[Leica] thank you all

[Robert Baron]

Brian, I have felt your pain.

Back in the day I was married to a nurse, I've had lots of doc friends and
I've spent a lot of time over 50+ years as a lawyer reviewing medical
records.  I find it fascinating but not surprising that it took someone of
your exceptional computer skills to get into the actual medical records
(what they call the chart) online to read them rather than the sanitized
versions made available to patient representatives via hospital 'portals'.

We went through a similar episode with the orthopedic surgeon who did one
of Janice's multiple hip replacements:  he kept saying she would have no
problem getting around our house.  He had no idea we live in a two story
house or what that meant, even though we had repeatedly explained that to
his and the hospital's staff.  I told that story to my PCP and he reminded
me of the old saying:  ' Do you know how to hide a million dollars from a
surgeon?  Put it in the patient's chart.'  Sadly, that is often true.

Be firm but kind with them.  They often don't realize what they do and if
it is outside of their very narrow field of focus it must be explained to
them.

Sort of like shooting with a Noctilux wide open, you might say..

Happier Holidays,

--Bob



On Mon, Dec 21, 2020 at 9:38 AM Brian Reid <reid at mejac.carlsbad.ca.us>
wrote:

> Bill, thank you for keeping LUGgers informed of my wife's accident and
> thanks to all of you for your good wishes and flower pictures.
>
> I must spend the day today seeing to the rental of a medical bed, a
> wheelchair, a walker, and other such "durable medical goods" that we
> will need for her convalescence. The layout of this house is such that
> she will need to sleep in the living room while she requires the
> motorized bed.
>
> I've had family hospitalized before, but this experience was the worst
> because I was completely cut off from her. The hospital would not let me
> in the door, and was not able to provide me with any information about
> her status. No telephone contact, no email, no text messages. Her
> surgery was re-scheduled 3 times, but I was never notified. Brutal.
>
> I eventually found the location inside the hospital's online
> patient-tracking system in which the doctors filed their notes, and was
> able to follow what was happening by reading those notes. It takes a
> certain amount of determination to read the notes of an orthopedic
> surgeon documenting the use of drills and saws and hammers on your
> unconscious spouse.
>
> My favorite entry from the surgeon's notes was "Instrument, sponge, and
> needle counts were correct prior to closure and at the conclusion of the
> case." Nothing accidentally left inside.
>
> About 4 hours after the end of the procedure I was able to talk to
> Victoria on the telephone very briefly, but it was enough to let me
> sleep.
>
>
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