Am I wrong?

Nurses General Nursing

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:D Hi, everyone:

Ive belonged to allnurses.com for a couple of years, but this is my first real post--I'm a reader, not a poster.

I was an LPN for 20 years---had to give it up after rupturing my L-4-L-5 disc on the job.A laminectomy and 8 years fixed that. I miss nursing terribly, but don't think I could hack it the way things are today.God bless all of you who keep at it.

I am writing to ask a question about , I guess, medical ethics.

I have Barrets Esophagus, a hiatal hernia, and long standing gastritis.

No, I dont drink.

I had an upper endoscopy done on July 8th.By a gastroenterologist.

He took 40 biopsies, 4 per centimeter for each of 10 centimeters.

I had stopped taking Plavix on July 3rd.

I was okay until July 12th--nothing I could put my finger on, just felt lousy, slept all day.

At 10 p.m. that night, I vomited a large amount of black coffee ground material.I I called the Dr.s number, assuming that he had an answering service. Dummy me! The hospital operator came on the line, told me that he was not on call and there was no-one covering for him. She advised me to call my family Doc, which I did. He was on vacation at the beach, but called me back, anyway.He advised me to go have a CBC at the hospital in the morning.

I vomited again at 1:30---at 3 I had a tarry stool---another at 6--I called my family Doc at 7--he told me to go to E.R..

I was a little dehydrated, my hemoglobin was 10.2.

E.R. Doc tried to call the gastroenterologist--took 5 calls for him to respond.

He ordered I.V. Protonix---this is getting much too long--I was admitted

-he had ordered blood if my hemoglobin fell below 8---it hit 7.2. I got 1 unit of packed cells.

My REAL complaint here, I guess, is that he never came in to see me until my family Doc had written my discharge---then siad that the bleeding was from the EGD, which I had already surmised. SO--from Saturday night until Tuesday afternoon, he , essentailly ignored me.

I called the hospital today and lodged a compaint.

Am I right?

ALL replies welcome--thanks!

Emmy41lgpn

I'm sorry Emmy, but your complaint is unrealistic in this day and time.

As you said early in your pst, things are different in nursing (worse) and that applies in every other aspect of life as well.

People are much more expendable, overall.

It is a sad fact.

But you can still get your needs met if yiou can accept this -life on life's terms- and work within it.

Good luck to you and you GI Health!!

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I'm a little confused. It seems as if in your OP you were asking for people's opinions on the subject but then the people who disagree with your complaints are being told they are lacking in compassion or they are just wrong. If you wanted support for you choice you should asked for support and not opinions. Asking for opinions online is like asking for someone to tell you you are wrong. lol

Right or wrong, if you felt like your care wasn't adequate you have to right to complain and/or change Docs. If no one ever complains nothing ever gets better. Good luck!!

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I'm sorry Emmy, but your complaint is unrealistic in this day and time.

As you said early in your post, things are different in nursing (worse) and that applies in every other aspect of life as well.

But you can still get your needs met if you can accept this -life on life's terms- and work within it.

Good luck to you and you GI Health!!

Finally the voice of reason. Thank you embarrasingfield. I was wondering how can all these nurses can be so unrealistic. While I think the doctor was WRONG not to tell his patients that he doesn't take call, which in itself is WRONG also, that is part of the job as a doctor, (he should of thought about that before he went to medical school) but with that said when they're off they deserve to be off like anyone else.

How many nurses on here tell the hospital to call them whenever one of their patients has a complication and then make it mandatory for them to run to the hospital to check on them on their day off? That's what the other shift is for. That's what the ER's are for when the doctor is not on call.

You may think as nurses it's different and you should have your day off and not be interrupted. Fess up... you know you love caller ID! because if they call you to work extra you don't have to pickup the phone. You have plans and you don't want to work today! You're stressed and you need this day off!

Shame on you compassionate nurses those patients need you. Answer the phone, forget yourself, forget your plans, forget your family, go to work, sacrifice yourself, get burnt out, get sick, then see how many patients you can take good care of. Doctors deserve their time off the same as you, they're not any different. They have a job same the same you.

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I'm a little confused. It seems as if in your OP you were asking for people's opinions on the subject but then the people who disagree with your complaints are being told they are lacking in compassion or they are just wrong. If you wanted support for you choice you should asked for support and not opinions. Asking for opinions online is like asking for someone to tell you you are wrong. lol

So true!

Right or wrong, if you felt like your care wasn't adequate you have to right to complain and/or change Docs. If no one ever complains nothing ever gets better. Good luck!!

She made her complaint, which is her right, it's done, it's over, I personally think she should have complained to the doctor directly. Complaining to the hospital is like Nanner! Nanner! Nanner!

