I am on a complete downer tonight. I have spent the last week fighting and fighting until I can barely raise my fist. Seriously. The fight is beginning to turn to tears. I fought and fought for Vet's diability and even though total and permanent they lost all that paperwork and it took an act of congress and the White House to find it..the total and permanent. I am sure he had a heart attack in the non VA facility and that is another diary at another time. I have to make sure medicines are mailed out when they are supposed to be and guess what,,,,they are still so incompetent that they weren't. I spent all day on the phone trying to figure out what they did with his 3 important meds. They tell me something different EVERY time I call.
Then we move on to my little one who started coughing and coughing a week ago Sunday, I took her to the doctor last Monday and the primary said to give her some meds he prescribed but if she was not better go to the hospital and get x rays. I waited till Wednesay and started getting worried because she was coughing so hard I was confused. No sign of cold..allergies..nada..I gave her a breathing treatment..Nothing. cough syrup not working...Refrigerator goes out. I call the appliance person.
Thursday I decide to take her to the hospital for an x ray. But before I get to the hospital I hear a Ka thump ! Real loud. I jump from the couch and vet has fallen. Is he hurt? I don't know and he had not told me two of the meds have
not arrived. It is about 6PM. My daughter of 17 is at the park and I call her to meet me at the hospital or stay home with Dad till I get back. The real fun is just beginning..
jump below the squiggly
I carry her in to the hospital and before I walk through the doors...I can't find a parking place. This hospital is one mile down the road and the hospital that did the heart surgery on my vet. A good job and always so fast and courteous. Not this time.
I see so many people in the wating room I cringe. I have a sick husband at home, a sick 7year old in my arms and a 17 year old calling me on the cell that she has no way home so she is walking to the hospital.
I wait and wait and wait. The receptionist tells me I will have a long wait. I tell her
the doc said come in for x rays ..doesn't matter. I take a seat and it is freezing in there so they start passing out blankets. My 17 comes in and is wet from swimming.
I can't leave. I could have but little did I know that I would be there ..get this 15 hours. I look around and see either small kids or older people in that room. Kids are coughing and all the rest in wheelchairs. I couldn't figure out if I was in a pediatric hospital or nursing home. There may have been 3 or 4 middle aged people there.
I then hear that was an outbreak of Whooping Cough. Well.. she was up on her vaccinations but WHOOPING COUGH? Didn't that go out 40 years ago? I call home and vet says he is hurting but how is the little one. I say, well we are covered up but she is no worse. I am checking in every chance I get.
One could look in my eyes and see I have a headache and worried sick. I see people walking into the back but see
no one coming out. I feel now like I am at the Hotel California. I wait and wait and wait. I walk to the car as the little one finally lays down with blanket with Sissy watching her. I give her my blanket along with her own and go to the car. I get a call from Tn girl who for some strange reason always knows when things aren't going well. Just like instinct. We became friends back when
she met me and talked to me about Jimren's death. I don't want to worry her so I say well my little one is sick and waiting at the hospital. I remember it is 11PM and she asks how long had I waited and I said 5 or 6 hours. She said.."That's insane". I agree.
I explain I can't go to another hospital because there is not one around close enough to my vet. Can't be at two places at once and need help with her at hospital.
We chat and I hang up. I go back in and they tell me they are holding people in ambulances as there are no beds available in ER. What the heck????????
I am not a patient person..Not when people are sick. It is ridiculous. They took vitals but they don't know what she has nor tried to quarantine. This to me is unacceptable.
Again I feel like I am dealing with Scott's poor healthcare. I start questioning Vet's treatment and I am getting more upset. Ok ..time to check in with him again. No answer. I wait another hour and at 1;30 AM I am livid. I walk up to the receptionist who just flat out lies to me. She says, "There is a 15 hour wait or more". I left not seeing anyone and think I will just go to the peditirican later. They did the x ray..so..
I am so exhausted and hungry and sleepy and vet is waiting up and in pain.
