I was reading in The Sporting News that Tyler Hansbrough (starter for Noth Carolina basketball team) played with an infected toe this year that had to be drained three times in five days. On one occassion, the doctor accidentally put the needle all the way through the toe, and out the other side.
Just reading about that made me cringe! Has anyone ever had anything remotely close happen? I generally have had good luck with medical procedures, and most of them don't really bother me. I don't really like the sight of blood and usually ask to lie down when having blood drawn but have gotten to where that doesn't bother me too badly. And, I always tend to get a little nervous and have higher blood pressure at the dr. My dr has had me monitor at home where I've gotten much better results.
The only time I really remember was once when a nurse pricked my finger, hardly any blood came out. After trying for several minutes to suction what came out, she had to re stick it. Not fun but manageable. Just wondering if anyone has ever had a situation like this where a medical procedure went horribly wrong?
I have bad reactions to anesthesia (sp) and its hard for them to wake me up. When I had surgery to have my gall bladder removed they went a little bit "light" when they put me to sleep, and I woke up during the procedure.
I am no longer fighting my inner demons. We are on the same side now.
Having recent hospital experience, I can tell you that pre-op nurses actually write on patients with a Sharpie "This leg" or "other side" .
Since they were going endoscopically on Hubby 'below the belt', I told her to write "DO NOT REMOVE!!" (would have added 'under penalty of law', but wasn't quite enough space )
I haven't had any medical procedures gone bad - yet *knock on wood*
There's a huge problem in the pharmaceutical industry that most people prefer to keep blinders on about. People don't realize doctors get all kinds of "perks" from the drug companies for prescribing their drugs. The drug companies give them everything from free meal, gifts and trips to different "conferences". The drug companies don't tell the doctors of the adverse side effects and if it's a new med it's sometimes a couple of years before the FDA will even act on reports of adverse sides. While it's wonderful to have a doctor you trust, you can't always trust the medicines prescribed as the doctors have inaccurate information.
Well...(said in my best Bubba voice) I've been on sabbatical.
Angel Beech wrote:Having recent hospital experience, I can tell you that pre-op nurses actually write on patients with a Sharpie "This leg" or "other side" .
Since they were going endoscopically on Hubby 'below the belt', I told her to write "DO NOT REMOVE!!" (would have added 'under penalty of law', but wasn't quite enough space )
AB-
When my hubby was in pre-op, also for an abdominal laparoscopic procedure, a nurse came in with a sharpie and said "Now which leg is the surgery on?" I thought he was going to jump right off the gurney... we both rather emphatically stated "LEG?! ... I don't think so" almost in unison! It wouldn't have been so bad if there had actually been other patients in the holding room ... but it was just him. He did have the correct surgery - I just hope the real 'leg guy' did too!
Last edited by Caribbean Soul on March 17, 2008 9:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
In Boston with... "this caribbean soul I can barely control and Long Island's always here in my heart"
JB - Sag Harbor 11/20/99
Angel Beech wrote:Having recent hospital experience, I can tell you that pre-op nurses actually write on patients with a Sharpie "This leg" or "other side" .
Since they were going endoscopically on Hubby 'below the belt', I told her to write "DO NOT REMOVE!!" (would have added 'under penalty of law', but wasn't quite enough space )
When I donated my kidney they had ME draw an "X" on my left side that the kidney was to be removed. All along we talked about that it was my left kidney but for liability purposes I had to physically make the mark....
Last edited by sunseeker on March 17, 2008 9:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
When I had knee surgery they told me to write a big "NO" on the good knee. After surgery, I realized that my "NO" looked like "ON" to the doctor. As in, operate ON this knee.
They did the right one.
Last edited by chippewa on March 17, 2008 9:53 am, edited 2 times in total.
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it disturbing that we are forced to write on ourselves for them to get it right?? I mean if there hadn't been so many cases of surgeons messing up we wouldn't have to.
I better tell my son to write on his butt for his pilonidal cyst surgery
Well...(said in my best Bubba voice) I've been on sabbatical.
ph4ever wrote:Is it just me, or does anyone else find it disturbing that we are forced to write on ourselves for them to get it right?? I mean if there hadn't been so many cases of surgeons messing up we wouldn't have to.
I better tell my son to write on his butt for his pilonidal cyst surgery
I don't know the stats....but I'm sure that these medical mistakes are still few and far between....I just think that the fears of the doctors being sued are forcing them to have us do such things....people will sue at the drop of a hat these days...
ph4ever wrote:Is it just me, or does anyone else find it disturbing that we are forced to write on ourselves for them to get it right?? I mean if there hadn't been so many cases of surgeons messing up we wouldn't have to.
