MODERN MEDICINE UNDER TRUMP,

Dennis comments ♦ January 26, 2018 ♦ Leave a comment

I have always believed that there must be a purpose to our existence. I believe that the only legitimate reason for my existence is to help others and make the world a better place to live. Unlike other activists, I don’t concern myself rights. I concern myself with what’s right. Human and civil rights are just part of what is important. I believe sincerely that in addition to certain rights all people are entitled to a certain amount of dignity and respect.

A recent occurrence caused the leave the hospital without being released I was angry at the time and posted my frustrations on social media. I dictated by frustration. I was angry I didn’t proofread what I sent, causing ambiguity and misinterpretation by my friends. The support that I received from my friends was overwhelming and much appreciated. However, most people missed the point of my message. I was not whining.  I was trying to point out a problem and I think it is vexing our society. My treatment was part of a much larger issue.

30 years ago, I began extensive graduate study in the area of social conflict, social theory, and other topics generally called Peace and Justice studies. Essentially, it was a graduate program to train people to train mediators and arbitrators. 50 years as a practicing lawyer has also been invaluable

For 3 decades, I tried to fathom why police now murder civilians when they didn’t early in my career, why police waited several hours before trying to rescue students at Columbine, and other cowardly acts by officials charged with all safety and well-being. Additionally, I tried to understand why the people of a particular country, who appeared to be decent people about the murder of minorities, handicapped, and others deem to be different. This leads me to see a world of postmodern social theory. After 3 decades, I have no answers, just speculation.

After study, I have observed a theme that is driving these murder explanations. They almost always that the killer was following training and he feared for his safety.  The buzz words are universally accepted by lazy corrupt officials who don’t want to investigate or alienate a constituency, and the killers know this.  We have become immune to truth and any form of ethics or empathy.  We live in a police state and don’t realize it.  Fear is endemic in our society, and common sense is sacrificed on the altar of safety.

Right after Christmas, I became quite ill, with flue and exacerbated COPD, leading to trips to the emergency room, and, recently, admittance to the hospital. I was put on a high dosage of prednisone, a steroid, and given IV fluids.  I started prednisone in December, and when I didn’t approve, I was sent to the ER, where I was given fluids and IV …  A week later, I was worse and admitted to the hospital.  I got to the room 5 minutes after food was shut off.  The automated system kept telling me to hold when I called the food number.  A half-hour later, I was told that that number had been shut off.  I am diabetic and blood sugar was low.

When I got to my room, I was tethered to an oxygen hose and an IV line.  The nurse on floor gave me a series of test to see if I could walk unassisted, which I passed.  I had a mouth infection which was very painful, and they forgot to give me promised lidocaine.  I got to sleep at 2 A. M.  After a half night’s sleep, I was awoken at 7 and branded with a yellow wristband.  When I woke up to urinate, I set off an alarm because the set one to go off if I got out of bed.  I had legs draped over the side of the bed to pee in a bottle and the alarm went off.  I asked if the alarm could be turned off and was told that someone would investigate it.  Never happened. A physician visited and told me I would be released on Mon., Jan. 22.

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

I got up to sit in a chair for a while.

An alarm went off.

A nurse commented on urine on sheet caused by having alarm sound while urinating in the bottle.

I asked about the alarm and was told that it was ordered by the physical therapist.

I never saw a physical therapist there.

I was told that I refused PT, a blatant lie.

The nurse was not listening and ignored me.

She told me to shut up or she would call security.

I said if she did, I would leave thehospital.  She said go ahead and called security.

She then went to talk to Dr. while I was dressing.

She gave me a release to sign, which I did and left.

I inquired why she called security and she told me she feared for her safety.  (a 75-year-old medicated patient, on oxygen and tethered to IV hose, in pain, and bed on a steroid for 3 weeks).

I was contacted in the lobby by the guard after 3-5 minutes who asked if I was patient in room XXXXX.

I said I was and was told to leave or he would call the police.

