Bedside Manners......Oh My

 

Surgery is not my friend. Three weeks after my hysterectomy, this is how my stomach looked. I looked very pregnant. I also was getting dehydrated. Of course, more times than not, when you need to talk to your doctor it’s the weekend. We headed to the Instacare in the hospital nearest us. They examined me and said that I wasn’t dehydrated, and wheeled me over to the ER. 

ER doc comes in and examines me. I just love the questions they ask. Especially how are your BOWEL movements. I said “well my POOP is kind of dark and looks like wet coffee grounds”. (don’t throw up its all good). He’s concerned that I might have sepsis. Sepsis occurs when chemicals release into the bloodstream. It can damage multiple organs. 

Remember when I showed the photo of the fluid they drew out of my chest sac, this is the fluid they drew out of my belly. Those bottles equaled 6.2 Liters. (1 1/2 gallons). I was admitted to the hospital. After testing the ascites, they determined I had Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis. Another infection. It was also determined that I had End End Stage Liver Disease. 

I had the most awesome doctor while there. He was actually the Head Doctor in Charge of all the doctors. Don’t exactly know what that title is. His bedside manner was so cool. He would pull up a chair, we’d sit and talk. We’d even try to crack each other up. He loved my purple hair, and he explained everything so well.  After 3 days of seeing me, he apologized that he needed to start doing his job, but was going to assign me one of his better doctors. See, so cool.  I was in the hospital for a week. With two more fluid draws taken from my body. 

Five days later I was back in the ER at the big Medical Center. I was having a hard time breathing. After running ultrasounds they found I had fluid in my plural area (around the lungs) and ascites in my belly. The fluid around the chest area makes it super hard to breathe. I was again admitted to the hospital. They sucked the liquid out of both places. I met the liver clinic doctors who  informed me they were going to take on my case. I was released 5 days later. 

Two weeks later I was in the Liver Clinic meeting with the Transplant  Surgeon. He was going to determine if I should be able to get on the transplant list. All I can say is his bedside manner was completely opposite of the doctor at the other hospital I told you about. 

 One of the first things he said to me was, “YOU A FATTY”. Yes to my face. He left the room to go out and get a measuring tape, proceeded to have me lie down, and measured how high off the table my huge ole stomach was. Then he said I needed to follow everything he told me to do and not to do. I said ok. Here were the 3 he told me I couldn’t do. 

1.  No being a prostitute. 

2.  No going to jail. 

3.  No getting a tattoo while in jail. 

WTH!!!!

 Do I look like a prostitute?  NO

Have I ever gone to jail?  NO

Do I have tattoos?  YES

Would I ever get one in jail?  NO

Needless to say, I left the clinic in tears. Not only because I was told I needed a Transplant and could actually die before ever getting one, but because of how his bedside manner was. 

This is the start of a wonderful journey.