One Patient’s Perspective on a Broken Healthcare System
And I know I’m not alone in my thinking.
A team of medical professionals saved my life last November. I’m not being overly dramatic. The risk was imminent, and I’m still here.
Severe stomach pain prompted me to drive myself to the emergency room, only to discover that an abscess in my intestines had ruptured my colon. Shortly after being admitted, my fever spiked to 105.8 degrees, and emergency surgery kept me in the hospital for a week — discharged with a temporary ostomy. (Sorry if this is TMI. I promise the backstory serves a purpose.)
I’m lucky to be alive and will never forget the care I received.
However…..
Now that time has passed, and I understand how this life-threatening event could have been prevented, I’m left confused, frustrated, and increasingly angry.
I can trace what once seemed like minor symptoms back a full 18 months. During that period, I made multiple trips to my primary care physician’s office complaining of unexplainable stomach pain — in the exact same spot and of a similar degree. My concerns conjured up several theories, but never the right one. The advice offered included changing my diet, applying Salon Pas to the affected area for relief, and later prescribing…
