Boston Medical/BAD Experience/JUICY INSIDER TIP

UPDATE: Tuesday, 11.18.03 Surgeon: Donald Hess Hospital: Boston Medical Me: Annie, 38yrs old, 5'6, 244 pounds (BMI=39), Hypertension, Sleep Apnea, more... INS: BC/BS MA Blue Care Elect Preferred It was one year almost to the week from my first appontment with Dr. Hess to my surgery: TUESDAY: Just home from the hospital yesterday. Had my surgery Friday morning, 7:45, 11.14.03. Got home Monday afternoon, early by one day, because I was progressing so well (I have a history of recovering quickly from surgery) and because I COULDN'T GET OUT OF THERE FAST ENOUGH. I was in 7East in the Menino Pavilion at Boston Medical Center, and, like ANY hospital (I've had FOUR previous surgeries in my life, plus one stay for pnemonia when I was 7 months pregnant with my twins, so I've had a total of SIX HOSPITAL stays, so I know something about this. ) it's the NURSES that can make or break your stay. And 7 East at BMC was no different from any hospital I ever stayed at, some nurse were GREAT (Kim and Gurda to be specific were WONDERFUL), some nurse were just fine, no complaints, but nothing to write home about, and two nurses, FRAN and the one I had in recovery who I think was named Lois, STRAIGHT FROM THE MOUTHS OF HELL. Unkind, unhelpful, uncompassionate, unseeing, unempathic in every way, LAZY, MEAN, AND OTHERWISE COMPLETELY UNFIT FOR THE JOBS THEY WERE GIVEN. I wouldn't trust them with a french fry, never mind a human being, I swear to God. SERIOUSLY. Because these were the kind of women that if you ordered them wrong, would SPIT on them before they gave them to you....I really believe that. THAT'S HOW COMPLETELY INHUMANE THEIR TREATMENT OF ME WAS. ++++++And MOST UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME, they were assigned to me RIGHT OUT OF SURGERY, WHEN I WAS MOST IN NEED OF HELP IN COMPASSION.+++++++++++++That's the really ghoulish part, and the part that has made me decide that if I should ever again need surgical care, I will find out where all those Saudi Sheiks go when they come here and then mortgage my house so I can go there to get some decent care when I really need it. In an effort to help those who in this group will come after me, let me expand on my expereince: Example of an interaction between Fran and me, upon arrving at 7 East: LET ME SET UP THE SCENE: I had just come from the first of my two nurses from hell, Lois, in recovery, (Who, when I asked her to please help me find me morphine button because I'd just rolled over a little and misplaced it, said "It's YOUR responsibility to keep track of it. There won't be anyone upstairs to help you find it when you lose it. So where was it when you had it last?" and then waited for me to answer! She also yelled at me when my JP drain got jammed under my leg. This was how I found OUT that I even had one, "You better not roll over on that again, or you'll be in big trouble." I swear to God, I am not making this up!) So I was ready for a little compassion. I wasn't going to find any. I got the second of my two consecutive nurses from hell upon arriving in my room. Her name was Fran. ARRIVAL AT THE ROOM: So...as we pick up the action here, Fran had been in and out of my room for a total of about 3 minutes at this point. And we'd already had a couple of go rounds about the heat, which was set, yes, SET at EIGHTY FIVE DEGREEES (musta been an eskimo in there before me!) and she didn't seem to appreciate that that was too hot.** (See below for the heat story) I literally had a bead of sweat dripping down my forehead. (I have asthma and allergies so if it's hot I CAN'T BREATHE, so it was kinda important that this issue not be treated merely as a matter of comfort. ESPECIALLY SINCE I CAN'T TAKE MY USUAL MED'S! It's BREATHING to me, not COMFORT.) And we had had some difficulty with her understanding the VERY, VERY VERY VERY bright surgical light directly over my head and directly in my eyes needed to be turned off. We had a great deal of difficulty navigating that issue, and there was another issue with my tote bag, (A large, Land's End tote bag with my name embroidered on it, which had an open top, not even a zipper.) which, when I asked her to just grab a radio I'd had packed right near the top--and it's not like there were 3 or 4 radios in there, ya know--and she plunked the ENTIRE bag on the bed on my knees and told me "I don' want to go through your stuff" then told me it was hospital policy to inventory it, then ran off (presumably to grab an inventory sheet, but who knows, she never said, she just TOOK OFF), leaving me in a sweltering room, under a bright light, not knowing, whether or not I would see her again any time soon....So I knew, almost immediately that I was dealing with a very unkind person. So there I am, about 10 hours post-surgery, in pain, doped up on morphine so bad I couldn't even see clearly (I couldn't even open them that long because the light that was still on was too bright, too), had FOUR IV'S (2 IV's in each hand), a catheter, and a JP drain hanging out of my stomach. A SIGNATURE EXAMPLE OF HOW FRAN TREATED ME: (This is my favorite Fran story, because you just can't make this stuff up, really.) ME: Could you please hand me my pillows." (I had brought my own pillows from home, which a lovely lady