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Edited on Thu Oct-12-06 09:32 PM by TOhioLiberal
This is a Doctor/hospital rant so if you are in those professions, I apologise right now. I know that medicine is a fine profession, and DU'ers make the best doctors and nurses. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------]
My friend, L (for privacy) spent about 5 weeks this summer visiting friends and relatives in NYC and suburbs. She had a really nagging cough during this time. She got to feeling pretty bad just before she was to return to Ohio. She went to an emergency room, where she was diagnosed with Pneumonia, with a partially collapsed lung. The ER doctor was adamant, L could not fly in that shape. She (L) refused admittance to the hospital. I drove 10 1/2 hours one way to pick her up and bring her home.
When she got home she went to see her primary care doctor, who ordered a chest x-ray. A large mass was found on her lung, which ultimately proved cancerous. She still had this nagging cough, shortness of breath and low grade fever. No mention was made of her pneumonia diagnosis, so we thought that perhaps the ER in NYC was mistaken.
She has been to her primary care doctor, her oncologist, a lung specialist, and chemo doctor. Everyone of them gave her something for that cough, and nothing worked. Lots of codeine which made her a little flighty.
All of this came to a head last Thursday. She has been having issues with that mass in her lung causing uncontrolled pain. She had an appointment with her Chemo doctor, and she suggested admitting her to the hospital to get the pain issue under control.
For some unknown reason, we had to take L to the ER to be admitted. Have you ever spent time in the ER? Hours upon hours waiting, with L's lungs rattling so badly you could hear it in the hallway.
The lung specialist came to see her in the ER and said her lungs were filled with fuid and she was on the verge of heart failure because of it. SHE HAD PNEUMONIA ALL ALONG, it would appear.
L spent a week in the hospital, draining the fluid from her lungs and getting her pain under control. How is it that 4 different doctors all missed that? :grr: She just got out of the hospital today and her cough and shortness of breath are GONE! -------------------------------------------------------------
If you've read this far thanks for reading.
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