I fall out on the couch with child still on my arm. She climbs to the end of the cough clutching my feet. I am so tired Vet is waking me up saying, We need to get her down to the hospital...She was having a coughing fit, fever and throwing up choking. I grab Sierra and he calls our 17 year old who grabs the wheelchair and I instruct her to to go back to bed. We turn flashers on and drive back down to the hospital. The hospital has hardly anyone in there and I realize I have been asleep 2 or 3 hours. It is 4 AM. He hobbles out of the car and gets the chair and sits outside shaking. Nerves. Stressed to the max. I go in there and he follows and they take her in triage and get her something for vomiting but the coughing is still happening. New people..There had been a shift change ..2 actually since I first walked through the doors. I am not very nice now. I said, "I want to see a doctor and I want to see one now" I am told by a robotic type duo at the desk. Take a seat. Smiling they were. I said, "Look I have been here since 6 0'clock PM last night and they say ,"Yes we had a busy night.. 15 hour wait in some cases." I said, Well you just set a new record . Now I want to see someone. I get her reregistered when something strange happens. The new lady asks for confirmation on registration of insurance... She says our adress and I am gazing at Vet and little one both very sick. I nod yes yes.. and then she said..MEDICAID> and who is Sandra Poser? I said, "WHAT"? She is not on medicaid. I have no clue who Sandra Poser is. I pay through Kids Care ..Florida Health Care....her insurance. No medicaid. Ah ha I think.. is this why the wait? Or what? I said show me that paper please from last night. She shows me and there are numbers that do not match our insurance number and yet our name and info is on the page. Keep in mind I am agitated, scared, mad, and just plain disgusted. I asked for a copy of the paper as I keep questioning this form. Registration disappears.
Two females who had been there only an hour or so are getting aggravated as one female tells me she has broken her foot. I am still waiting and Vet is asleep in the chair. They were partners and clearly protective and very supportive of one another and asked how long had we been there and I told them. They complained that this was ridiculous but had read front page that a severe respiratory infection had hit town. A nurse called one of the women back. The registration person was at her desk again and I walked back at 8:30 and said I want a copy of that form. She sai, Sorry I just shredded it. Clearly a typo and I had my child in my arms and said then how do you explain her name on her arm band saying her name with another's Medicaid number on it? She shrugged. I am furious. The woman comes out of ER and had told them she refused to be seen until they saw that sick child. I loved both of them for that. I thank her and take my daughter to the desk and demand to see who is in charge. The two smiling robots say, "Well you shall have to wait till he comes in but you may see the head nurse in ER". I am so ready to go over the desk and pound heads. I sit back down and check Vet and give him his meds on the back of chair.. The meds that was sent to him anyway. Half of them. A perky nurse ..Head nurse comes out and says my daughter's name.. I say..Are you here to see her or talk to me.
She said both. We just got a bed. (the room was empty) except for the couple I was talking to. I said BS. You got the message from the patient out front and the robots out front. She kept walking and took us into a room whereas a doc and nurse immediately came in. IMMEDIATELY. My vet has wheeled back here by then. The doctor was having to stop the vomiting again as I reminded the robots again I needed juice or pedia pops...before she dehydrated. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT....
They examine her and say she may have a form of the whooping cough or croup but felt she had croup. They gave her three prescriptions and a shot and I was told to get ther meds stat to control the vomiting. She is better. Still coughing even with the predisone and codene but not as much. The choking has stopped. her airwaves were swollen. She has to see the pediatrician again tomorrow.
NOW BACK to Vet.. the VA wanted him in the hospital but didn't put him there and he refused to go due to last go around and yet still did not get his signature on the pain meds but still no regular medication has come in the mail. I spent the whole day on the phone with doctors, hospitals and if I ever see Scott I swear I will knock him silly.
I am beginning to blame him as much as I blame Bush for the shape of healthcare in the State of Florida.
I have not been able to sleep. I am on pins and needles and very tired of fighting.
I had to vent. I had to. Thanks for listening as I figure out how to go to the VA, the peditrician and pawn my wedding rings because I am spent out on gas and co pays...
I am so tired !!!!!
Angelajean and whatgodmade said they know all of this crap that happens to me is absolutely the truth because they are either witness or find the evidence is there like tn girl but they all agree ..people probably think this much is too much to believe. I agree. But it is the truth and Iam either on the mountain top or valley and I loved florida but beginnig to think the state is trying to kill us all or just part of some evil plan of Scott's.
I also said, at the hospital , when I get sense enough I will write this on Kos. One partner said Daily Kos, and I said yes. They said they read the blog some. I said, " Well I am Vetwife and please join, you may find a home there.
Tomorrow is another day and another battle. The war is picking up. Does everyone just take this kind of incompetence in stride or what because I can't.