blackpudd1n Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 In six days, I'm meant to have a hysterectomy. I say meant, because I spent three fucking hours at the hospital today in what was meant to be all the pre-op preparations, which were also meant to be a simple, straight-forward affair. That was, until the anaesthetist noticed that I am 26, and I have bipolar. Long story short, after an exchange that included the words "bullshit" and "condescending" on my part, and included her twisting the words of my gynecologist and psych nurse on her part, my operation is now being held at ransom. If I don't have a full psychiatric assessment done, they're threatening to refuse to put me under, so the op cannot go ahead. I cannot even begin to list the reasons I am pissed off about this. And the whole we-have-to-follow-procedures or what-if-you-change-your-mind-later-and-decide-to-sue-us-later bullshit is simply not flying with me, because they had three fucking months to raise these concerns and allow me to be assessed by their shrink, and a shrink of my own choosing. Six days before an operation, which includes today, and a weekend, is, quite simply, UN-FUCKING-ACCEPTABLE!!!! And to try and tell me that my gynecologist didn't want to do the op. Um, excuse me, but my gynecologist is a big boy, and trust me, if he didn't consider there to be sufficient reason to do the op, he wouldn't be fucking doing it! But, she lucked out. You see, my psych nurse used to work at the hospital, in a role between psych nurse and psychiatrist, working closely with the psychiatrists. And the person from the mental health crisis team that she made the appointment with, well, he knows my psych nurse, very well. So the dude from the crisis team called my psych nurse himself, and my psych nurse told him that he considers me to be in remission, and very stable. So, my operation is going ahead. And afterwards, a complaint will be made, because I clearly wrote on my file my age and the fact that I had bipolar. Fuck complaining to the hospital, though. I'll be going higher, to an independent organisation set up specifically for complaints against the health service. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivingLife Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 kick their asses. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ ficino ♦ Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 You go, gurl, and all the best for your procedure. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator buffettphan Posted May 22, 2012 Super Moderator Share Posted May 22, 2012 Who does this anesthetist think she is? If I were in your shows, I'd be wondering if she's a christard trying to keep me available for breeding for the lord. Sorry for the rant, BP. What I really mean is that I hope your operation goes well and that you'll be feeling great real soon! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Who does this anesthetist think she is? If I were in your shows, I'd be wondering if she's a christard trying to keep me available for breeding for the lord. Sorry for the rant, BP. What I really mean is that I hope your operation goes well and that you'll be feeling great real soon! No need to apologise, buffetphan, I completely agree. Whatever her issue is, there is no need to fucking project it on me. Not only that, but I am the totally wrong bipolar chick to even bother trying this with- I'm the local poster girl for bipolar. I take my medication because I consider it beneficial. I don't drink. I don't do drugs. I've gone back to university. Three years ago, I was so fucked up in the head I couldn't even read a paragraph. My parents never thought I'd get anywhere near this well, and I'm not even done yet. So basically, she picked the wrong fucking chick to try and prove this point with. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 And thanks, ficino and LL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBluegrassSkeptic Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I had them try to give me the same load of bs in my mid 20s due to bipolarity with major depression and that I was only in my 20s. I am confused. Were you already okayed by the surgeon and doc to do this and the nurse took it upon herself to raise flags? Or was this a consultation to set it up? I take it you are not in the US? I had to sign a waiver for sterilization liabilities and that was that. Seriously I would seek out other physicians. Bipolarity has no grounds for denial of services depending on the severity. If your medical records clearly show your judgement is not impaired, a psych assessment is not necessary. Like you, I always puzzled people at the fact I never got in to drugs or alcohol. Get thee to a different doc! And have a letter from your psych in hand giving the okay on your loose marbles. They can all kiss your ass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 I would go over the head of the bitch was giving you the hard time and make sure he/she understood that if SHE did not do her job YOU would be making life very difficult but filing complaints of the various medical boards, legal avenues, even a lawsuit of necessary. PISS ON THE BITCH! Oh, I already told her I'd be making calls and bringing in the big guns. I'm not one for crying "discrimination" at the drop of the hat, because I do want to be treated as normally as possible. So I've never actually made a formal complaint