I better tell my son to write on his butt for his pilonidal cyst surgery
I don't know the stats....but I'm sure that these medical mistakes are still few and far between....I just think that the fears of the doctors being sued are forcing them to have us do such things....people will sue at the drop of a hat these days...
I used to work for a ppo in physician recruitment and credentialing. I know about the frivolous suits. If your insurance is thru a ppo or hmo chances are the doctors records have been checked and those with several cases of malpractice are usually not included as an authorized physician. That being said you'd be surprised at the number of doctors still in practice that have multiple malpractice suits - legit suits.
Well...(said in my best Bubba voice) I've been on sabbatical.
unclejohn wrote:I have bad reactions to anesthesia (sp) and its hard for them to wake me up. When I had surgery to have my gall bladder removed they went a little bit "light" when they put me to sleep, and I woke up during the procedure.
I woke up during my sinus surgery.....when I asked the doctor about it, he sort of hedged...until I told him they were talking about going to the "Parade of Homes" and pretty much remembered the conversation. It was weird, but it didn't hurt or anything, I was just aware of what was going on.
Paige in Utah
"Don't try to shake it, just nod your head
Breathe in, breathe out, move on"
unclejohn wrote:I have bad reactions to anesthesia (sp) and its hard for them to wake me up. When I had surgery to have my gall bladder removed they went a little bit "light" when they put me to sleep, and I woke up during the procedure.
I woke up during my sinus surgery.....when I asked the doctor about it, he sort of hedged...until I told him they were talking about going to the "Parade of Homes" and pretty much remembered the conversation. It was weird, but it didn't hurt or anything, I was just aware of what was going on.
unclejohn wrote:I have bad reactions to anesthesia (sp) and its hard for them to wake me up. When I had surgery to have my gall bladder removed they went a little bit "light" when they put me to sleep, and I woke up during the procedure.
I woke up during my sinus surgery.....when I asked the doctor about it, he sort of hedged...until I told him they were talking about going to the "Parade of Homes" and pretty much remembered the conversation. It was weird, but it didn't hurt or anything, I was just aware of what was going on.
ph4ever wrote:Is it just me, or does anyone else find it disturbing that we are forced to write on ourselves for them to get it right?? I mean if there hadn't been so many cases of surgeons messing up we wouldn't have to.
I better tell my son to write on his butt for his pilonidal cyst surgery
Just had a buddy get knee surgery and he told me that they had three nurses and two docs come in and ask him which knee was the one they were going to cut. He could not point or say that one. He had to say "My left knee" and after he said it they looked at his chart to confirm it, and repeated, "Your left knee". The anestesiologist (sp?) then asked him one last time before he went under and then wrote "No" on his right knee and initialed it. May be overkill, but I would rather have over kill then the alternative.
I had a heart chaterization test last Aug. I was sent home and the next morning, had pain in my leg at the insertion spot. Come to find out that the doctor must have pricked my artery causing me to bleed out and also a bubble in the artery wall oinched my vein and caused a blood clot. I spent 3 days in the hospital, 3 weeks at home and I just got off the bllod thinning medicine today!!!
All of that because there is a new procedure that was supposed to cut the recovery time down to a few hours, instead of the normal 6 before they sent you home.
I had a bunch of hardware in my ankle after surgery on it.
A year later I had it removed because it was very irritating and I would get swelling and a rash on my ankle all the time.
When they did an x-ray a week after the removal surgery...there was pin that the doctor "missed" He knew how many he put in...there was a x ray on the wall showing the hardware (I saw it before I went out). I was not a happy camper.
I wouldn't dream of suing. It was a mistake and not fatal. However I never fail to tell anyone who asks about an orthopedic surgeon the story of the "missed" pin.
We had a family member treated in the ICU with Lopressor for a "history of high blood pressure."
When we told the nurse that they had "NO History of high blood pressure,in fact it tended to be low." She said "I'm not going to argue with you, talk to the Doctor."
They discontinued the drug the next day and said, "Her Blood pressure is normal now."
She died several days later because they her couldn't keep her blood pressure UP!
Oh BTW, that is only the TIP OF THE ICEBURG!
BUFFETTING: The act of leaving reality and going off to see Jimmy Buffett!
)
It wouldn't have been so bad if there had actually been other patients in the holding room ... but it was just him. 
