14-10-2010

There indeed is a time for everything! Today is my time to reflect on the past few days in the hospital, Wesley Hospital here in Wichita to be specific. I asked a Doctor Parra where I should begin in a future conversation with the hospital CEO and he said from the beginning , from my experiences of my first most critical of visits.

 Two years ago, September 28 of 2008, I had a five bypass surgery . Although I was not aware of it, when the surgery was over and I was being taken off of the heart pump, my left main (whatever that is), failed and I had to be very quickly put back on the heart pump. Apparently during the operation my troponen went to 63 and that was a major heart attack. After I woke up, I was,  as expected confused and scared and Thank God to be alive and my wife was there. I remember clearly hearing a doctor, Dr. Murphy, I think say I had a heart attack and Dr. O'Hara adamantly telling someone not to tell his patient who had just come out of major surgery , that he had suffered a heart attack. The second night I was in SICU, my wife at my insistence,  went home and I was alone. I never had heart pains during heart attacks. I would wake up gasping for air and unable to catch my breath. This second night, while all alone, the same thing happened to me. Understand I had all those tubes coming out of me and I am lying on my back and waking up -gasping for breath. The monitor went off many many times. I will never forget the nurse angrily coming in and telling me to "calm down" to breath in through my nose and out through my mouth and I tried - I apologized frequently to this nurse and I tried and sometimes the monitor would stop going off and then I would fall asleep and everything repeated.  This happened so many times. I will never forget hearing nurses outside my room saying , "He doesn't even need to be here! He just needs to calm down!" This was a most unimaginable night of pure horror for me. I was almost too frightened to close my eyes and had no one to help me! I was alone and they did not want me there or so it seemed. I thought I might be having more heart attacks but I was in critical care  so I had to be Ok, didn't I? There is no way to explain to anyone my terror of not surviving this night. I promised myself that if I survived  and anyone of my family ever was in this hospital again, I would never leave them alone. There were other times that were also  not terrific but the Respiratory Tech's were fabulous and helped me survive this ordeal and I will always love and respect them!

On Christmas Eve of the same year, my wife went into complete repertory failure and was rushed by Ambulance to the ER at Wesley where a courageous Doctor made an instant life saving decision to intubate her. I was at her side from the moment she went into the ER until we left this place of horror.  While she was there I constantly had to fight to get someone who was good at "sticking" people to "stick" her. There were nurses that wanted to throw me out of her room because I insisted on my wife receiving "care".  I really don't know what constitutes "good or bad care". I simply wanted and did insure that my wife was receiving some care. There were other nurses that literally told their colleagues to leave me alone as I was my wife's advocate and I was doing just fine. These nurses I will always be grateful to and thankful for. My wife was so bruised from the  incompetence of a young traveling nurse I asked and the charge nurse replaced her with himself. There was the most competent and caring Muslim Nurse and she will forever be in our prayers. We met a wonderful Dr. Parra and Dr. Wentzil . Dr. Wentzil had no people skills but in the end was a brilliant doctor and exactly what my wife needed. As my wife was being wheeled from the ICU, I went to thank the Muslim Nurse. I began to apologize to her if I had said or done anything wrong and she stopped me in my apology by saying, "Don't you dare apologize for being your wife's advocate. You were exactly what she needed and If I am ever in this situation, I pray my husband does exactly the same thing." At that time another nurse came to me and said essentially the same thing.  I remember a wonderful RT who came to give my wife a treatment . She looked at my wife and  said, "Mrs. Flakes, I am glad to see you looking so well. I will be with you in a moment." then she turned to me and began to lecture me. She said, "Mr. Flakes, I was there when you had your surgery less than 3 months ago. I was there when you went into congestive heart failure. You need to take care of yourself. You need to get some rest." I was so tired, I got up and said, "I love you and thank you." I then began to give her a hug which she resisted saying she didn't do hugs. I said too bad and hugged her anyway. She very much reflects the RT people. Linda survived this terrible time. I know it was Christmas and no one wanted to work but my wife and I did not plan for this happen then or ever. I will never forget one "head" nurse of some kind, coming into Linda's room and saying, we don't need our critical care patents being constantly told , I love you which I say as often as I could to my wife and still do even to this moment. I told her she just did not understand love as we did and she got quiet and left. At one point in the ICU they were trying to get my wife to open her eyes and my daughter, the ER Director, was present. The nurse kept insisting my wife open her eyes. Finally my daughter, fairly uspset picked up a warm washcloth and washed the matting from my wife's eyes so she could and did open them.  If the nurse would only have listened and observed. This is a continuing issue at your hospital. Simple things like a warm washcloth that make a difference. Just listening to caring for the patent!

