My family and I have lived in Michigan for more than 30 years. The new U of M Hospital was just being completed. Now, it is a giant, hulking, monster series of buildings that is consuming Ann Arbor. Here are some of my experiences.
When I was a 30 something, my U of M doc, who had the bedside manner of a bridge troll, diagnosed me with a herniated disc at L5. I was referred to a surgeon at the Ortho Clinic in the U of M main building. He took one look at my X-Rays, and informed me that he could not perform surgery on my spine, as My discs were very badly degenerated. I was shocked. I was young! He simply left the room, leaving me no time to ask questions. I was sent home with a note to take ibuprofen every six hours. The pain was severe. I did as I was instructed. Several months later, I experienced severe stomach pain. I was referred to a Gastro guy, who stuck a camera down my throat and told me I had 5 bleeding ulcers. He sent me home with a prescription for Prilosec, which I took as indicated. I broke out with a severe rash. My bridge troll doc, advised me to discontinue the Prilosec. He could not tell me what to do next, so I fired him. At the time, coaching a team of almost 150 swimmers with a bad back, and severe stomach pain, with two kids in tow, really weighed on me. My new doc...a "touchy feely" type woman was unable to advise me.
I decided to retire from the swim team when I found I was pregnant with my youngest child. I missed that job. I missed my swimmers. I missed their wonderful, supportive parents. I simply could not handle the workload, the pain, and a tiny infant, with two other kids. The parents threw me a wonderful baby shower. Despite everything, those were the happiest years of my life.
After I retired, I went back to my roots, started taking riding lessons again, and eventually bought my own horse. I found that riding greatly helped my back pain. My youngest daughter, also took up my passion. It was a lovely life.
Several years later, I injured my wrist severely enough to sever the Median nerve. It took surgery to repair it. A year or two later, I developed a painful neuroma in my wrist. The Hand Surgeon at the U of M suggested a vein wrap procedure. They would remove a vein from my leg, and wrap it around the nerve. I consented. The surgery went well. Later that evening, I was admitted to a room in a surgical unit. During the night, a young aide walked by me, and noticed I was breathing very shallowly. She summoned help. I stopped breathing. My heart stopped. I remember watching the whole thing overhead. There was a lot of shouting, a lot of people...my heart was shocked back to life. The morphine machine had broken, and flooded my system. The next evening, I spoke to a nurse about this, as NOTHING was ever mentioned to me about this event. I was able to identify every person who had been in the room. None of this appeared on my medical record. What did appear on my record was that I had carpal tunnel surgery, varicose vein surgery, and a nerve graft. NONE OF THIS EVER HAPPENED! I have never had carpal tunnel syndrome, varicose veins, or a nerve graft. The next day I rarely saw a nurse. When I did, she had an "attitude"....complaining about her job...etc. I also vomited all over myself. No one would answer the call button. My roommate tried, as well. We both tried shouting, to no avail. Over an hour went by. Finally, my roommate called an outside operator, who phoned the nurse's desk. Eventually, a young nurse stalked in, took one look at me, and said: "Oh shit. This is all I need." The next day the Hand Surgeon walked in, angry with the nurses for not having gotten me out of bed yet. I asked him why I had all the stitches on my arm. His reply:"oh. Your veins in the arm were too small. We had to remove one from your leg." I responded:"Well. Wasn't that the plan all along? If you had asked me, I would have told you I have very tiny veins in my arms!" Without a word, he just stalked out of the room. I never saw him again.
Over the years I have had a number of concussions. Most involved falls from horses. Once I was charged by a horse, knocked head over heels, unconscious. The barn owners were present, as was the farrier. They all saw it and called 911. EMTs arrived and carted me off to the U of M ER. I was on a gurney in a back hallway for 24 hours!!! With a TBI! I was refused food and water during this entire period. I was told that I could have nothing by mouth until I was seen by a Doc. The next day, I was forced to get up in my backless nightgown and make a scene, in order to get treated. Finally, a young resident came back, and asked me if I was sure I had been charged by a horse....and we're there any "witnesses". I just stared him down, and asked him if he was sure he was a physician.
