After 4 hours in he ER the ambulance didn't arrive to transport Alan until after 10 PM so I knew it would be late when he finally did get there. As I said before it is a 2 hour drive to Riverbend in Eugene so I waited up until I got a call and around 1:00am I got a call and the voice on the other end of the phone said "Is this Mrs Koosed?" I answered "yes it is" The voice said "this is Dr Dwart and I wanted to let you know you husband is here and I just examined him and I want to tell you that what I saw, was an 80 year old man (he is only 78) that has been treated for the same thing over and over again with numerous hospital visits and seems to be in a very confused state and I think you need to call his family and discuss HOSPICE"
I was shocked and offended and did not appreciate the way this so called Doctor presented to me especially not being able to be with him! In the first place he is confused due to his high fever, hydration and infection. Secondly if the doctors would figure out what keeps causing this infection he wouldn't have to be treated over and over again. I was so shocked I didn't know what to say so I didn't reply. I called his neuphrologist, Dr Sanghvi the next morning and he could tell how upset I was. He has cared for Alan for a few years and knows him well so when I told him what this Dr Dwart said to me he told me not to worry that she doesn't know him or how he is when he isn't sick with infection. He said he would look in on Alan that morning.
I arrived about 11am and Alan was still confused and in much pain from the kidney that had the tube.
I made sure that every hospitalist and nurse knew how upset I was that we were there AGAIN. I had enough! I was so frustrated with all of this that I reported Dr Dwart to the hospital administrator that afternoon and I was looking for an attorney. Someone had to stand up to all of this repeated neglect so I marched into the administrators office with a written complaint as to what exactly occurred the night she called me.I also stressed the fact that my husband had been admitted 12 times in 7 months and no one seems to be able to figure out why he keeps getting sick with the same thing. I told him I was researching some legal help.
Dr Sanghvi ordered all the usual blood work, blood cultures, Xray of his lungs and cat scan of the kidney area. The test showed another infection in that kidney and pneumonia. Alan was in a lot of pain and trying to get any rest in a hospital is ridiculous. They wake you every hour to do vitals and then the lab comes in to take blood and if there are any other tests they wake him to do those.
His oncologist, Dr Sharman also looked in on him. Alan has had Chronic Lucitic Leukemia CLL for about 8 years and was a part of a study that reduced his cancer 80% but his oncologist keeps an eye on him and he sees him about every three months. They are both excellent doctors and I trust them 100%. They could see how upset and concerned I was.
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