Why Healthcare Change Is Necessary

Yes, I have been very vocal about not liking the means in which the healthcare reform has been tossed about. Nonetheless, it is needed. I will post my experience here to illustrate why.

On August 18th, 2009 I went to Midwest Minor with the pain. They gave me a pregnancy test and said that since there was no sign of infection, etc that I might have a hernia or appendicitis and told me that if I began vomiting to go to the ER.

On the 19th, I woke up vomiting and the pain was worse. Immanuel did a cat scan which showed an ovarian cyst. I was sent home with darvocet.

I worked the 20th despite the pain.

I went to my primary care dr on the 21st for a previously scheduled physical. She could feel the cyst but recommended the wait and see approach for a month before draining the cyst. Prescribed pain meds.

August 22nd - I wake up and can't stand up out of bed b/c the pain is so bad. Go to Immanuel ER. The Er dr. comes in, I give the history of the symptoms and treatment up to that point and he tells me, "The emergency room shouldn't be the first place you go for care." I said "I have given you this information 4 times now and it should be perfectly obvious that I didn't come here first. There is a reason why the pain is getting worse. It's YOUR job to find out why and if you send me home with pain meds and I end up in the ER again anywhere in this town, I will personally see to it that both you and this hospital are sued to within an inch of your financial lives. Your hospital motto is "This is your healthcare. Right now I think my healthcare sucks, so you'd best get a gynecologist in here and find out what's going on."

The gyn comes in and orders the ultrasound which is when they found the endometriosis and said, "I can call in a team and do your surgery today or you can go home and we can do this on Monday." I was like, "I'm already here. Let's get this done."