In January, 2010, I fell down our staircase at home, slamming my neck into the molding at the foot of the stairs, and slamming my head into the floor. Michael called 911. I was put on a backboard with a collar, and once again carted off to the ER. While there, I had very little understanding of what was going on. No one would tell me anything. They took the collar off after the CAT scan...then another Doc came by, and yelled: "Who took this off?!!!" I received two MRIs before they could pick up the fracture. When they finally did, they couldn't find a collar small enough. (In a hospital with a huge pediatric hospital) long story short...Motts Children's Hospital was a 15 minute walk, and no one wanted to take the time, so. For 5 days, I lay in a hospital bed with a hard collar that literally covered my nose, and was too loose to stabilize anything. After 5 days I was carted off to a nursing home, where I stayed for two months! It was while I was there, though, that I found out that my previous bridge troll doc had mis-diagnosed me with Diabetes two years previously, based on one "non-fasting" random blood test. So I poked myself in the finger for TWO years, for no reason!!!
After I returned home in March of that year, I started suffering from severe vertigo. I went to my Doc, time after time. Finally, he told me it was just "stress". He referred me to Neurology, who couldn't fit me in until the following YEAR! I fired him, and had the same experience with two other U of M docs, until a friend suggested I check out the Vestibular Clinic at the U. They did extensive hearing and vision testing, noticing nystagmus when I positioned my head in certain ways. The therapists there told me it was an inner ear problem caused by my fall....THE most common reason for Vertigo. Unbelievable. They gave me some exercises to do at home, and the problem disappeared within two weeks.
I finally decided to find a doc who was not educated at U of M. By word of mouth, I found my current doc, but it took 9 months to get an app't. It was worth it. She is a U of M doc, but was educated at Dartmouth, and had a holistic outlook.
In 2012, I swam in an open water race up in Harbor Springs. It was a rough swim. I missed the one mile buoy, and ended up at the 2 mile buoy....so...I had trained for a one mile swim, and ended up swimming a two mile swim. When I returned home, both of my shoulders were very sore. I assumed swimmer's shoulder, and signed up for PT at the U of M Sportsmed Clinic. My left arm healed, but my right did not. Finally, I was referred to an Ortho Surgeon, who did a CAT scan, and diagnosed me with a major rotator cuff tear. He said it was too large for him to repair. I was told I would need to quit riding, and stop swimming....that I should just "take it easy". I was devastated by the news. I sold Sunny. My God. I sold my best friend. After a month in a depressive state, I decided to take some action. I found the top ten shoulder surgeons in the country. Dr. Reuben Gobezie, Chief of surgery at the Cleveland Shoulder Institute performed surgery on massive rotator cuff tears routinely. Michael and I drove down to Cleveland, thinking I would be making an appointment for surgery. When Dr. Gobezie walked in the room, I was shocked at what he said next. He plopped down on the examining table, putting his feet up and said: "Julie. You do not have a major rotator cuff tear. Two of my colleagues, two of my Radiologists, and I both looked at your films. You have a very small tear, which would be consistent with most women at about age 40, but physiologically, you are much younger. This tear is too tiny to even consider surgery." He then did a very thorough examination of my shoulder. He said: "Julie, you have classic frozen shoulder. That is what is causing the pain." I told him of my desire to swim the Mack Straits. I asked..."How do I fix this?" He said simply: "SWIM!" I wanted to jump up and kiss the guy! I was elated! I should note, that after I returned home, I called the U of M Ortho Surgeon's office, and reported the mis-diagnosis. They asked if I wanted to speak with him. I declined. Later in the week, however, he phoned me at 11:30PM and told me that "he stood by his diagnosis." Unbelievable. I told him that the time of the call, and the message were both extremely inappropriate, and hung up the phone. Because of that doc, I sold my beloved Sunny. I Can't get her back. But I can SWIM!
Sadly, it doesn't end there. I slipped and fell on some ice while walking Bree one evening. I lost consciousness, so Michael drove me to Chelsea's brand new renovated ER. Someone ordered a CAT scan. Two hours later, a young kid...a PA...walked in and suggested a CAT scan. When I told him that one had been done over two hours ago, he seemed dazed and confused...stating that: "Well. I guess I should go read it." He came back later, reporting that I had a concussion and a sprained neck. I asked to see a real doc, and was told he was "busy." There were NO other patients in the ER. I fell again 3 weeks later, and received yet another concussion, and a worsening of my neck problem. I spent 3 months in rehab for that, and it is still causing me problems.
But. You know what? I am training hard, and I WILL be the oldest person to swim the Mackinac Straits next summer, because I do not give up.
No comments:
Post a Comment