Going to hospital (My crappy experience, #30)

[Kirsten]

I'll go to hospital tomorrow, for further diagnosis regarding all the messed up bones and joints in my back, and for a possible pain treatment. No surgery this time, (at least as far as I know) but I hope I'll get some information on possible future surgeries; about the options I have... I was told I would have to stay for one and a half weeks, but I hope it won't take so long. I will miss my girls!

Most likely, I won't have internet access, so you won't hear from me the next one or two weeks. Just thought I'd let you know. :)

Hope I'll be back soon.

[pomtzu]

Sending prayers and good wishes your way. I hope that you get some answers.
Who will be taking care of the girls?

[Randi]

I hope you get some answers and are able to make a plan, Sending best wishes! Take care! :love:

Yes, who is looking after Luna and Lily?

[phesina]

Prayers and blessings and best wishes to you, Kirsten. I hope you will get some answers.

And I trust Lily and Luna will be in good care while you are gone?

:love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love:

[redbird]

Sorry to hear you will be going back into the hospital. I wish you the best and hope they can heal you up and get rid of your pain. Your girls will miss you too.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p129/caroltree/CHRISTMAS%20GRAPHICS/x-aknigh.gif

[sasvermont]

I hope your stay is short and that the Dr.s find out what is going on with your bad back. Life can be a real downer sometimes. Keep your chin up and hope for the best.

We will all be thinking about you and hoping positive outcomes.


Sas and her campers
:love::love::love::love:

[Karen]

You will be in our prayers. Hmm, can whoever is looking after the girls keep us humans updated, maybe?

[Bengalz]

All the best to you Kirsten - I hope a way is found to help your condition and manage the pain. Take care:love:.

[Kirsten]

Thank you everyone. Well, I don't have much hope that this really helps; after all, they can hardly stiffen all the joints and vertebras in my back... :eek:

My mom will be taking care of Luna and Lily, twice a day. The rest of the time, they will be alone here at home. This is going to be so hard for all the three of us! :(

[Karen]

Thank you everyone. Well, I don't have much hope that this really helps; after all, they can hardly stiffen all the joints and vertebras in my back... :eek:

My mom will be taking care of Luna and Lily, twice a day. The rest of the time, they will be alone here at home. This is going to be so hard for all the three of us! :(

If only they could replace a spine like they do knees and hips! Some day!

[pomtzu]

If only they could replace a spine like they do knees and hips! Some day!

Spinal fusion works wonders. I could hardly walk across a room without being in excruciating pain, and after the fusion - no pain at all. And contrary to what some people think, it DOES NOT limit your mobility to any great extent.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

Prayers on the way from me. Hopefully, they can find something to make you feel better. :love::love::love:

[Scooter's Mom]

Prayers for you, as well as Lily & Luna!
((Hugs)) from across the miles, too!

[Asiel]

Sorry about the hospital but maybe you'll come back fit as a fiddle. Sending good wishes and prayers that everything goes well. I hope they can do something for all the pain you're in Kirsten---good luck to you.

[Freedom]

Prayers for positive information to come from this hospital stay. Hugs to you, Kirsten. And cuddles to the girls.

[cassiesmom]

Prayers for you, as well as Lily & Luna!
((Hugs)) from across the miles, too!

From me, too!!! (((HUGS)))

[Barbara]

Kirsten I hope they can help you. And I hope Lily and Luna see it just as a nice quiet dozing vacation...

[Alysser]

Here's hoping you get some answers and maybe they can help you!

[momcat]

Many good vibes and positive thoughts are coming your way. I do hope that all goes well for you!

[anna_66]

Sorry to hear this. I know how bad back problems like that can be. Several drs have told my mom there is nothing they can do for her. She's in pain all the time.
Many good thoughts headed your way.

[Kirsten]

Well, I'm back. What a disaster! Been told they can't do anything for me because they cannot fix my entire spine. I felt extremely uncomfortable there, even became depressive. More or less, I fled from there this morning; would have gone last night already if I could. I'm feeling terrible.

[phesina]

Oh, Kirsten.. I'm SO sorry. Big {{{{{HUGS}}}} for you. And warm, soothing energies.

And continuing prayers and good wishes.

{{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}} and ~~~~~~~PURRS~~~~~~~ and :love::love::love::love::love::love::love::love: from all the kitties and me

[pomtzu]

I'm sorry that it didn't go well for you. I can't help but think that you need a different doctor and hospital tho.

