1) Insist on speaking to your anesthesia provider AHEAD OF TIME! Do not let anybody persuade you that you will see them just before your procedure. NO! You are going to pay this person a huge amount of money for a small amount of their time. They can spare you a few minutes of their precious time, on the phone, prior to the event. If they can't, find somebody on your own! Ask to speak to a different person at the same establishment. Why should you be able to pick your surgeon etc and not the anesthesia provider?
2) Ask this person if they have a problem with omitting the Versed. If they argue, get somebody else. Now you see why I say to speak to this person prior to being in the medical treatment center? Preferably DAYS before! You need to be able to find the right person. If they argue the merits of Versed, ridicule your concerns, or tell you that you MUST have Versed, again, find somebody else. Don't waste your time arguing with them. Simply replace them!
3) When you arrive at the point of treatment have a RED INK PEN in your possession. Get there even earlier than usual because you will be reading EVERY SINGLE WORD of the sign in sheet. With the red pen you are going to STRIKE OUT every line on that "consent to treat" (as opposed to the actual "informed consent") that you disagree with.
One of the lines to strike is the one which gives the surgeon or provider the latitude to "decide" anything based on their findings. "No" to this otherwise you may find that you are going to get Versed because your medical provider deems it "In your best interests." Admittedly there are a few instances where this isn't applicable. Cancer surgery, where the Dr. needs to be able to perform more than you bargained for and so forth. You are smart enough to know when this is necessary... Even IF they want to be able to amputate, remove and other wise do additional things, you still don't have to let them! However none of this requires Versed. Dr. CANNOT decide unilaterally what they want to do to YOUR body and mind. Kinda defeats the whole purpose of "INFORMED" consent doesn't it. It's the law.
Also, rule out the bit about having people watching or participating in your care at the Doctors discretion. This is a sure fire way to be used as a living cadaver for beginners, students, janitors, and anybody that the Dr. desires. If you want complications, this is a good way to get them. Don't believe the "observing" part. They will be participating, not just observing.
They may want permission to experiment with your body parts. They may call it "disposing" of them. Question that. They may ask for permission to mess with your dna or other things. Nope! They will probably do it anyway, but don't give them permission. If anything comes up later you will have a leg to stand on.
4) Bring the red pen into the preop area with you. Hopefully you have somebody you trust with you who knows your wishes. If not, bring the red pen anyway. Take the time to read the paperwork!!!! Don't let them rush you. Don't let them take your glasses and then try to get you to sign. If you have any questions, like "where the hell is the surgeon?" and "what exactly are you planning to do to me?" etc. DO NOT SIGN THE DOCUMENT! Do not think for one minute that once you sign the document that the questions will be answered. The whole purpose is to get you to sign the alleged "informed consent" without actually giving you any information. Once signed it's too late.
5) Once everybody has given you the amount of information you want, FIRST WRITE IN BOLD RED INK, IN LARGE LETTERS, DIAGONALLY ACROSS THE "INFORMED" CONSENT FORM THESE WORDS; "UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES AM I TO RECEIVE VERSED/MIDAZOLAM!" Write this right across the wording. Then you can sign your name and they will sign theirs. Don't forget the "under no circumstances" or they will figure out how to get around it. Trust me, I've been through this very thing...
6) UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES are you to sign a consent for sedation of any kind. If your point of treatment has a separate consent for anesthesia, this is great. That's where you write again (in red) UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES AM I TO RECEIVE VERSED/MIDAZOLAM IN ANY AMOUNT OR FOR ANY REASON. You may also have a space to write other instructions like "Fentanyl only" or some such. Since you have already established this when you spoke to your anesthesia provider about this, this should not be a problem... You are just helping them remember what your instructions are. You DON'T have to justify why you don't want Versed. Don't let them embroil you in an argument about it. They can and will try to misconstrue anything you say into some kind of permission for Versed...
7) Do not let medical people bully, harass, threaten and cajole you. You are in charge, they are YOUR employees. As much as I despise CRNA's as a whole, there are some EXCELLENT individuals out there who are perfectly capable of doing their job without Versed. Ditto for your Dr. I have heard, and my sister has experienced, people who will tell you anything to get you in there and then subject you to emotional blackmail to get you to accept Versed! Do you really want to give people like that the big bucks? Walk out if they try any funny business. Find somebody else. IT'S YOUR BODY AND MIND. IT'S AGAINST THE LAW TO FORCE YOU TO ACCEPT VERSED!
