follow-up to my trip thru managed-care hell
mike and i arrive at the 'big city' trauma center at a little past 11 am, as pabooger predicted. now, this place, ecmc, is supposedly the number 1 trauma center in the area. we bring with us our x-rays, pre-op labs. called the buffalo orthoped's office to let him know we are there, and his receptionist tells us that doc in olean never contacted their office last night. mike informs her that our follow-up instructions state, verbadum, 'follow up with dr. ritter at ecmc. call office to ask when he will be available to see you.' she informs him that the doctor ritter is an ankle and knee specialist, so she cannot understand why the appointment was made with him, but in ant case the upper extremety guy. dr. andrews is not available either, and we should go to triage at the er, and let them know when we arrive, and they will send someone for me.
so we have a seat,.....and wait,.....and wait some more. we waited there for almost 4 hours and at this point we are getting beyond pissed. called doc in olean who allegedly made my arrangments, she appologizes, but she has no idea what might have happened, promised to re-fax information. in the meantime, mike is just fuming, i am now crying from the discomfort, as i had not dared take any pain medication, as i was under the impression that i was in for immediate treatment for a traumatic injury.
i don't know how many of you have ever had the pleasure of using an inner city trauma center, but, needless to say, it is a trip. i began wondering what percentage of patients were actually there to get their oxy fix, but that is not nice. desk nursefinally come up to me and is very appologetic, i go off of her, as i am getting a little cranky at this time. she explains that they are unusually busy, and ambulances are piled up 4 deep at the door, cardiac arrests and other life-threatening conditions. mike counters that we just watched a guy pull up in an ambulance with an allegedly sprained ankle, who practically sprinted into the er, and so yes, locust fork, arriving via ambulance would have been the way to go. anyhow, mike hands my x-rays to desk nurse, asks her to show them to somebody, anybody. less than 5 minutes later, i'm sitting on a chair in the er hallway, between a covict in shackles, his two guards, and a paranoid schizophrenic who keeps saying that he could just put a bullet into the president's head, and no one would care, and he would be famous. gurneys 6 deep in the hallway behind me, one circular saw injury, some young girl vomiting repeatedly on the floor. finally, doctor comes up to me, provides me with some lortab, states someone will be with me shortly. it was then about 4 pm.
things moved relatively quickly at this point. i was put in a room and examined be an extremely young orthoped, and a resident. he states that as the reduction of the dislocation was done prior to the x-rays, he would like to have more x-rays taken, so i am sent for more x-rays, sent back to the room. doc informs me that mt elbow had not stayed in place after 1st reduction, and so he intended to do so. i about jumped off the table it hurt so bad, and he sends me for more x-rays. in the meantime he also informs me surgury will not be performed, so while i get my 4th series of xrays, mike gets us something to nosh. kid returns, and informs me that the reduction did not work, and so he would like to try it again. i inform him, 'i don't think so, scooter.' mike tells him, no way, he is not going to watch me go through that torture again, and, i'm already scheduled for an open reduction tomorrow, it can wait. anyhow, at this point, i m shot full of delaudin, and sent to my room.
surgury the follwing day at about 6pm, a tidy 50 hours past the time of my arrival at the first hospital.
i come to after, mike informs me the surgery took 2 1/2 hours. dr. andrews spoke to him after the surgury, and informed him that it was more complicated than they had anticipated, showed him the post-op x-ray. apparently, the head of my radius was shattered ito several peices, and is now being held together by a plate and 6 screws. my ulna also received a plate to reattach some ligaments that had torn off, and one unanticipated injury, a greenline fracture of my humerus, which now has a screw holding it together. mike said the x ray looked like the top of his dresser drawer, where he deposits the contents of his pockets, nuts, bolts, pins, etc., at the end of his workday. doc said it looked to him more like what he would expect with an impact injury, morso than a fall.
i'm now wearing a cast that has to weigh about 15 pounds, that extends from my left palm to my armpit. follow up with doc andrews on the 30th, when they will likely put me into a movable cast, so that i can begin flexing and extening my elbow joint.
so much for urgent attention....[}:)]
sorry so long, but i needed to vent, thanks.....
so we have a seat,.....and wait,.....and wait some more. we waited there for almost 4 hours and at this point we are getting beyond pissed. called doc in olean who allegedly made my arrangments, she appologizes, but she has no idea what might have happened, promised to re-fax information. in the meantime, mike is just fuming, i am now crying from the discomfort, as i had not dared take any pain medication, as i was under the impression that i was in for immediate treatment for a traumatic injury.
i don't know how many of you have ever had the pleasure of using an inner city trauma center, but, needless to say, it is a trip. i began wondering what percentage of patients were actually there to get their oxy fix, but that is not nice. desk nursefinally come up to me and is very appologetic, i go off of her, as i am getting a little cranky at this time. she explains that they are unusually busy, and ambulances are piled up 4 deep at the door, cardiac arrests and other life-threatening conditions. mike counters that we just watched a guy pull up in an ambulance with an allegedly sprained ankle, who practically sprinted into the er, and so yes, locust fork, arriving via ambulance would have been the way to go. anyhow, mike hands my x-rays to desk nurse, asks her to show them to somebody, anybody. less than 5 minutes later, i'm sitting on a chair in the er hallway, between a covict in shackles, his two guards, and a paranoid schizophrenic who keeps saying that he could just put a bullet into the president's head, and no one would care, and he would be famous. gurneys 6 deep in the hallway behind me, one circular saw injury, some young girl vomiting repeatedly on the floor. finally, doctor comes up to me, provides me with some lortab, states someone will be with me shortly. it was then about 4 pm.
things moved relatively quickly at this point. i was put in a room and examined be an extremely young orthoped, and a resident. he states that as the reduction of the dislocation was done prior to the x-rays, he would like to have more x-rays taken, so i am sent for more x-rays, sent back to the room. doc informs me that mt elbow had not stayed in place after 1st reduction, and so he intended to do so. i about jumped off the table it hurt so bad, and he sends me for more x-rays. in the meantime he also informs me surgury will not be performed, so while i get my 4th series of xrays, mike gets us something to nosh. kid returns, and informs me that the reduction did not work, and so he would like to try it again. i inform him, 'i don't think so, scooter.' mike tells him, no way, he is not going to watch me go through that torture again, and, i'm already scheduled for an open reduction tomorrow, it can wait. anyhow, at this point, i m shot full of delaudin, and sent to my room.
surgury the follwing day at about 6pm, a tidy 50 hours past the time of my arrival at the first hospital.
i come to after, mike informs me the surgery took 2 1/2 hours. dr. andrews spoke to him after the surgury, and informed him that it was more complicated than they had anticipated, showed him the post-op x-ray. apparently, the head of my radius was shattered ito several peices, and is now being held together by a plate and 6 screws. my ulna also received a plate to reattach some ligaments that had torn off, and one unanticipated injury, a greenline fracture of my humerus, which now has a screw holding it together. mike said the x ray looked like the top of his dresser drawer, where he deposits the contents of his pockets, nuts, bolts, pins, etc., at the end of his workday. doc said it looked to him more like what he would expect with an impact injury, morso than a fall.
i'm now wearing a cast that has to weigh about 15 pounds, that extends from my left palm to my armpit. follow up with doc andrews on the 30th, when they will likely put me into a movable cast, so that i can begin flexing and extening my elbow joint.
so much for urgent attention....[}:)]
sorry so long, but i needed to vent, thanks.....
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