A local orthopedic surgeon told me there was nothing that could be done for me too, and his solution was to send me to a pain management specialist. Well excuse me Mr Doctor - I don't want to just "manage" the pain - I want find a way to be rid of it. I sought out a doctor out of state - a spine specialist at a large university teaching hospital/medical center - and within a few weeks I was undergoing surgery. This doctor was appalled that the local doctor had told me that nothing could be done for me. I have been pain free since the surgery a couple of years ago.

Surely there must be other doctors at your disposal. Keep looking till you find one that can do something for you, and don't let them brush you off and say there's nothing they can do. The more a doctor would tell me that, then the more determined I would be to prove them wrong.

[gini]

Kirsten, I am so sorry that they sent you home like this. Pomtzu has written good advice and from her own experience.

Please stay in contact with us on a regular basis so we can be a support for you. You can feel free to dump
on us - we can take it and want to help you.

[krazyaboutkatz]

I'm so sorry to hear that you're still in a lot of pain.:( Both of my parents also have back problems. My mom recently had several injections into her back because she was in so much pain. She was told that she has osteoarthritis in her back.:( My dad has a degenerated disc and some other problems going on too.:( I hope that someone will be able to help you. Lots of prayers and positive thoughts are being sent your way.

I have some lower back problems too. I recently saw this infomercial on tv and I read more about it on the internet. I recently ordered this for both me and my dad to try. Here's the link: http://www.drhonow.com/product/decompression-belt.php#. If it helps us then maybe my mom can also try it but since she also has heart problems she should ask her doctor first. I also have neck problems so I also ordered this but it's backordered right now: http://www.drhonow.com/product/neck-comforter.php.

[Kirsten]

Thank you everyone for your kind words and support.

Just a quick note to let you know I'm around, but I'm not feeling well. I will give you a more detailed update once I'm feeling better but right now, I need to recover from this most stressful and nervewracking experience. I wish I wouldn't have gone there, and for the time being, I'm more than fed up with hospitals! As long as there is no case of emergency, I will definitely not go anywhere!! And in case I'd need another surgery, I will go to the hospital where I had my two back surgeries in 2004 and 2010, and not to that place where I went this time. I more or less released myself yesterday and because I simply couldn't stand being there. :(

[Karen]

Sounds like you did the right thing, sweetie. Now let your fur nurses love on you until you feel calm and better again!

[gini]

Kirsten - just a note today to say I have a candle burning for you - and I am sending out prayers for your comfort and calm. Your fur babies know what to do - and they will give you lots of love.

[Asiel]

Sorry you had such a bad time of it at the hospital you were at. Sounds like you did the right thing by releasing yourself. But don't give up on your problems...when you get back on your feet I would take the advice Pom has given you..sounds like you just got the wrong doctor...getting the right one would mean solving a lot of problems and pain so you could enjoy life more than you are now. Being told nothing can be done for you is a cop out, don't fall for that.

[Kirsten]

Thank you very much for doing that, Gini, and thank you for your kind words everyone. Still need to give you a more detailed report of what happened. Over the past week, I did my best to try to recover from this most stressful experience. My camera and my girls helped a lot!

Anyway, this is what happened. As you know, I went to that hospital on Tuesday last week; my doctors here at home thought it would be a good thing if the specialists in that hospital would take a closer look to my various conditions: herniated discs, facette-joint-syndrom, scoliosis, sacroiliac joint-syndrome, and - most of all - the hypermobility and the constant luxations. Admission was still okay, I've been told I'd have to stay for 8 to 10 days. But I also learned that the entire treatment there is based on injections, those that are directly injected into the spine or into the nerve roots. I got these before in 2010 - when I was in heavy pain due to my second disc hernia, and I was never in such a bad pain after I had surgery. I was a little confused when I heard that, but I decided to wait and hear what the doctors say.

When they showed up later that day - meanwhile I was in my room which I had to share with a woman whom I thought was a little harsh and weird - I was asked where I my pain was located. I said that varies, depending on which joint/vertebra I have delocated; and on that particular day, I wasn't in pain at all because my spine and hip joints were less twisted than usual. The doctors reacted confused and asked, more or less, why I came and what I expected them to do. I replied that I wanted further diagnosis, and maybe some options concerning a possible future surgery. They said things like that couldn't be decided in advance, and that their injections won't be an option for me (which didn't surprise me and to which I agreed!), and that I would be better off to continue to work with my physiotherapist, which I'm doing for years, anyway. They decided I should have an MRI scan later that afternoon, and that I could most likely go home the next day. So far, so good.

