Thursday, July 16, 2009

WELLSTAR COMPLAINTS

On July 19, 2008, I was rushed by a friend to the Emergency Room at Wellstar (HellStar) Kennestone (WealthStone) Hospital. I had mistakenly been given an antihistamine (which I am allergic to) that aggravated my enlarged prostate and locked my kidneys.

After waiting in the Emergency Room at Kennestone (WealthStone) for approximately FOUR hours I finally saw a doctor, a Foley Catheter was inserted, I was given a shot of morphine (4MG) and 650MG Tylenol, IV was inserted and I admitted to the hospital for what they said was a bladder infection (6:15). At the time of admission; my pulmonary sounds were normal, equal, and clear with no wheezing according to hospital records.

I was transferred to a room on the seventh floor Green where I was given another shot of Dilaudid (1.5MG @ 8:00), Dilaudid (2MG @ 8:30PM), Restoril (30MG @ 8:00PM) and Dilaudid (3MG @ 10:00PM).


At 11:00 PM my family informed the nurse that I was not breathing normally. The nurse on call told my family, it was normal breathing for someone with sleep apnea (I have sleep apnea). For 45 minutes my family pleaded with the nurse to do something about my unresponsiveness and breathing. They were ignored until 11:45 when my family began screaming in my room. I was coded and rushed to Cardiology ICU for Acute Respiratory Failure, secondary to narcotics. The pulmonary doctor on call at Kennestone (WealthStone) stated that I was near death on arrival.

While recovering in ICU (Went to hospital for enlarged prostrate) I was given an IV bag with another patients name on the bag. When my family asked about the bag, the nurses comment was, “It happens all the time but I assure you it is the right medicine.”

Computers at Kennestone (WealthStone) were down the night I was admitted and the next day. My blood work was lost and had to be redone. I was moved to another room on another floor and I asked for lunch that I never received. (This happened twice) I was not provided with a pillow or clean sheets until the second day in that room. I had also asked twice for a clean gown and was not given one until last day there. I was given a heart monitor around my neck and went through 6 of them until one finally worked.

I was informed during my stay that I had damage to my heart from the stress of the night of July 19, 2008.I was told my cardio enzymes were high, potassium low, electrolytes low and calcium low. I went through several tests during my stay. The terms used by the doctors were, Acute Respiratory Failure secondary to narcotics, Respiratory Failure likely to narcotics, Respiratory Arrest secondary to over medications, Respiratory Depression secondary to narcotics.

Wellstar (HellStar) Kennestone (WealthStone) Hospital has concluded that I received the best medical care available and their staff and hospital had reasons for all of the above-mentioned faults.

They obviously over medicated me and would have let me die in that room on the seventh floor if my family had not been there to scream for help. I have not been the same since.

It seems quite apparent that the medical treatment that I received on July 19, 2008 to July 23, 2008, fell well below the “standard of care” that I should have received from Wellstar (HellStar) Kennestone (WealthStone) Hospital.

"I THINK THEY KILLED ME, I JUST HAVEN’T DIED YET”