I said go ahead and he didn’t.

Her report said it was concerning the alarm.  It was not.  It was because she lied about the physical therapist, ignored me and when I wanted to discuss the matter, I was threatened with a call to security. The discharge from previous week clearly showed no safety orders.

I argued.  That is what I am trained to do.  As a teacher, I have a tolerance for ignorance but feel compelled to teach.  As an ex-judge, I am offended by the blatant violation of Hippocratic oath.  As a person, I was offended by the treatment in general.

While waiting to be picked up, I vented my anger and frustration with a series of social media postings, dictated and not proofread, to have some sort of record of what was happening at the time it occurred. I got an overwhelming response from everyone, but most people missed the point of my protest. I thank everyone for their concern about my health, that I left because of a bigger issue. That issue is I think everybody including myself should be entitled to be treated with respect and allowed some dignity and not be bullied.

The medical profession is supposedly bound by the hypocritical oath.  Most people who have professional licenses, myself included, are indoctrinated that the patient or client should come first. Under no circumstances should a person under treatment be denied treatment for being obnoxious or loud, which happened in my case. For the sake of argument, I will admit that I was obnoxious. The sake of argument, I will admit that I raise my voice, however not any more than I do in the courtroom when arguing a motion or to a jury. I will admit I don’t like being given ultimatums and have never responded to well to threats particularly by bullies.

I have long questioned the statements by police officers that they peered for their lives or appeared for their safety, which I view as exaggerated bullshit. I have advocated for years that the training of police officers be examined and may be changed. In 50 years of law practice, I’ve only seen police brutality in the last 10 or 15 years. I have many friends who are policemen and confided in me that they retired because they were afraid of their fellow officers, who they deem to be trigger-happy. The system where prosecutors view their constituency as law enforcement rather than the citizenry must be changed.

Some of the people that I greatly admired were conscientious objectors, who worked as medics in Vietnam rescuing wounded soldiers under fire, armed with nothing but resolve to help. My conclusion is all this has changed. And, I want to know why.

Frankly, I can’t fathom why a trained nurse could not handle a 75-year-old man, tethered to all kinds of equipment, weakened, even after three weeks of prednisone who just want a simple question answered without having been lied to. I was allegedly released against medical advice, but I received no advice from any doctor. A supervisor didn’t intervene. A mediator didn’t intervene. As far as the nurse concern it was her way or the highway.  Is lying and bullying now a part of modern nursing curriculum? Is there no accountability? For the state the previous week, I was billed at $6000, and here I was back one week later. Why didn’t the treating physician talk to me or at least write discharge orders rather than let me go cold turkey on the prednisone with no oxygen?

I think everybody for their concern about my health, but I hope everyone looks at the larger issue. We are all entitled not to be bullied. We are all entitled to have at least some semblance of dignity. Because we are elderly doesn’t mean that were village idiots. My concern currently is whether I am really out of tune with reality. I don’t understand any institution that supposed to help people allowing someone to be treated in that way. To date I have still not heard from the hospital or the medical provider. Since they had not examined me upon discharge, nor given me any discharge instructions, I feel that this is the moral equivalent of a just been cut loose to die, which I find to be outrageous.

So, it is my hope that people feel this outrage also and contact nursing boards, hospital boards, and institutions that train these people to make them feel that they are not immune from either humanity, decency, or displaying kindness.

I am not a consumer, I am a patient. I am not a commodity to be bargained for, traded or exchanged. The nurses involved in this instance all went to private nursing schools, which charge exorbitant tuition. I question whether or not the motivation is different for these people than the rest of us who enter the profession to help people not to just make money. All on Miss may well not too bad I what you all I do a little staging a protest I I got excellent I just read a post a blog on that on Dennis comments but essentially I did on the prednisone since 29^th of December and was hospitalized twice so they could give it to me I V because I wasn’t getting any better and the last time there I was hospitalized just a short time and it did not work,