named Rosa downstairs in pre-surgery had tied together with something so they would not get lost from each other or me.) FRAN: (HOLDS THE PILLOWS OUT IN FRONT OF ME, STILL TIED TOGETHER, ABOUT A FOOT FROM MY FACE.) She stands there, having not said a word. ME: (Incredulous) Could you untie them please? FRAN: (In a raised voice, with a very impatient tone) "Well I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO DO WITH THEM." ME: I can't believe what I'm hearing. At this point, I begin to cry, and at the same time, finally lose my patience, and say, "Well what do you think I'm going to do with them. Jesus. (I say, crying) I'm going to sleep on them." Isn't that an UNBELIEVABLE story?????????????????????????????????????? You can't make this stuff up! ***Fran never did get the heat right. HERE'S HOW OUR CONVERATION ABOUT THE HEAT WENT: ME: Could you please put the heat down? It's awfully hot in here. FRAN: Shuffling around doing something. Not responding. ME: (After about 30 seconds of her still shuffling and having, apparently, not heard me. But I waited...) I'm sorry...could you please turn the heat down? FRAN: Again, no responding. Goes over to the thermostat, puts her hands on it for quick second, then turns her back to it and continues whatever it was she was doing. I'm having some grave doubts about whether or not she was careful when adjusting the thermostat. ME: Did you put it down? FRAN: I put it off. ME: No, please, not off, just down. FRAN: I put it at 55. ME: No please, put it at 60 (knowing, having worked in large buildings that 55 CAN EQUAL OFF if you are not careful) There was a pause, and then I said: ME: Are the other rooms like this? (Sweat beading up on my forehead and all down the back of my body.) FRAN: There is heat. (Or something to that effect.) ME: But are the other rooms THIS hot? FRAN: I don't know. ME: Is the hallway hot? FRAN: (I don't remember what she said here, but it was again, something nonsensical like before.) There's another pause, as I am becoming increasingly frustrated and feeling more and more like crying, when I say: ME: Please, could you send maintenance up to check it after you go, just in case? It doesn't feel right. (Really, I just knew she didn't give a sh-t and was careless when adjusting it and I was desperate for someone to fix it!) FRAN: Makes a "harrumph" sound. Well, I have to give her credit for this ONE thing, presuming it was actually she who ordered it because I vaguely remember another nurse floating in and out of the room around the time this conversation was happening, so I don't know WHO ordered maintenance up there, but I'll be generous and give Fran the credit. Turns out, the maintenance man pointed out that the curtain was in front of the thermostat, and that was preventing it from gathering an accurate reading from my room, which gets DIRECT afternoon sunlight, and therefore had been boiling for hours...So what do you know BOOM, there's a BIG WHOOSH from the air conditioning vent over head, and glorious cold air comes out. So I decide to be a smart -ss for the first time, in the guise of being helpful, and say, "So that's good to know Fran...That when the air conditioning comes on, that's what it sounds like, so then you'll know for the next patient." (All the while I'm thinking that Fran is either: A: A new employee so doesn't KNOW that that's what the A/C sounds like at BMC. B: She's just plain stupid. C: She's just doesn't give sh-t. I choose C. DR. HESS'S REACTION TO ME: So! When Dr. Hess came in the following morning and had heard about the trouble that I had had with Fran (I ended up requesting a new nurse and that started a whole hornet's nest of trouble, BELIEVE ME!) he was just full of compassion... I said that at one point, I had buzzed the nurse's station for TEN SOLID MINUTES late Friday night and NO-ONE ANSWERED. Not that someone answered and then didn't show up for 10 minutes, I KNOW that that happens. NO-ONE ANSWERED. Let me repeat that: FOR TEN MINUTES, NO-ONE ANSWERED MY REPEATED CALLS TO THE NURSES STATION. Not even to tell be to buzz off and stop being a pest. NO-ONE ANSWERED. And my IV had come undone and was leaking all over the place and it was getting pretty messy in there...So I said to Dr. Hess, "It's not like I could get up and go find a nurse." Know what he said? "Yes you could have." Yeah, right. I have surgery that morning, I have a catheter, a bloody JP Drain hanging off my belly, 2 IV's in my left hand, 2 IV's in my right hand, and I'm exhausted from the surgery and wasted on morphine, AND I'M SUPPOSED TO PRANCING DOWN THE HALL AND FIND A NURSE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMPASSION DR HESS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ADVICE FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WILL FOLLOW ME: For those of you who have little or no experience with a post-surgical hospital stay, let me give you some advice: 1. When you press the red button to call the nurse, you may see her right away (rarely), or you may wait upwards of 60-90 minutes (USUALLY) or sometimes, regrettably more often than you might think, THE NURSE WAS NOT NOTIFIED OR DOESN'T COME AT ALL. Then you are plunged into one of the most unique kinds of human psychological hell: You are made to feel like a PEST, when all you are is