On Monday  of this week I got up early and went around 8AM to Dr. Shaheen's to have my potassium checked. My wife and I then went walking and walked almost 2 miles at the nature center, We came home and I complained to her about having really bad back pain. My upper back hurt like the dickens at least a 7 on your famous 1 to 10 scale. Then it got worse. My stomach began to hurt like the dickens so to speak.  And then I began to have the dry heaves. My mouth would get very dry and then I would begin to salivate-have a ton of fluid in my mouth and would burp and gag and throw up. I threw up 6-8 times in a two hour period and at that point against my wishes, my wife called our oldest daughter who is the Nursing Director of the ER in a large Oakland, California hospital. She insisted we call Dr. Shaheen my cardiologist. She said, Dad he will send you to the ER. Go! I don't think it is your heart but he will want to make sure it isn't. She said they are most likely going to do a CT without contrast in order to rule out a possible vascular issue. Don't be afraid , it is just a precaution to rule other things out. My wife called Dr. Shaheen and he pretty much said exactly what my daughter had said. We just want to rule out the heart. I went and when I got to the ER. I was promptly attended to and I told first the admitting person and then in turn at least two nurses and a Dr. Vincent the same story. Apparently no one listened.

They needed an IV so a young nurse began to "fish" in my left hand. I was in pain and this did not help. I finally said to her, you are a beautiful young nurse, Stop and get the charge nurse. She was upset but the Charge nurse came and in one stick got the IV in. They then took pictures -x-rays of my heart which showed not much change but still no CT. They were following "protocol" according Dr. Vincent. Then they gave me 2 baby aspirin and finally 2 nitro  pills which I had never had before and again no difference in the pain and still no CT.  Dr. Vincent then decided to give me something for pain and two and a half hours later I did get some pain medicine as another nurse apologized profusely in front of my wife and others because she thought some other nurse had already given me this medicine. I got to the ER at around 8:45 and I now understand that my daughter and Dr. Shaheen wanted the CT to rule out an aneurism of some sort. I was finally taken to a room around 2:55 AM and admitted. Still not CT but the good news is I was alive and had I really had an aneurism, well doesn't seem to be much doubt I would be dead.

At around 3 AM of this same long night, I met with a Dr. Rockly and went into great detail with him and still - no CT. Instead I went to have an upper Beriam GI the next morning. I had other medical issues like low potassium and inflated blood sugars that seemed to occupy their  minds. I met with a young Dr. Scone(sp) and again went into great detail and asked about a CT. I met with a Dr. Meyers and once again went into great detail but by now figured well, either my daughter or Dr. Shaheen were wrong and just leave it alone and get out of this place.  Finally as I was being discharged  the next morning by Dr. Scone, my daughter said to me over the phone while he was present, "Ask him directly what they did to rule out the aneurism possibility." I did and his eyes grew large and I realized he had no clue why I was admitted and yet was discharging me. He said," your chart indicates you came in to the ER for stomach cramps." - Stomach cramps? Where did that come from? I said, yesterday I told you about the back pain. He said, I wondered why you were telling me about back pain when you were here for stomach cramps! Wow at that point my daughter got on the phone with him.   Dr. Parra, who is both honest and competent got involved at that time!

Dr. Parra immediately scheduled a CT. He also acknowledged that had he been consulted when I was admitted,  it would have been done then or within a short time of my admission. I finally went to have the Ct and because of the Beriam GI the day before they were very upset and almost could not do it. They in fact, were able to do one only on  my Aorta and things looked as well as could be expected.  As Dr. Parra and others put it, I did not have an aneurism and it was obvious because I WAS ALIVE! Wow!!!!!

I went through an upper GI , not necessary, painful heparin shots, enormous stress and all could have been ruled out with ten minutes of when I arrived on Monday night by a CT which took only about 2-3 minutes -probably a little longer if they had been able to do a complete CT.

The people in the CT lab were incensed by what had happened to me and told me to use the patent number we had been given when we got to the ER, except, we never received it.

I asked to speak with you because a young African American Phlebotomist said Wesley had a new CEO and he was really "great" and  needed to know about my treatment.

Dr. Para also agreed I should speak with you and I asked him to be present.

I feel like releasing what I have just written to the world because someone would be interested.  I am trying not to do that.

Your secretary said she would call and we would set up an appointment. This has not happened yet.

How would you feel if you were me? Dr. Parra said there was some of this that he could and would take care of.

The Doctor discharging me doesn't know why I was admitted. The reason I was admitted is never addressed until the end. They way they know for sure I did not have an aneurism is I am still alive.

Had they ruled out a heart issue, probably I would not have been admitted. That was why I was there!

Certainly this was well communicated to the people that would know what to do!

I expect, even anticpate the excuses explanations  that are forthcoming. It is the necessary part of being the CEO of a large hospital. What I have written is true. I swear it and will in a court of law and before God if necessary. I hope you are the person I was told you are and at least as honest as Dr. Parra. I am counting on it!

I will wait to see what you do before I go any further with this but the truth is , Wesley has a big issue here and something needs, must be done to insure patent safety and care!

I apologyze for mispelling any of the doctors names but I think who they are is obvious!

Thank You

Linda and John Flakes

316-519-8706