8) These instructions will not work in an emergency situation. Make sure you family and friends know about your Versed aversion, allergy, whatever... Wear a piece of medical jewelry. They are very reasonable on e-bay and you can get them inscribed with NO VERSED for a nominal fee. Also put a card in your wallet with precise instructions to your EMT should the occasion arise. Have your GP, NP or whomever your primary care provider is put IN YOUR CHART that you are not to have Versed under any circumstances. Make sure that you check your chart for this statement. Watch for any prevarication from your provider like "Patient claims to have an allergy" or "patient thinks they have an allergy to Versed." If they make it sound like you are a loony tune or that you are a hypochondriac, difficult patient etc. it is your right under the law to correct that. Then I would find somebody else who believes that drugs do have side effects even if they don't KILL you!!! PTSD isn't any more fun to live with than a physical problem!
9) KNOW THE LAW as it pertains to "informed consent." There are a lot of things that are being left out of the informed consent discussions. Did you know that they are required by law to tell you the name of every single person who will be involved in your care? It must be in writing... Your consent can't just say "...and anybody the Dr. so directs" If there isn't enough room on the sheet then they must provide you with a second sheet which lists them. There's lots more, read up before you go in. These laws are here on this blog, they are just back a ways...
10) The most important thing is to use the red pen to write the words "Under no circumstances am I to receive Versed/Midazolam" in large red print across the informed consent page.
If you don't do anything else that I have written about, this is the key issue. There is no prevarication or wiggle room left! Be prepared for subterfuge and threats to withhold treatment. Even if they do, you CAN find somebody else. You may have to leave, but it's unlikely... I sure wish I had just gotten up, dressed and left the medical center. I would have been better off without medical treatment.
My sister called me in a panic this evening because she is facing a rotator cuff surgery in the very near future! She has had nothing but bad experiences with Versed and being the very sweet lady that she is, she has been unable to convince her anesthesia providers NOT to give it to her. They have insisted on giving her MORE Versed as if that would help. They have assured her that they will use only Fentanyl without Versed and then immediately injected her with Versed. At this point she is unsure whether to even allow the Fentanyl as it seems that it's always Versed/Fentanyl as if the 2 drugs are inseparable. Here is what I told her...
First of all, never point to any scientific studies or Dr.s who agree that Versed is a really bad drug for a substantial number of patients. Please believe that your anesthesia person, usually just a nurse and NOT a Dr., does not care what you or anybody else thinks. They want you to have Versed. So don't say a word about science or empirical evidence. Don't bother to fight with them. They are your employees, not Gods.
Do NOT say anything about the internet. They do not care about the internet unless those posts agree with them, I.E Versed is just wonderful and has zero side effects.
Here is what you do;
1) Insist on speaking to your anesthesia provider AHEAD OF TIME! Do not let anybody persuade you that you will see them just before your procedure. NO! You are going to pay this person a huge amount of money for a small amount of their time. They can spare you a few minutes of their precious time, on the phone, prior to the event. If they can't, find somebody on your own! Ask to speak to a different person at the same establishment. Why should you be able to pick your surgeon etc and not the anesthesia provider?
2) Ask this person if they have a problem with omitting the Versed. If they argue, get somebody else. Now you see why I say to speak to this person prior to being in the medical treatment center? Preferably DAYS before! You need to be able to find the right person. If they argue the merits of Versed, ridicule your concerns, or tell you that you MUST have Versed, again, find somebody else. Don't waste your time arguing with them. Simply replace them!
3) When you arrive at the point of treatment have a RED INK PEN in your possession. Get there even earlier than usual because you will be reading EVERY SINGLE WORD of the sign in sheet. With the red pen you are going to STRIKE OUT every line on that "consent to treat" (as opposed to the actual "informed consent") that you disagree with.
One of the lines to strike is the one which gives the surgeon or provider the latitude to "decide" anything based on their findings. "No" to this otherwise you may find that you are going to get Versed because your medical provider deems it "In your best interests." Admittedly there are a few instances where this isn't applicable. Cancer surgery, where the Dr. needs to be able to perform more than you bargained for and so forth. You are smart enough to know when this is necessary... Even IF they want to be able to amputate, remove and other wise do additional things, you still don't have to let them! However none of this requires Versed. Dr. CANNOT decide unilaterally what they want to do to YOUR body and mind. Kinda defeats the whole purpose of "INFORMED" consent doesn't it. It's the law.
Also, rule out the bit about having people watching or participating in your care at the Doctors discretion. This is a sure fire way to be used as a living cadaver for beginners, students, janitors, and anybody that the Dr. desires. If you want complications, this is a good way to get them. Don't believe the "observing" part. They will be participating, not just observing.
They may want permission to experiment with your body parts. They may call it "disposing" of them. Question that. They may ask for permission to mess with your dna or other things. Nope! They will probably do it anyway, but don't give them permission. If anything comes up later you will have a leg to stand on.
