Glen Beck's hospital experience

In reading about this experience, I think he made a few stupid decisions, was poorly informed on a few points, but also has some valid concerns.

I'm not going to go into everything that struck me in the article, but I'm definitely hung up by his account of tx in the ED. I work a lot of triage and make every effort to greet each pt as they come in; it helps me not miss anyone that should go back. No, a distended bladder and post op pain does not need to go straight back to a room, but as long as we aren't crazy with sick pts I can usually find a place to put a pt like that to a)place a foley and b)give them a chance to lie down. As for needing an MD order, it is really simple (at least in my facility) to grab one of our docs give a 2 second story (he had X surgery yest, went home, hasn't voided in 12 hrs) and get a verbal order for a catheter. With a patient like this, the initial solution is so simple that (again, as long as we aren't crazy and busy) I can't stand to let them sit out in the WR.

The rest of his tx in the ED, just from a psychosocial viewpoint, was horrible. I have never, and will never, allow a woman to completely support her husband's weight as I wait impatiently for them to catch up. Grab a w/c and show a little compassion for Pete's sake! I don't doubt that his account is a bit skewed based on his narcotic usage and pain, but a lot of this has very simple solutions.

ETA-Yes, I think he probably has blown most of his experience out of proportion to what actually happened, but I also think there were some interesting aspects of his story. Even if he was aggravated b/c he wasn't taken directly to a room "because my doctor called ahead" (also one of my pet peeves) there is no reason to not make eye contact with someone and help them to a room safely.

It drove me nuts when people would come in saying "my doctor called ahead," like we were going to reserve a stretcher or something. And doctors actually expect that.

We don't know if the ER that night was crazy busy. Could very well have been and probably was, given that most ERs are these days. It was, what a day or two after Christmas? That's when all the people who put off their troubles long enough to celebrate the holiday finally decide to go in.

Just an absolute wuss !!!

So Glenn Beck is whiny and self-important? What a surprise. He really seems to be upset because he wasn't treated like the celebrity he thinks he is. I've taken care of hundreds of guys like him, guys who on a certain level think they are just a little (or a lot) better than most people and are surprised when their every need isn't catered to as it should be(in their minds). He expected to be whisked right back because his doctor called ahead and was surprised when the nurses didn't bow down when he walked in. His physician should have admitted him directly to the floor. Actually he should have never been given the option to go home; hemorrhoidectomys are very painful and he already had pain control issues. The error in this case belongs to "absolutely amazing" Littlejohn and Stamford.

If he is like most tv show host he most likely has had a long hx of liberal drug use both legal and illegal. That made him need a lot more drugs post op and he OD and got goofy.

I did think that the MDs were a bit more godlike than they should have seemed. I mean, they are the ones who perscribed enough pain medication to 1. make you stop breathing and 2. have 1500 ml in your bladder.

If I recall correctly (and my knowledge of this radio personality is pretty much nothing) he does have a hx of ETOH and drug abuse, maybe back in his 20s?

he sounds highly anxious, spoiled and misinformed.

(why would anyone slap on fentanyl patches for acute pain mgmt for day surgery? it takes 12 hrs before it even starts working)

and why would he point fingers at the nurses, while perhaps, not being sympathetic, were appropriate in not treating it as emergent. urgent? yes. emergent, no.
if he truly couldn't breath, he would have been tubed.
we do know how to assess for resp failure.
these errors of judgment, seemingly should be placed on the docs/anesthesiologist.
he should have never been given the choice to go home, if it was that serious.
whatever the heck happened, nursing has very little to do w/it.
very little.
actually, nothing.
*******' drama queen.

leslie

His most famous comment was his questioning Keith Ellisons loyalty as a US Congressman because of Mr. Ellison's being a Muslim. With that question he lost all credibility as a commentator in my eyes. He took a cheap shot against a congressman and he took a cheap shot against the health care system.

i couldn't get the thing to play...puter is old and feeble
yes, i seem to remember that he has stated that he has a hx of ethanol abuse
problem was witht he day surgery personnel, he should have voided before he left
but i stopped watching him a long time ago because he was so rude to his guests, i guess that nurses are on the same level