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Specializes in ER/EHR Trainer.

I am still confused even after reading all of this...if your physician is not ON CALL, then he is unavailable...what would happen if he died? Why didn't your PMD call in a covering doctor or ER assign on call GI physician?

Did the order come from GI for IV protonix or PMD? Any GI bleed in our hospital can have iv protonix from any doctor.

The truth is the OP has a condition for which she wanted the PERSON THAT KNOWS HER to take care of her. It appears this could not be, but who took over? Did you refuse a replacement, or was no replacement made available?

If you refused, then no surprise....doctor came when he could. If you weren't offered a replacement specialist....I'd call out the national guard!

Either way, hope you are mending and are better.

Maisy

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Hello, all----more fuel for the fire.

I sat down this morning and called 15 different Doctors, numbers I had picked at random--its a Sunday morning.

ALL of them had ways to contact them if needed-even the allergists.

When you call the number of the Doc who did my endoscopy, you just get the hospital operator, telling you he is un-available.Period.

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chenoaspirit--------

So we have 2 things in common---Kentucky, and a hemi-colectomy.

Would you care to share your story with me? I havent had a chance to talk to anyone concerning my surgery--other patients, I mean.

Im doing fairly well---but have lost almost 40 pounds in the last 17 months, without trying, and still throw up frequently, I think from the Barrets esophagus.

I hope that you are doing well, wuld really enjoy hearing from you.

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Specializes in NICU.
Hello, all----more fuel for the fire.

I sat down this morning and called 15 different Doctors, numbers I had picked at random--its a Sunday morning.

ALL of them had ways to contact them if needed-even the allergists.

When you call the number of the Doc who did my endoscopy, you just get the hospital operator, telling you he is un-available.Period.

Were you to call my MD, you would get an answering machine recording telling you to go to the ED for any emergency. Just out of curiosity, I called our pediatrician and my husband's oncologist and got the same response.

We're supposed to go through the ED, and would get whoever's covering for the weekend.

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Hello, all----more fuel for the fire.

I sat down this morning and called 15 different Doctors, numbers I had picked at random--its a Sunday morning.

ALL of them had ways to contact them if needed-even the allergists.

When you call the number of the Doc who did my endoscopy, you just get the hospital operator, telling you he is un-available.Period.

You already knew that so what is the point?

To reach the physician on call push #1. If this is an emergency please go directly to the ER. Doctors cover for each other that's the way it works. You won't reach the 15 doctors you specifically called.

Were you to call my MD, you would get an answering machine recording telling you to go to the ED for any emergency. Just out of curiosity, I called our pediatrician and my husband's oncologist and got the same response.

We're supposed to go through the ED, and would get whoever's covering for the weekend.

:yeah:
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Specializes in Day Surgery, Agency, Cath Lab, LTC/Psych.
Were you to call my MD, you would get an answering machine recording telling you to go to the ED for any emergency. Just out of curiosity, I called our pediatrician and my husband's oncologist and got the same response.

We're supposed to go through the ED, and would get whoever's covering for the weekend.

I am so grateful for the excellent physicians that I work with. They would never have the patients go to the ER because their group doesn't take call. That, to me, is ridiculous. The ER is not the turfing ground for every issue. Furthermore, it is irresponsible to turf care to the ER for patients that have a chronic issue that the doctor or doctors group has been treating. MeJane19, you have very valid points about call. Of course a physician who is not on call should not be bothered. I agree with that. One of the reasons that I decided to go into nursing instead of medicine was the call. I do not enjoy taking call. Thankfully my position as a nurse does not require call. However, it is generally understood that physicians do share call. The OP was simply expressing her shock that her GI doc had no one to cover for him for call. I think that was a valid point and had nothing to do with the fact that physicians shouldn't be bothered when they are not on call. Her doc is apparently NEVER on call and has no one to cover for him.

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Specializes in ER/EHR Trainer.

If I told you how many patients are being sent to the ER by their PMDs you wouldn't believe it. Muscle pain r/o MI, bronchitis, uri, whatever r/o pneumonia or sob, wiped their butt and saw smear of blood r/o gi bleed. We are inundated with diagnosing for pmds!

I guess what I still don't get, if you went to the ER don't you automatically get a GI assignment if you are admitted? This would be whoever is covering on the admit day. That's the part I am obviously missing.

Maisy

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OMG! I am just trying to say that the gastroenteroligist who did the endoscopy, and took 40 biopsies, left me with NO WAY to contact him.And no-one to contact in case of a problem.

HOW can you do an invasive procedure which causes a complication and NOT have ANY responsibility for it???

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