4) Bring the red pen into the preop area with you. Hopefully you have somebody you trust with you who knows your wishes. If not, bring the red pen anyway. Take the time to read the paperwork!!!! Don't let them rush you. Don't let them take your glasses and then try to get you to sign. If you have any questions, like "where the hell is the surgeon?" and "what exactly are you planning to do to me?" etc. DO NOT SIGN THE DOCUMENT! Do not think for one minute that once you sign the document that the questions will be answered. The whole purpose is to get you to sign the alleged "informed consent" without actually giving you any information. Once signed it's too late.
5) Once everybody has given you the amount of information you want, FIRST WRITE IN BOLD RED INK, IN LARGE LETTERS, DIAGONALLY ACROSS THE "INFORMED" CONSENT FORM THESE WORDS; "UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES AM I TO RECEIVE VERSED/MIDAZOLAM!" Write this right across the wording. Then you can sign your name and they will sign theirs. Don't forget the "under no circumstances" or they will figure out how to get around it. Trust me, I've been through this very thing...
6) UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES are you to sign a consent for sedation of any kind. If your point of treatment has a separate consent for anesthesia, this is great. That's where you write again (in red) UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES AM I TO RECEIVE VERSED/MIDAZOLAM IN ANY AMOUNT OR FOR ANY REASON. You may also have a space to write other instructions like "Fentanyl only" or some such. Since you have already established this when you spoke to your anesthesia provider about this, this should not be a problem... You are just helping them remember what your instructions are. You DON'T have to justify why you don't want Versed. Don't let them embroil you in an argument about it. They can and will try to misconstrue anything you say into some kind of permission for Versed...
7) Do not let medical people bully, harass, threaten and cajole you. You are in charge, they are YOUR employees. As much as I despise CRNA's as a whole, there are some EXCELLENT individuals out there who are perfectly capable of doing their job without Versed. Ditto for your Dr. I have heard, and my sister has experienced, people who will tell you anything to get you in there and then subject you to emotional blackmail to get you to accept Versed! Do you really want to give people like that the big bucks? Walk out if they try any funny business. Find somebody else. IT'S YOUR BODY AND MIND. IT'S AGAINST THE LAW TO FORCE YOU TO ACCEPT VERSED!
8) These instructions will not work in an emergency situation. Make sure you family and friends know about your Versed aversion, allergy, whatever... Wear a piece of medical jewelry. They are very reasonable on e-bay and you can get them inscribed with NO VERSED for a nominal fee. Also put a card in your wallet with precise instructions to your EMT should the occasion arise. Have your GP, NP or whomever your primary care provider is put IN YOUR CHART that you are not to have Versed under any circumstances. Make sure that you check your chart for this statement. Watch for any prevarication from your provider like "Patient claims to have an allergy" or "patient thinks they have an allergy to Versed." If they make it sound like you are a loony tune or that you are a hypochondriac, difficult patient etc. it is your right under the law to correct that. Then I would find somebody else who believes that drugs do have side effects even if they don't KILL you!!! PTSD isn't any more fun to live with than a physical problem!
9) KNOW THE LAW as it pertains to "informed consent." There are a lot of things that are being left out of the informed consent discussions. Did you know that they are required by law to tell you the name of every single person who will be involved in your care? It must be in writing... Your consent can't just say "...and anybody the Dr. so directs" If there isn't enough room on the sheet then they must provide you with a second sheet which lists them. There's lots more, read up before you go in. These laws are here on this blog, they are just back a ways...
10) The most important thing is to use the red pen to write the words "Under no circumstances am I to receive Versed/Midazolam" in large red print across the informed consent page.
If you don't do anything else that I have written about, this is the key issue. There is no prevarication or wiggle room left! Be prepared for subterfuge and threats to withhold treatment. Even if they do, you CAN find somebody else. You may have to leave, but it's unlikely... I sure wish I had just gotten up, dressed and left the medical center. I would have been better off without medical treatment.
Monday, January 3, 2011
So Many, It's Impossible!
"There are so many people involved with the patients care that it would be impossible to molest, rape or otherwise sexually assault a patient. These patients must be mistaking our flesh toned LMA device with somebodies penis. These patients are insane to start with. These patients are hallucinating things because of the medications. These patients just don't understand that we are there to save lives and we would never, ever harm one of our patients." If you believe any of this, you are simply WRONG!
Here is a pending lawsuit from Marrietta Georgia. Patients Sue WellStar Health System in Nurse Molestation Cases Austell News (How come we never hear about this?)
