And you wonder about hospitals...

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Originally Posted by Ranga

Geez Ron - nearly teared up reading that. Terribly sorry for the pain your wife and you are going through. Hope things get better.

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Forget the nearly...I did tear up...
Our thoughts are with you and your wife Ron.

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give her a hug from us too. Carefully though.....:o

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(I accidentally pulled the epidural from my wifes back when she was giving birth to our daughter, but that's another story!)

Sorry to hear of your wife's problems.Hope she gets better soon.

As for the incompetence of the nursing staff,I would be writing to the Director of Nursing with your complaint,with a cc to the Minister of Health.
They might just put the boot up the arse of the staff where your wife is.(Nepean I gather)

I really hope that it gets better from here Ron.

If I were in your position, I'd be kicking up a fuss. I had something similar several years ago with my wife at a hospital in the UK, and it was all effectively brushed under the carpet (until recently - Google Stafford General Hospital for all the wonderful details that have come to light in the news).

And I wish your wife a speedy recovery.

That's just utterly unacceptable. I think I'd be complaining.

Pls pass on my best wishes to Elisabeth. I trust she'll make a full recovery, soon.

Regards
Max P

Sorry to hear that Elizabeth is having those problems, if the Health system is anything like it is here in Tasmania, I can well understand the way things are ( not ) happening.

Document every thing, all the times of the events and the procedure's that were done, at least it's useful for informing another medical practitioner to get up to speed with her case.
My wife since very early in her career, has always kept a little black book diary on events that have occurred during the time she has been working as a Registered Nurse and this has been a saviour for her when things have turned rough.

With the past events, I would go and have a quiet chat to the Nurse Manager / Director of Nursing of the Hospital about this, but don't leave your only list of those events with them, as these type of records have a way of not returning and disappearing, so make sure it's only a copy of what you have that is left with them.

Get well soon Elizabeth.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/im...13/07/1499.jpg
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Ron,
This is terrible not only for Elizabeth but also for you!

I'm hoping everything gets on an even keel there soon and that Elizabeth can get some relief and move into a speedy recovery.

As suggested earlier with your buying history maybe you shouldnt purchase anything to assist her recovery!! :eek:

Hope all gets better mate.

Ron, thank you for letting us know -

how frustrating it must all be !

our family's thoughts are with you and Elizabeth -

regards, Laurie

Ron, It is bad enough when you trust a mechanic to do the right thing to your vehicle and earn the Professional rates that are charged, but when it is the wellbeing of a loved one that is in pain......

The sad fact is that most of the staff, if given the time and resources, would provide exemplary care. But all hospitals are now run as businesses, minimise expenditure/ maximise profits. Sorta lost that bit about caring
A very good mate was until recently a nurse trainer. Cutbacks at Qld Health and the External training provider has seen her and 20odd others without a contract!:o
Most of her war stories involve lack of resources, human and financial.

I am very sorry for the pain and anguish of you both.
BDave.

My thoughts are on both of you and I wish you wife a rapid recovery

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Originally Posted by p38arover

I haven't been here much lately as my wife has been in hospital for the past three weeks.

Those three weeks have seen a litany of errors and problems in dealing with her. She is in extreme pain requiring morphine and ketamine to try to alleviate it.

She needed a (very expensive - about $1300 per vial) infusion which had to run uninterrupted for 72 hours. On the first attempt the ward thought a vial would last 72 hours. (Simple maths would have told them it wouldn't). It didn't and they hadn't ordered any more in so the infusion was interrupted for about 6 hours.

Oh, the nursing staff hadn't read the protocol on administering the drug so my wife had to tell each new shift what they had to do (she's had it before). Not that they believed her - after all she's just a patient. I brought a copy of the protocol (that we got from the hospital last time) from home just in case. Admittedly, it is a rare drug protocol so nursing staff in a general ward wouldn't be expected to know it.

That meant the drug infusion had to be restarted again once more drugs were obtained.

After a few hours, the cannula tissued so the infusion had to be stopped. By this time it was evening.

A doctor was called to insert a new cannula. She couldn't - and then was called away - never to return.

The next day they decided to install a femoral central line and got the infusion going again.

Then she was taken to theatre for an angioplasty so the infusion was disconnected. When she came out, they forgot to restart the infusion. So the next day they started it again. Don't forget, we are talking about $1300 per vial here.

As she was in extreme pain (try watching your wife shaking and crying in pain :mad: ) they connected her to morphine and ketamine pumps.

Great. For a while. Until my wife said it isn't working. The response was effectively "No dear, the pumps are working ok and you're getting the morphine".

When my wife complained the bed was wet, she was offered an incontinence pad. What had happened was that one of the clamps on the central line (in her groin) had been released so when she pressed the button for a hit of morphine, it was being pumped onto the bed, not into her.

The next thing was to take her back to theatre (next day) with a raft of specialists and consultants to install a fine tube through her neck to hit the nerve bundle with a block. It worked! For a while.

Then she noticed the pain was returning and her back was wet.

Somehow, between theatre and the ward, someone had pulled the tube out - so the drug was running down her back and not into her - so the block wore off and she was in agony again. This meant a couple of hours before morphine and ketamine pumps could be set up again.

Tonight she was back in to theatre for another nerve block to be inserted.

She was sleeping peacefully when I left the hospital. I hope she gets a good night's sleep for a change.

One is reluctant to complain in case the ward staff take it out on her.

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So sad to hear of your troubles Ron. I know if you love your wife, which I assume you do, that her suffering will also cause you to suffer as well.

I wish you both the best and will be praying for you, John.