on grounds of discrimination. But this is ridiculous. I'm being discriminated against on the grounds of my age and my mental health condition. Like, seriously, who has a fucking hysterectomy to begin with for the sake of it?! I was told that this was all that my gynecologist could do for me nearly a year ago, and I went away and thought about it. For MONTHS. Until the issue was severely affecting my quality of life, and then I decided to go ahead with it. This issue didn't just come up recently- it's been getting progressively worse FOR YEARS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 I had them try to give me the same load of bs in my mid 20s due to bipolarity with major depression and that I was only in my 20s. I am confused. Were you already okayed by the surgeon and doc to do this and the nurse took it upon herself to raise flags? Or was this a consultation to set it up? I take it you are not in the US? I had to sign a waiver for sterilization liabilities and that was that. Seriously I would seek out other physicians. Bipolarity has no grounds for denial of services depending on the severity. If your medical records clearly show your judgement is not impaired, a psych assessment is not necessary. Like you, I always puzzled people at the fact I never got in to drugs or alcohol. Get thee to a different doc! And have a letter from your psych in hand giving the okay on your loose marbles. They can all kiss your ass. It's not my general doctor, or my gynecologist, or my psych nurse that is the issue. The issue is the admissions anaethestist. This appointment today was simply meant to be a standard procedure- see one person to check that I had someone available to care for me after discharge, and that I didn't have any stairs in the home, that arrangments had been made for any pets or children, and that I had someone to drop me off and pick me up. Next, see the anaethestist to check for any medications and advise whether to take them or not before the operation, and check my heart and lungs. Then onto the nurse, to check my physical health and determine that my burns were properly healed in order to progress with surgery, so that they did not pose an infection risk. That's all today was meant to be. The worst part is that my general doctor is out of the country, and could not vouch for me, and my psych nurse changed a little while ago. My general doctor would have told them straight. My psych nurse did tell them straight, but this anaethestist did not want to listen to him. And they refused to call my fucking surgeon, the gynecologist I've only been seeing for the last two years. All my medical professionals are behind me, and are in contact with each other- this is not the largest town. It's the hospital that's causing the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblueep Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Well, when I fuck someone, I expect them to fuck back. It's kind of rude not to 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBluegrassSkeptic Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Well sounds like you need a different facility or knock out specialist. I'd kindly remind them that you'd already gotten through all necessary red tape by people certified in the field and she needs to handle what she was TRAINED to handle, and that is knocking you out. Just keep in mind that you need to keep your emotions , and mouth, under control because it just vindicates people's stereotypes of us when we let it fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Well sounds like you need a different facility or knock out specialist. I'd kindly remind them that you'd already gotten through all necessary red tape by people certified in the field and she needs to handle what she was TRAINED to handle, and that is knocking you out. Just keep in mind that you need to keep your emotions , and mouth, under control because it just vindicates people's stereotypes of us when we let it fly. I don't have the option of requesting someone else. For starters, I don't have $7000 to pay for the op myself and request a different anaethestist. I don't have private health cover, and even if I did, I couldn't afford the excess, either. The next nearest hospital that could perform this procedure is an hour north, and there's no way I'm going there for the op. The best facilities are right here, because the local university campus does medical courses. Best facilities in a three-hour radius. Four hours north, and I cross state lines. Four hours south, and I'm dealing with the nearest hospital that we send our serious injuries to, via air. Living on the coast in Oz, I can choose my doctor and my surgeon, but I don't have a choice in where to go for the procedure. Unless I have private health insurance, pay the excess, and head on over to the private hospital. So basically, I have to jump through their hoops. And this close to the op, I just have to. But I will be complaining, loud and clear. It's not like it's elective surgery they're holding up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 Oh for pete's sake. Why can't people just do their jobs? The anesthetist is not the gatekeeper of your uterus. Your gynecologist is on board, so sign here, sign there, and let's get the spare parts out. Keep us posted Pudd! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Oh for pete's sake. Why can't people just do their jobs? The anesthetist is not the gatekeeper of your uterus. Your gynecologist is on board, so sign here, sign there, and let's get the spare parts out. Keep us posted Pudd! Tell me about it. She was so busy sticking her nose into my capability to understand the consequences of the operation (which I really find insulting) that she forgot to advise me on whether to take my medications the night before and morning of the operation. So I had to go in and see her again, to find out about the meds, and she fucking started again! I finally managed to get her to focus long enough to advise on the medications, and then she starts all over again! By this stage, I'd had enough, so I told her I was going to go have a smoke, because my blood was really starting to boil and I needed to leave that situation. But she just fucking kept at me, until finally, I got up, walked to the door, and said, in no uncertain terms, that I was going to have a smoke, and I would be back once I had done so. Then I stormed out, and this nurse in the hallway, who had been listening, gave me a supportive look, and I headed outside and called my dad. I wasn't going back in without him, and, surprise, surprise, she toned the fuck down once I got a witness in there with me. Seriously, I'm not the one who needs to see the shrink- SHE IS!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 Oh, but there's more, that I'd forgotten about. See, there's a chick who works in the admissions department who is a friend of the family. Now, I didn't make a big deal out of the fact that we know each other, I wasn't going to ask her to do anything unethical, and she didn't tell them either. She was at work, doing her job, and while it was in the department, she really didn't have any role in the assessment and pre-op process- she's more admin. But, when I came back with dad, some of the chicks recognised him as someone she knew, and went to her, and she told them that I am a family friend, and such-and-such's aunt. So what did the anaethestist do? Went to our friend and fucking asked her about me, trying to pull her into the mess, when I'd deliberately kept her out of it, because she had nothing to do with it, and I wasn't going to ask her to do something that could affect her job in any way. And she told her she didn't want to be pulled into it, because she felt that it would be unethical. And she's right- she's a family friend, but not someone that I am close to. I see her a few times a year. It wasn't a call that she could make. This anaethestist is fucking unbelievable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positivist Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 So what did the anaethestist do? Went to our friend and fucking asked her about me, trying to pull her into the mess, when I'd deliberately kept her out of it, because she had nothing to do with it, and I wasn't going to ask her to do something that could affect her job in any way. And she told her she didn't want to be pulled into it, because she felt that it would be unethical. Your friend is correct: that is unethical behavior that violates confidentiality protocols. Write a letter to the anesthetist's professional association (cc'd to the employing hospital) complaining about lack of professional behavior as evidenced by breaking patient confidentiality. Send the letter after your surgery. That is completely unacceptable. I'd be disciplined if I pulled a stunt like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 So what did the anaethestist do? Went to our friend and fucking asked her about me, trying to pull her into the mess, when I'd deliberately kept her out of it, because she had nothing to do with it, and I wasn't going to ask her to do something that could affect her job in any way. And she told her she didn't want to be pulled into it, because she felt that it would be unethical. Your friend is correct: that is unethical behavior that violates confidentiality protocols. Write a letter to the anesthetist's professional association (cc'd to the employing hospital) complaining about lack of professional behavior as evidenced by breaking patient confidentiality. Send the letter after your surgery. That is completely unacceptable. I'd be disciplined if I pulled a stunt like that. That's a good idea, though I don't think I'll need to- I'm pretty sure the Commission would be doing that, anyway. They have to investigate all complaints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Margee Posted May 22, 2012 Moderator Share Posted May 22, 2012 Margee says, ''Don't anyone mess around with our Pudd!!'' You go girl - It's all gonna work out!! We're right here with ya! Hug! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Moderator florduh Posted May 22, 2012 Super Moderator Share Posted May 22, 2012 Pudd, you are the cat's ass! Keep up the good work, and best of luck to you. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Babylonian Dream Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I hate that ignorance though too, "you're bipolar, you must be mentally unfit to be making this decision." That's why I seldom tell people I have Bipolar, they assume I'm a runaway train riding off the tracks. When no, my emotions tend to be up and down more than normal, but outside that, I'm a sane rational person. After all this time, you didn't change your mind. The chances of you changing it are slim to none. Stuff like this irks me. Also, all those issues she says were procedural, that you needed to see a shrink and what not, should've been done beforehand if they were relevant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 I hate that ignorance though too, "you're bipolar, you must be mentally unfit to be making this decision." That's why I seldom tell people I have Bipolar, they assume I'm a runaway train riding off the tracks. When no, my emotions tend to be up and down more than normal, but outside that, I'm a sane rational person. After all this time, you didn't change your mind. The chances of you changing it are slim to none. Stuff like this irks me. Also, all those issues she says were procedural, that you needed to see a shrink and what not, should've been done beforehand if they were relevant. You hit the nail completely on the head. This woman clearly doesn't know what a decision made under the influence of mania looks like, nor how quickly I would have changed my mind if that was the case. And there is no way I can organise the relevant documentation this close to the op. I don't have a chance organising an appointment with the shrink of my choice, either. And I need the op to go ahead, so I can get back to uni, and my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 i saw my gynecologist this afternoon, to get clearance for the burns to go ahead with the operation, and talk about what happened at the hospital yesterday. And I now know why I was given a hard time. In the last year, my gynecologist had a patient with a severe gynecological issue, and surgery was the only option. She had something the size of my palm in her uterus (I think it was a tumor or cyst; can't quite remember, but it was serious). Anyway, he took her through her options, the risks, possible complications of each, and recommended surgery as the best way of dealing with the issue. She agreed, signed all the consent forms, and the operation went ahead smoothly. Six months later, all hell broke loose. The chick changed her mind, decided that she hadn't needed a hysterectomy, and came gunning not just for my gynecologist, but also the hospital. Clearly, she had no grounds to kick up a stink- afterall, my gynecologist is still in practice and has his medical license. But now, the hospital is giving all of his patients an extra hard time when they come up for an operation- that anaethestist in particular. I'm not sure whether the hospital's motivation is to cover their own arses, or to try and convince as many of his patients to change their minds as possible, and shift the blame for the mess with that chick onto him. I suspect that it's the reason why my operation was bumped down the list in the first place, though. He requested the op be done in less than a month, and they bumped me onto the twelve month waiting list. However, I came up in three months. It was an executive committee that reviewed my file and bumped me down onto the other list. Now they're trying to use the fact that I have bipolar to try and either stall for time, not allow me to have the operation, or get me to change my mind if the operation gets delayed. But I'm standing by my decision, and my gynecologist. I told my gynecologist today my plan to make a formal complaint, but I was surprised when he told me that he'd prefer if I didn't. He explained that it would just make life hard for him. I hadn't actually considered that scenario. I hadn't thought that a negative spotlight would be shined on him if I complained against the hospital, but I can see how they could use the opportunity to do so in defense of themselves. And I don't want to do that to my gynecologist. He might be a grumpy old bugger, but he's a very kind man who has treated many women in this town who could not afford to pay the gap fee for his services, including myself. And not only is he the best gyne surgeon in this area, but he took into account the impact of my issue in conjunction with the fact that I have bipolar on my quality of life, understanding that the two in combination would present a significant challenge to my long-term stability and ability to lead a happy and productive life. I know the thought of doing the operation on someone my age grieved him personally, but he put that aside in order to care for me as a patient and work for my best interests. He always stressed that I had to be comfortable in my decision, and certain that it was the right decision for me, regardless of what it was and what anyone else might think of it. And I am. So as much as it grates me, I won't be filing the complaint. And my gynecologist is the only person that I would not file the complaint for. He's giving me my life back, and putting an end to this nightmare that is my reproductive system. In return, I will not file the complaint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackpudd1n Posted May 23, 2012 Author Share Posted May 23, 2012 And in twelve hours, I have my psych evaluation. I'm going to pass it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darklady Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 And in twelve hours, I have my psych evaluation. I'm going to pass it. good for you, hope all goes well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcdaddy Posted May 23, 2012 Share Posted May 23, 2012 Sometimes I see the title of this thread, and I'm incredibly turned on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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