The complainants allege that a CRNA (who'da thunk it) named Paul Serdula knocked these women unconscious (assuming he gave them Versed, some reports do mention sedation) and then had his way with them. This was in the busy OR according to some reports. That's not the half of it. He TAPED himself doing so and the Cobb County Police have allegedly obtained tapes of MORE THAN 100 WOMEN AND GIRLS being molested while under anesthesia.
Bear with me here; These women feel that they were unconscious, however in other reports this was done in the preop area. Correct me if I'm wrong, but g/a isn't induced in the patient prep area, only in the OR. I am thinking that the OR wouldn't have the privacy afforded by a screened preop area, or am I mistaken? Most people report that their experience of Versed is just like being unconscious. Of course the medical people are trying to split this hair... Were they unconscious? (patients view) Or were they really unconscious? (clinical view) Who the hell cares? The patients were not mentally capable of determining if they were MERELY amnestic or if they really were unconscious are they? IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH! It would be just like a defense attorney to make a big deal out of this! Were they unconscious or just thought they were unconscious? Well if they were only given an amnestic and unable to move or object, but not clinically unconscious then they wanted it...
(My CRNA said that I "didn't object" i.e. gave consent to the g/a once he had drugged me into submission with Versed. Just kidding, he conveniently left out the part about the Versed and any mention of sedation... He also left out the part where I told him NOT to give me g/a OR sedatives. I even had suggestions as to what to do if the nerve block didn't work. Hint; none of them had to do with giving me sedation or g/a. This kind of subterfuge has to stop.)
Of course, like my CRNA, Mr. Sedula is an "independent contractor." This means that the hospitals et. al. can absolve themselves of all responsibility for the patients who entrust themselves to their care. This is how *MY* medical center passed the buck as well. Keep that in mind, this is an important fact to consider when you need medical care... The hospital is NOT responsible for rogue acts, illegal activities or medical malfeasance within their hospital. All due to the "independent contractor" status of the miscreants they allow to have patient access. According to reports, Wellstar, the health care provider in this case OF COURSE says that the CRNA Paul Sedula wasn't their employee. They are innocent! He was just an "independent contractor" that they allowed to have free access to their helpless patients!
In the alleged video tapes, other people are heard in the room. (I have not personally seen these tapes, and am not involved in any way with this investigation) Nobody noticed this man orally raping, molesting and/or sodomizing all these women and the girl? Or are there a lot of these types in the hospitals that think this is funny? After all the patient won't remember it anyway, so what's the harm? I hope the Cobb County Police track down each and every person who was heard or seen in the vicinity of the taping and arrest them all. They are ALL responsible for allowing this to happen under their noses. Somebody (or lots of somebodies), heard, saw or suspected something and there was a resounding white wall of silence from them.
One girl was 12 years old! 12 YEARS OLD! My daughter is 12 years old. After what happened to me, and reading this about what happened to this innocent child, what do I tell my daughter about medical care?
Here is a pending lawsuit from Marrietta Georgia. Patients Sue WellStar Health System in Nurse Molestation Cases Austell News (How come we never hear about this?)
The complainants allege that a CRNA (who'da thunk it) named Paul Serdula knocked these women unconscious (assuming he gave them Versed, some reports do mention sedation) and then had his way with them. This was in the busy OR according to some reports. That's not the half of it. He TAPED himself doing so and the Cobb County Police have allegedly obtained tapes of MORE THAN 100 WOMEN AND GIRLS being molested while under anesthesia.
Bear with me here; These women feel that they were unconscious, however in other reports this was done in the preop area. Correct me if I'm wrong, but g/a isn't induced in the patient prep area, only in the OR. I am thinking that the OR wouldn't have the privacy afforded by a screened preop area, or am I mistaken? Most people report that their experience of Versed is just like being unconscious. Of course the medical people are trying to split this hair... Were they unconscious? (patients view) Or were they really unconscious? (clinical view) Who the hell cares? The patients were not mentally capable of determining if they were MERELY amnestic or if they really were unconscious are they? IT DOESN'T MATTER WHICH! It would be just like a defense attorney to make a big deal out of this! Were they unconscious or just thought they were unconscious? Well if they were only given an amnestic and unable to move or object, but not clinically unconscious then they wanted it...
(My CRNA said that I "didn't object" i.e. gave consent to the g/a once he had drugged me into submission with Versed. Just kidding, he conveniently left out the part about the Versed and any mention of sedation... He also left out the part where I told him NOT to give me g/a OR sedatives. I even had suggestions as to what to do if the nerve block didn't work. Hint; none of them had to do with giving me sedation or g/a. This kind of subterfuge has to stop.)