SICK AND HELPLESS. So, go ahead, be optomistic and press that button, but be ready with the following speech when they pick up at the other end (IF they pick up at the other end, which, remarkably, might not happen.) "I apologize for being a pest, and I am very sorry for bothering you and I know that you are understaffed and have other patients besides me, but might you send my nurse my way if you happen to see her please, and, please, forgive me for asking again, if you have already done it. I don't mean to be a bother, but: (and then state your problem: MY IV HAS FALLEN OUT AND THERE'S BLOOD EVERYWHERE AND I CALLED ABOUT A HALF HOUR AGO AND IT'S STARTING TO LOOK A BIT LIKE A SLASHER MOVIE IN HERE...) 2.HAVE THE FOLLWING RIGHT NEXT TO YOU IN YOUR HOSPITAL BED AT ALL TIMES: ---Ask the nurse THE MINUTE YOU GET TO YOUR ROOM FOR MOUTH SWABS. They are these green square minty flavored sponges on a toothpick that when dipped in water, can be swabbed around the inside of your mouth to help you with your dry mouth. And it WILL be dry. ---Your significant other's phone numbers if you don't' have them memorized (For example: I can never remember my husband's cell number because I have it on auto-dial at home) ---Your Surgeon's Phone Number. You may need it, when the nurses have deserted you. I know it sounds incredible, but it used to be that calling your mother or your husband then having them call the nurse's station on your behalf got you action, but now, they're hip to that, and the only that can make a lazy and sadistic nurse move is a call from someone who might be instrumental in her losing her job.) ---Benadryl LOTION/SPRAY. (LOTION, not drinkable liquid. LOTION or spray) The morphine can make you itch like mad, so have this stuff right on your table. You'll be SO GLAD you did. ---Chapstick. Bring a couple, because you will surely knock the one you have off your hospital table and good luck trying to find a nurse to come into your room, never mind picking something up for you without looking at you like you're some diva making demands on her valuable time. And finally, though I'm sure I'll get in trouble for this: ---Tylenol Elixir. This is the grown-up liquid form of Tylenol. Ask your nurse if you can have some. As soon as she indicates that it is PHYSICALLY possible / SAFE for you to drink it without doing any damage to yourself, you'll be glad to have your own supply as a back up option when it wears off after four hours and the nurse takes another 3 or 4 to get you your second dose. I found that I had a chronic headache while in the hospital, surely from the lack of my usual nutrients from my pre-surgical diet, and from the lack of caffeine from not drinking coffee, and I was glad I had my own stash. I know it's breaking the rules, but as has been demonstrated clearly by now, I was pretty much on my own. AND HERE'S THE REALLY BIG JUICY INSIDER'S TIP I GOT FROM THE GUY WHO WHEELED ME OUT OF THE HOSPITAL: There's an UNMARKED red button on your nurse/tv call box that's wired to your bed. He said that if you press it, you'll see a dozen nurses running down the hall to help you. (He'd asked me how my stay was, and wanting to just go home and forget it about, I said it was like any hospital, some good nurses, some bad, blah, blah, blah...) and he started telling me how 7 East has a reputation for some "lazy" nurses.... Yeah...he REALLY said that...He was MORE than happy to share his impressions of the bad rep that 7 East had... So it's not just me, folks! BE CAREFUL!

WOW !!! What you say is so true -- some nurses are true angels, others are prima donnas. I've been very fortunate in the past, and hope my luck holds out. I'll be going to Worcester Memorial Hospital -- my husband was a patient there a while ago and received excellent care. But I guess it's the same everywhere -- it's the luck of the drawer when it comes to the treatment you receive. If you notice on this board, you'll see glowing comments from some people and very critical comments like yours about the same hospital/doctor. Hopefully though, you can put that ordeal behind you and you'll have good fortune from now on.

I am so sorry that you had that experience with BMC. I live not too far from the hospital and I wouldn't go there unless I have a gunshot wound. They are wonderful for things of that nature. -Sophia / Surgery date 12/9/03 @ Beth Isreal Deaconess Surgery to be done by: Dr. Edward Mun.

Annie, I feel really bad about the whole experience you had. I have been hospitalized many times and you are so true when you say it's the nurses that make or break your stay. I am appalled by the treatment you recieved but am not surprised. My suggestion to would be to contact the board of directors at that hospital, write them a letter and show them how you have posted your comments " worldwide" on the web. I bet that will get their attention. I have found this to be beneficial in the past when I had to do it. It's bad enough that you had to go thru this ordeal post surgery but it's even worse if more people have to endure it as well. As for your physician. I would have told him @#%$#@!!!! How dare he! I am a true believer of "what goes around comes around" and I would hate to be Fran if she ever is admitted to a hospital. Hope your feeling better and recovering quickly.