But then, everything went wrong. An hour later, a nurse showed up, telling me she has just settled the appointment for my first injection - into the cervical spine!! Go figure!! Of course I told her I won't have that one! I started feeling really uncomfortable there, and that got worse as the day progressed. After supper, I realized I won't have the MRI that day; I was told I would have it the next morning instead. In the evening, I noticed I got more and more depressive, I got a bladder infection, I was so homesick and missed my girls. By that time, I had already realized that being there was just a waste of time. I thought that somehow, I'd have to make it through the night, get my MRI the next morning, and then go home.

But the worst was yet to come. Before we went to bed, I opened a small bottom-hung window under the ceiling of our room. The room was freshly painted and therefore was smelly, and I needed some fresh air. Keep in mind that most German buildings don't have A/C. Anyway, my roommate freaked out and said she has to change rooms because of the draft (ridiculous as there were two curtains between that really small window, and the room). I was so embarassed that obviously no one could stand being in the same room with me (this was something I worried a lot about in advance due to my various medical conditions) that I freaked out and I told her she could stay - I was going! I really packed my stuff that night and was ready to leave. While I did that, she went to the night nurse and insisted on getting another room. Fine! I felt awful with the entire incident, cried and just wanted to get out of there. Because I was so upset, the night nurse (the only friendly person in that clinic!) called a doctor who told me to wait for the MRI the next morning, and then go home.

Somehow I made it through the night, barely slept - and woke up with a bad migraine. Also, the bladder infection was still there, and I worried how to make it through the MRI with my irritated bladder. At that point, I had to go to the bathroom every 10 minutes. The doctor and a nurse showed up, telling me it wasn't sure if I would have the MRI that day. I told them that in that case, I wanted to go home NOW, as I wouldn't wait another day, especially after the incident during the night which had caused a depression. The nurse hissed at me I couldn't blame my roommate for wanting to leave after being so ruthlress to open the window, and I had enough! I cried and yelled that I just wanted to get out of there. The nurse replied - in a very unfriendly manner - that they were no prison, and that I was free to leave. Crying and sobbing, I called my mom and told her to come and get me out of there.

While I was waiting for my mom and Reinhold, the door opened, and another nurse showed up to bring me to the radiology - for the MRI! Weird. I thought I'd probably be ready by the time my mom and Reinhold arrived, and followed her. When I arrived, I asked the x-ray technician if I could go to the bathroom before we start; unfortunately, I told her about my bladder problems. When I came back from the bathroom, she told me to go back to my ward to have my bladder problems treated. I won't get the MRI now! That was enough for me and I'm ashamed to admit it, but I lost my nerves and yelled - to the x-ray technician, and later to the nurses when I came back to my ward. I was hyperventilating, I was trembling, I was sobbing - and no one looked after me or had a word for me. A while later, my mother arrived and we left. None of the nurses said good-bye...

That's the entire story, and I'm ashamed that I didn't have the mental strength to make it through this entire procedure. In fact, it is scaring me that I broke down so quickly; I thought I was more stable. I felt horrible there right from the start, and I just couldn't stay there. For the time being, I have enough of hospitals, that's for sure...

[mrspunkysmom]

So sorry about your bad experience and I am glad you got out of there before they did further damage.

It sounds like there wasn't true communication between your doctor and the specialists.

I'll keep praying that you get the help you need so you can feel better. :love: Pain is not fun.

[momcat]

I feel so bad for you and how you were treated at that hospital. Apparently all they did was make you more upset and stressed out than you already were. As I read your update I couldn't help but wonder where was their concern and compassion? Have you considered writing to the director of the facility to tell them how poorly you were treated?

Kirsten, is there anything I can do for you?

[Freedom]

Goodness that is not how a hospital stay is supposed to go, not at all -- and I think you know this!

Take some time to calm down and recover your equilibrium. Then consider if you need to write a letter of complaint. And if you write it, then stop and consider if you should mail it or not.

Perhaps in future your doc can give you some anti anxiety meds prior to a hospital stay? That will help you deal with the stay a bit better and if you ever meet another set of weirdos (no, that wouldn't happen TWICE would it? I HOPE not!) you will at least be able to deal with them calmly yourself.

Sending you cyber hugs. Have a cuddle with the girls, go crazy with your camera, whatever works for you!