Of course, like my CRNA, Mr. Sedula is an "independent contractor." This means that the hospitals et. al. can absolve themselves of all responsibility for the patients who entrust themselves to their care. This is how *MY* medical center passed the buck as well. Keep that in mind, this is an important fact to consider when you need medical care... The hospital is NOT responsible for rogue acts, illegal activities or medical malfeasance within their hospital. All due to the "independent contractor" status of the miscreants they allow to have patient access. According to reports, Wellstar, the health care provider in this case OF COURSE says that the CRNA Paul Sedula wasn't their employee. They are innocent! He was just an "independent contractor" that they allowed to have free access to their helpless patients!
In the alleged video tapes, other people are heard in the room. (I have not personally seen these tapes, and am not involved in any way with this investigation) Nobody noticed this man orally raping, molesting and/or sodomizing all these women and the girl? Or are there a lot of these types in the hospitals that think this is funny? After all the patient won't remember it anyway, so what's the harm? I hope the Cobb County Police track down each and every person who was heard or seen in the vicinity of the taping and arrest them all. They are ALL responsible for allowing this to happen under their noses. Somebody (or lots of somebodies), heard, saw or suspected something and there was a resounding white wall of silence from them.
One girl was 12 years old! 12 YEARS OLD! My daughter is 12 years old. After what happened to me, and reading this about what happened to this innocent child, what do I tell my daughter about medical care?
A Recent "1" from Askapatient
This little blurb is from http://www.askapatient.com/ This one is so alarming I felt it deserved a post of it's own. Here's the quote;
"First time led to respiratory arrest, had to be resuscitated and reversed with Narcan. Next time I advised the nurse of this history, and she doubled the dose to see if it would happen again. I absolutely detest Versed and the horrible amnesia it causes. I have postponed my colonscopy despite the polyps found last time, just because of the Versed. I would rather die of cancer than die from respiratory failure."
This person had RESPIRATORY ARREST the first time they received this medication. This is one of the most serious side effects of the "safe" drug Midazolam/Versed. This can kill you. This can cause irreversible brain damage and damage to other organs! Yes I know these people are allegedly well trained in airway management, but there are always glitches aren't there? What if this person had a difficult airway or some other mechanical failure of the apparatus. Did this nurse ask the patient if they wanted to be a statistic? Doesn't look like it. Would this even be reported as a Versed related death?
Here's the scariest part of all "...I advised the nurse of this history and she doubled the dose to see if it would happen again." What the hell is going on here? A DOUBLE DOSE might not cause arrest if a single dose does? Or did this nurse feel that respiratory arrest is some kind of game to play with the patient? Did the nurse feel that HER skills were such that it didn't matter if the patient went into respiratory arrest because SHE could handle that emergency? Obviously the nurse didn't believe this patient OR more sinisterly she felt that the patient shouldn't have REMEMBERED that they endured a respiratory arrest and therefore opted for MORE of the same drug which caused the problem in the first place! I have to question the decision making process of this nurse.
WOULD THIS NURSE HAVE CARED IF HER PATIENT WAS PERMANENTLY DAMAGED OR KILLED BECAUSE SHE TOOK IT UPON HERSELF TO DOUBLE THE DOSE OF A DANGEROUS DRUG AS AN EXPERIMENT? WOULD SHE HAVE BLAMED HERSELF BECAUSE THE PATIENT HAD WARNED HER AHEAD OF TIME? WOULD THIS NURSE, UPON HARMING THIS PATIENT, HAVE STOPPED USING VERSED/MIDAZOLAM? I don't think so.... I think this nurse would have said to herself "Oh well, everybody reacts to drugs differently and Versed/Midazolam is a "safe" drug. So what if they are dead or a vegetable. NEXT!"
I have put up some other posts last month which go to this issue; Is it the job of medical personnel to "see if it will happen again?" This is breathtaking in its stupidity. It is not up to a nurse to decide for the patient what risks are acceptable to them! It is not up to medical personnel to decide unilaterally what is best for the patient. It is not up to medical personnel to perform experiments on patients to determine to the practitioners satisfaction that the patient truly has an adverse reaction to the med.
It is our RIGHT as a patient to decide for ourselves that we do not wish to have a certain drug, NOT MEDICAL PERSONNEL! Why would anybody trust a member of the medical field with their life on the basis of this post? This is obviously an ingrained personality flaw within the medical community as I have seen this attitude time and time again.
For the nurse who felt that her job is to see if Versed/Midazolam really would almost kill the patient because of her own desire to use it, congratulations, good job! You signed the DEATH WARRANT for this hapless patient by your little experiment. This is unacceptable behavior by anybodies standards and also AGAINST THE LAW!
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