You are not going to believe this one!!!

[RevMC]

Hi everyone, Rev Michael again.

Louie's home, actually at his mom's house, more room.  Home health is coming in 3 days a week when I'm at work to do his I.V.'s.  He's been running a low grade fever for a few days, 99.9 has been the highest so far.  We're keeping an eye on it.

Here is what you are not going to believe:

His primary care physician is on vacation for 3 weeks, he had a death in his family.  Before Louie was discharged last Friday, our doctor told us to contact the doctor Louie had in the hospital if there is any problems since he's more familiar with Louie's current situation.  Would be easier to do that instead of talking to his on-call doctor who doesn't know anything about Louie.

Well the infusion company needed new orders for Louie's TPN to see if the formulation had to be changed.  They tried calling  Dr. J (hospital doc Pinellas County Florida) with no luck, I tried calling him myself.  Told him that our primary doctor is on vacation and since they work together for our primaries patience who are in the hospital that we needed new orders for Louie's TPN.  He's the doctor who ordered it in the hospital to begin with, AND the doctor who ordered it for the Home Health agency.

Well he said NO.  He's not Louie's doctor and didn't care if Louie's primary doctor was on vacation, for us to call the on-call doctor.  The last time Louie was in the hospital and our primary doctor was not an HIV specialist, we were looking for another doctor, she told us that she was legally obligated to take care of Louie until 1) we find another doctor or 2) his condition got better.  He had a staph infection.  She didn't want us as a patient, long story.  She ended up treating him until the staph infection cleared up.

I called up our primary doctor's office, told them what was going on and they were shocked.  They said that he's the original doctor who ordered the TPN and home health and discharged him from the hospital, AND since Dr. J and our doctor took care of each others patience when they were away, that he was supposed to take care of this.

It took them a few hours today, talking to the on-call doctor, sending hospital records and our doctor's papers PLUS talking to the home health agency AND the infusion company to bring the on-call doctor some what up to speed on Louie's current condition.

I'm totally shocked that knowing the current situation of our doctor on vacation, AND the fact that you can't just stop the TPN without taking them off of it slowly, that this doctor has done this.  My understanding of the medical field is that what he has done is un-ethical and in some cases, illegal.

Since Louie ended up in the hospital I've learned to take things one day at a time AND to wait for the other shoe to drop . . . AGAIN!!  In the past 17 days I've had so many shoes drop that I could probably open up my own shoe store.  After a few times I kept saying, well nothing else could go wrong, and it does.  AAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH

I'm going to be creating a blog about being a caregiver for a spouse who has AIDS and some of the headaches and heartaches that we've been through.  Not sure how many shoes dropping he could stand.  I keep telling him not to worry about it that I'll take care of things like I always have.  He's just afraid that one of these days I won't be able to take care of and straighten out the situation.  Actually I wonder about that too.  One of these days we fear that there's going to be a situation, that no matter who I talk to or what I try to do that we won't get it straightened out in time.  I was to the point that if our doctor's office couldn't figure out what to do that I was going to bring him back to the hospital, make a formal complaint about Dr. J (which I may do anyway) and tell them to do something until our doctor got back from vacation since it was a doctor at their hospital who has priveledges there that put Louie on the TPN and now won't help.   In my blog I'm naming names, places and dates.  Dr. J can't do anything about slander or defamation of character because it is all fact.  He refused to continue treating Louie knowing that without TPN he could have a severe diabetic reaction that could kill him.  Actually with Louie's DNR, it will kill him.

Now on top of all this, like I said earlier, Louie's running a low grade fever.

TY everyone for letting me vent.  Does this type of situation happen alot?  Is there something legally we can do about it?  Would anyone listen?

Rev. Michael

[RapidRod]

Michael, if that doctor wrote the TPN and discharged him he is responsible. I wouldn't think twice about filing a compaint. What type of infusion pump did he end up with. I had a Baxter 6201 it is one of the easiest pumps to use. If at last resort, you are unable to get in contact with the doctor to your satisfaction always contact the Home Healthcare Pharmacist. They can get the ball rolling along with some heads.

Rodney

[Eldon]

Hey Michael,

It is amazing to hear that the original Doctor who had put Louie on the TPN had refused to assist with the refills. I agree with Rod on this as well. To file a complaint on this Doctor without hesitation and to take it to the Hospital Administration level as well.

I have a friend out in Cincinnati, Ohio who was in the hospital just a few short weeks ago. A similar situation had happened with him and his treatment. It IS the responsibility of that Doctor to fulfill his duties to assist you and Louie.

Please DO keep us posted on this situation.


Make the BEST of each Day!

[Lisa]

If I were you, I would be making it my business to have a come to Jesus meeting with the Hospital Administration, and possibly the state licensing board, after you get things rolling with the Pharmacist. Rodney is spot on.

Remember, YOU are the client, and YOU have RIGHTS. Patients Bill of Rights is on every hallway of the hospital.

[RevMC]

OK, our primary doctor's office is great!!!  They got the on-call doc up to date and with the doctor talking to the infusion companies pharmacist we have Louie all taken care of.  YEAH!!!!!!!

I'll be real busy on Monday, contacting the Medical Board and the Hospital Administrator and anyone else I can to complain about this doctor.  I believe I'm going to contact our local news media, as well as the CDC (he is suppose to be an infectious disease doctor).  He raised my stress level as well as Louie's and made me a wreck for a few days, it's PAYBACK TIME!!!  I'm going to do all that I can to make sure this doesn't happen to someone else again.

I have a BIG mouth (ok guys get your minds out of the gutter) and a mailing list of all the local news media's contact information and am not afraid to contact them.  I've done this on many issues and have always gotten a response from someone and have been on the news numerous times.  When something goes on that affects Louie's health because of someone else's stupidity, watch out.  The last one being for miles around, during the heat of the day we would lose electricity this past summer for hours at a time.  Had to put louie in the Jeep to keep him cool.  I was on the news the day after my e-mail and we haven't lost electricity since then.

As you can tell, I'm wound up.  Louie's the love of my life and anyone who messes with him, has to mess with me.  Look out Dr. Joshi, I've just begun!

TY for your support and advice. 

Rev. Michael

[allopathicholistic]

When something goes on that affects Louie's health because of someone else's stupidity, watch out. 

The last one being for miles around, during the heat of the day we would lose electricity this past summer for hours at a time.  Had to put louie in the Jeep to keep him cool.  I was on the news the day after my e-mail and we haven't lost electricity since then.

Hi Rev Michael - Yup, sometimes it takes going on the evening news to get things done. It shouldn't ever get to that point but it does the job. I think it even helps the guilty party because it's telling them "Hey, y'know what, just do the right thing!! No worries, ok?!" He's real blessed to have you watching out for him