Friday, April 27, 2007
Oops, Pancreatitis Again



Last night as I was getting ready to post yesterday’s post stabbing pains suddenly shot through my abdomen. It was so sudden and so sharp that it took my breath away. Even though I was still sitting at the computer I bent over clutching my abdomen. The pain was so severe that after 10 minutes of the relentless stabbing hot fiery pain, I asked the hubster to take me to the emergency room. I have to be one hell of a lot of pain to go to that hell-hole we call the ER. There I am doubled over in pain, moaning, tears streaming down my face and even though there were no other patients in the ER it took the doctor 20 minutes to see me. When he does he tries to argue with me about pancreatitis facts. He poked the spot where my pancreas is and I about went through the roof. He gave me a disapproving look and told me right to my face that there was no way that hurt. He treated me like I was a drug seeker and told me to cut the theatrics because pancreatitis isn’t as painful as I was making it out to be. Hello idiot, I have chronic pancreatitis and I know more about pancreatitis then you will ever know in your miserable lifetime jerk! So now I was in pain and pissed! I begged him to call my family doctor and my pancreas specialist (the great Dr. Glen Lehman). Meanwhile he gave me something for the pain. He gave me a frigging extra strength Tylenol! Seriously, he did. I couldn’t believe it. As for the vomiting I was doing? The doctor didn’t order anything for that. They didn’t even give me a puke container. The hubster had to find one in the room for me. Fortunately I had some pretty strong pain meds in my purse so when I realized he wasn’t going to treat me properly I took one of the strongest pain meds I have. And I had the hubster look around the room until he found some hot packs to lay on my abdomen. A couple of hours later El-Retardo, MD came back in. He had obviously looked through my extensive records by that point or talked to one of my doctors because his whole tone had changed. He stopped treating me like a faking drug seeker. He didn’t give me anything stronger for the pain, but he finally believed I was in a pancreatitis attack. He asked me what I needed to be done. I said just let me go home. By that point I was so done with that place and those stupid people. They are the exact reason that people with chronic disabling conditions don’t go to the hospital for treatment.

So today I made an appointment with my family doctor for next week so I can discuss the situation with him and obtain a letter of treatment that I can take to the ER with me should I ever go again (which is doubtful). I am also getting a similar letter from Dr Lehman, my pancreas specialist. It’s a damned shame when the patient knows more than the doctor, especially when it is an emergency situation.



And now I have to finish packing. We are hitting the road to go to Kentucky in an hour. Even though we have had only 3 hours of sleep we are getting the hell out of Dodge for the weekend.

Happy trails!
 
posted by Daisy Martin at 9:31 AM | Permalink |


4 Comments:


  • At April 27, 2007 at 10:12 AM, Anonymous Anonymous

    ...and the kicker is, that if you were a MAN complaining of panceatitis most likely the doctor would have b een all ears and helpful and considerate and. . .

    WTH is in KY that you had to go the seek B4 Derby?

     
  • At April 27, 2007 at 5:30 PM, Blogger Daisy Martin

    Oh how right you are Ern. Maybe I should have dressed like a man, then El-Dumbo would have treated me properly. Wait till they send me a bill. They will get an earful then and I'm not paying them. I should send them a bill.


    What's in KY that Greg has to see so bloody bad the week before the Derby? You got me. Heck if I know. Although the Makers Mark Bourbon tour is free and they give you a sample if you are 21 or older. The same goes for the Jim Beam tour. Yeah, I really want to go on those tours with pancreatitis. Good grief!

    Hopefully the weekend will get better. The drive here was nice. (I am in the hotel room in Elizabethtown now). The indoor pool is full of screaming kids though.

     
  • At April 27, 2007 at 10:28 PM, Anonymous Anonymous

    Oh, I am so sorry that you had an attack. Going to the ER is the WORST thing! 95% of the time I call my family doctor and he does a direct admit into the hospital for me. (I have his cell number...with his permission, and insistence that my hubby call instead of waiting too long)Although I have had the dubious honor of having to puke my guts out in front of people in the ER, just waiting for a triage room. I wanted to die, and if you are like me, I would much rather just stay on my floor in the bathroom than to go to the hospital. It usually takes an act of God to convince me that I need to go. My hubby knows it is time to carry me out to the car when I no longer agrue with him when he insists he is taking me. I hate ERs, I hate hospitals, I hate having anyone in the medical field thinking that I am faking...drug seeking...whatever. They usually change their tune real quick once they read my history. I am so sorry you had to go through that...and that you needed to self medicate because all the ER would give you is Tylenol. What a freakin' joke! Did they give you a pill? You'd think that the nurse could see that you weren't going to keep it down. And nothing for nausea? That is just bad medicine! It shouldn't matter if your are in there for vertigo or even a hang over, if you are throwing up, they should at the very least give you some anti-nausea. I have literally had doctors come in and read verbatim chronic pancreatitis definition and how to treat it...well, duh! I only wish that these text books would say something about the delay in treatment could cause the treating doctor and nurses to be sued for malpractice!
    I am glad you are better enough to get out of town! I never recover from acute attacks well...seems to take me two weeks (with 4 days at least in the hospital) and I still feel like poo for quite awhile. Kick back and enjoy the rest of your weekend! When you get back, we'll petition for the medical textbooks to include in the definition and treatment of chronic pancreatitis that the treating doctor and staff who delay prompt treatment can and will be sued millions of dollars for any attitude, rudeness, under medicating, being slow or failure to see the obvious. You could even add the line, anyone who states that they couldn't have possibly hurt your belly by pushing on it would have to proceed to poop a bowling ball through their manhood without pain medicine. Think it might work?????
    Hugs,
    Suzi

     
  • At April 28, 2007 at 4:19 PM, Blogger Daisy Martin

    You killed me with that last line Suz! LOL But you know, it couldn't work because if that doc tried pooping a bowling ball out through his penis it would block the hole up so he wouldn't get any oxegen to his brain. LOL

    I am writing a letter to the hospital when I get home, as well as talking to my family dr and the great dr Lehman. I asked my family doc about what I should do when I go to the ER, a couple of months ago. He told me to have them call him and he would tell them I am not a drug seeker. I don't know if this guy didn't call him or what the deal is, but I am going to ask for his cell number so I can call him directly if I should ever need to go to the ER again. I refuse to ever go through that again! And yes, he did give me a tylenol in pill form. What an idiot. I am still stewing over it. Heads will roll I tell you...heads will roll!