Okay so, I think the last time I posted was when I was readmitted to Beaumont in Troy, MI. I'm a registered nurse for Beaumont in Royal Oak, MI. Needless to say, I am completely disgusted with the way I was treated at Troy Beaumont and saddened at the level of care I received after sweating, bleeding, and shedding so many tears for other folks and patients on my unit. I feel that the care was not reciprocated at all. I felt left in the middle of an argument or difference of opinion by a Cardiothroacic surgeon at Troy Beaumont, Dr. Robinson and a plastic surgeon, Dr. Meinenger. Like I said before, the only one who I felt actually cared to see me progress and heal as my ID doc, Dr. Aminova. Several times through the three and a half weeks that I've been at Beaumont she stated I should just go back to Cleveland because the docs at Troy would never do anything for me.
So I last I left, I was in the hospital for 24hrs, that turned into a week long pissing contest, with interventions ranging from wound vac placement, muscle flap, or to just close it back up with some sutures. None of those interventions were ever preformed, and I was expected to be sent out the door continuing to do my IV three times a day by myself and now in addition Wet to Dry dressings by myself. My wife had to return to school and work, so I had no support at home to do these things with her being gone from 9am-10pm M-F. I told them this and they would not give me homecare, so my overly concerned family told me to request to go to a Nursing Home. I was discharged after a week of nothing at Beaumont(my second hospitalization in a span of 10 days).
I went to the Nursing Home for a night, had a patient scream all night, be extra demanding and being pretty disgruntled which is understandable being in the later stages of his life with CHF and legs the size of tree trunks. Nice man, but really mean to the staff and vice versa. I had my fill of Floyd and the overworked nursing staff, that I asked to go home. They let me go home after showing them I could do the dressing.
I go home and set all my followup appointments with the Heart Surgeon, Plastics, ID. I still cannot convince my cheap ass insurance to bill for a home care nurse, so I just have a infusionist come to my home once a week to change my PICC line dressing and draw labs. She comes on Tuesday, does her thing, then assess my wound and says, "Whats that white stuff, it doesn't look good you need to get that checked out." <<-----Hence, insurance why I needed a Home Nurse who has a background in Wound Care
We are at Wednesday now, and I'm scheduled for my followup with my local cardio. I ask him to look at my wound and I kid you not. He throws up his hands, like a man who had just been caught cheating and with a squirmy look on his face says, "Whoa whoa whoa, don't take that off, I know nothing about Wounds, that's somebody else's business." I just wanted him to look at the yellow tissue to see if I had a problem or not. He refused, I asked him what I should do, go to the ER? He said, "thats your choice." LOL
I kind of simmer on that notion for 24 hours. I change my dressing on Wednesday and notice the white part has grown, its not painful, but it's very spongy to the touch and shiny. After having a painful dressing change, I decide to nap. I wake up thirty minutes later with Heart Palpitations and having this impending doom feeling you read about in text books. I felt like I was going to die. I stand up, my heart still feeling like its going to rip out of my chest at any moment. I'm kind of in this fog, then I realize I have to pee. With every bit of strength I had left, I urinate which shockingly caused my HR to slow down. It's still a little fast, and all of a sudden I get the urge to urinate again. This time it burns, is very foamy, and I pee twice the amount. My HR goes down again, but ten minutes later, I urinate again probably another 200ccs. I work on a urology floor, I know how to "eye-ball" fluid amounts. I'd say in the span of 25-30 minutes I urinated close to a liter of fluid.
Obviously, with the heart symptoms and the urination, I call my mother-in-law because I'm by myself and it's 3 in the afternoon. We go to the ER at Troy Beaumont on Wednesday for three hours. They test my urine, look at my wound, call my ID doc, and send me home. Oh I forgot to mention, the last time I was hospitalized my PICC line became out of place twice, I complain about arm pain and itching at the site. Practically beg them to do a Chest X-ray. It flushes and pulls blood, so its fine according to the guys making the big bucks. I told them that the line did the same when it was out of place. I get ignored yet again.
So we are at Thursday now, I had scheduled an appointment with my ID doc after my first discharge from Troy. We go in, she takes a look at wound. Uh-Oh, theres sutures popping out of everywhere. We discuss talking to my treatment team, but again, she gives me another little off the record chat. She doesn't think they are going to act and I should go back to Cleveland.
Being of level mind, I decide to give my colleagues another chance and move up my appointments. I was to see my Heart Surgeon at Troy on friday at 2pm, and my Plastic Surgeon monday at 11am.
Now we are at yesterday, Friday. I wake up do my first dressing change, do my IV and am preparing to see one of my consulted heart surgeon, Dr. Robinson at 2pm. I'm just about to crack an egg to make some brunch, when I get a phone call. Dr. Robinson will not be able to see you can we schedule you for late next week? I explain to the lady that my ID doc thought this was more urgent and that I needed to see him sooner. Nothing, no flexibility, it is what it is.
So by this point, after having go through all my turmoil with Troy Beaumont and their physicians, I'm starting to look at Dr. Pettersson's card and wondering, maybe I should call them. I think to myself, nah, I'll just wait till Monday, have a nice weekend with my wife.
For some reason, I put the eggs back in the fridge because possibly I'm nauseous that this Dr. Robinson is letting me down yet again. I hop in the shower, do another dressing change and the second I slap the last piece of tape on my dressing, my phone starts ringing.
I approach the phone with the Caller-ID reading "Meinenger Plastic Surgery." In my head, I'm thinking, "hey my ID Doc got through and they want to see me sooner." NOPE. They call within a hour to cancel my appointment for Monday and to schedule later in the week. This was the tipping point for me. After 12 days, in Troy Beaumont, leading me nowhere, I decided to pick up the phone and call Dr. Pettersson's secretary Mary-Ann. She referred me to Dr. P's Nurse Practioner. I told her everything that happened, and she set me up for a direct admission to Cleveland.
My wonderful in-laws dropped everything, my wife came home from work and we went to Cleveland last night. Oh I forgot to mention, the second time I was Hospitalized at Troy Beaumont, my dad flew up on a Monday after I called him at 515am his time and stayed with me through the MLK Holiday. A truly wonderful Man. The Cleveland Docs are getting up to speed on everything. I'm trying to avoid a Chest CT. Hopefully the results from Troy will suffice. I've had so much radiation with all my Chest X-rays and two CTs in the past three weeks.
I know I probably gave you guys too many details, but I'm trying to piece together a diary of all the little events or at least an outline of everything that happened. One day I would like to write a memoir of all this. I guess this is payback for my quick recovery 7.5 years ago. I know it could be a lot worse, my spirits are high. I'm ready to have a relatively minor surgical wound vac placement. I wasn't mentally ready for that just yesterday. I apologize for being away. As you can tell, I've been kind of busy. Some days have been very painful while others are pain free.
If for some reason, you need to get a hold of me, then text me at 504-452-5669. I always have my phone or my family does.
Thank you for reading, thank you for the support, and I pray and wish that nothing like this ever happens to you. Maybe this could be listed on the con side of the table for having surgery at another facility. LOL.
-Trey
