This book was recommended to me by a gentlemen who's elderly mother had brain damaged in her stay in the hospital. Here is my example of what happened. Please forgive me in advance for my writing as it is very difficult for me to leave out information that needs to be there while trying to minimize the actual situation to moments that are significant and forever stuck in my mind. I write this just so people will understand that they must be productive in asking questions and be vocal in what you want to say to the doctor. We made the big mistake of taking the word of the doctor(s) in the beginning because we had no medical experience. In this case of my beloved father, we all lived and slept in that damn hospital everyday 24/7 rotating our shifts. So we were able to see some of the things and the actual time the things happened that tried to be disputed later on.
A bad fall in a blizzard sent my otherwise healthy as an Ox father into the ICU. Within days he made huge improvements that surprised the doctors. The physical therapist stated that he doesn't expect him to be with them for long because he was doing so well. The day he was to go to the recovery room my mother noticed he didn't look right. The nurse came by hourly to check on him and look at his levels to put into the computer-- but for some reason she nor any of the doctors failed to noticed that for the past 10 consecutive hours, his oxygen levels kept slipping to dangerous levels. My family asked the nurse to get a doctor because he didn't seem right (the nurse thought he looked fine) but she left and much later (after asking again for a doctor) she came back with a respiratory therapist instead. Soon my father started making weird noises. My brother in law screamed for the doctor. Next thing we know, every doctor rushed into the room and my family were kicked into the hall scared to death. What the hell just happened? He was fine last night!
Long story (not so) short: we were told his brain herniated and collapsed! No explanation as to why or how because they had no idea. They actually told me that they had never seen this happen to anyone before. What was also interesting was that every doctor that we saw every day that checked up on him every day made sure to mention to us NOW that they weren't actually his "real" doctor. At the end of that emotionally draining day (and me being in complete denial) I had no idea who his damn doctor was anymore. We requested to have a sit down with the nurse. The head RN said they would interview the young nurse for her point of view of what happened and discuss it with us, however they quickly changed their minds and didn't want to discuss anything anymore. Obviously they were concerned with protecting her. Meetings with the doctors- they told us they felt his cause of death was due to unknown factors but one in which was not related to the injury that brought him to the hospital. They were still at a total loss as to how his brain literally collapsed taking the brain stem with it. They had their "theories" of a stroke or a vasovagal attack, but those where dismissed during the independent autopsy which if anything, was a declaration of how wonderful and strong my father's health had been prior.
We were able to find an alternative neurosurgeon doctor from another state look at the reports and he was actually surprised that he saw enough information to declared negligence.
When the hospital was taken over by *** I read that all the pursuing changes they made were unacceptable to the established and experienced nurses who, in a short amount of time, all left their jobs for other hospitals. Enter the new nurses, young, inexperienced, and willing to work for what the established nurses would not. This may be an unpopular opinion but during the time when everything seemed to be looking up, I noted how all the nurses in the ICU looked like they were barely out of high school. Why would such inexperienced nurses be in the ICU working alone. I asked each one of them how old they were and how long they were working as a nurse. The average was 22 years old with less than 1 year of experience. Fact is, at that stage you are literally in the entry level stage of you career. I know enough nurses that have told me that at that age they don't have the guts to speak up to a doctor. I want to know why the nurse brought a respritory therapist when we specifically requested a doctor. I also want to know why we had to ask her two times before she brought anyone (yes she did actually left the room making us think she would bring the Dr). Even then, it was my brother in law that screamed and demanded the doctor to come. Then I want to know why she had access to my fathers vitals for the entire night and didn't notice his oxygen levels going down every hour? They won't tell us. 2 years later, we are still suffering without him and we still have so many questions. I feel like I failed him by not moving him to another hospital where I just know in my heart he would have been able to walk out of.--- So for those of you that want to give the professionals the benefit of the doubt -- don't! It's your loved ones so please speak up. Ask questions all the time. My dad came into the hospital with blood in his brain. They were aware of this. The next day the blood was less. I asked about surgery. I was told they would wait to see where it would go. Well it went into a catastrophic event. I look back and wish I begged, demanded, screamed, for them to perform a surgery on my dad. If the blood is there where does it go? His brain swole and that's what caused the herniation.
I apologize for carrying on but it's still painful and I don't want anyone to go through what we are going through. It never ends. He's been buried for 2 years but the pain never ends. --- Good luck to everyone out there and tell your family you love them. Better to be cautious than worry that your annoying the doctor.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 30, 2018
Kudos to Marty Makary for telling the truth about his own mistakes and the mistakes of his colleagues
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 11, 2014Top reviews from other countries
Mr M. Pidd
A depressing accouny of healthcare safety in the USA
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 26, 2013Thor
The dangers in what you don't know about hospital care
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on July 16, 2019An Alberta Reader
Informative, compelling
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 30, 2019
