Medical Mistakes: Thre real number one killer.

[KittenKoder]

Make No Mistake: Medical Errors Can Be Deadly Serious
Medical Errors - Introduction and definitions, Statistics, Description, Proposals for improvement, What patients can do
Research Activities, February 2008: Feature Story: Physicians want to learn from medical mistakes but say current error-reporting systems are inadequate

Most recent statistic is 120 die per day from them, that's 3,600 per month, and 43,200 a year in the US alone ... do you REALLY want to trust these people with your lives as much as we do? It's a truly frightening fact that is largely ignored, and still, they are trying to blame the patient more than admit their own arrogance. I know I am a cynic about doctors, but really, even without that fact, this is just wrong, isn't it?

 

[catzmeow]

I remember being pregnant with my son, and being hospitalized because I was in severe pain and yellow as a lemon. And every day, for a week, a crowd of doctors would stand at my bedside and speculate about what might possibly be wrong with me, and order more tests. The last day of that week, my 8th IV blew out, and the stupid nurse wanted to put another one in. And I told her that there was no way in hell that she was putting another goddamn needle in me, and then, I laid in the hospital bed and cried, because I was so worried about the baby.

And that was when I lost my faith in doctors almost completely.

The end.

p.s. My current doctor is totally awesome, though.

 

[KittenKoder]

It's rare, but sometimes you find that one gem in the area, recently mine retired so now I am on the hunt again, and it's not easy. They have to earn my trust first.

 

[stekim]

I worry as much about the treatment as the disease! They screwed up diagnosing me TWICE for fairly simple things. So unless I'm on my death bed (which may or may not have been caused by doctors in the first place) I avoid them.

 

[catzmeow]

In all fairness, my doctor is the greatest.

But the doctor I had before him, in dealing with my hypothyroidism, used to say things like, "You should get out there and run."

And at that point in time, my thyroid levels made me feel like an 80-year-old woman, and I thought, "Bitch, I'd like you to spend one day in this body that hurts all over and is tired constantly, and then get your ass out there and run."

I should have punched her in the face, but I doubt it would have made her any smarter.

 

[RodISHI]

There needs to be a national clearing house type program for complaints that is not controlled by the medical proffessionals. If I was better at web site stuff I'd try to get something going along those lines where people could warn others or tell about the good doctors they have experience with. Maybe you can get something like that going KK?

Dad had cancer and his first doc cut the tops off the cancer and it grew for another year and a half before he started bleeding. At that point he got to specialist that gave him proper care. He would learn that first doctor had either killed or maimed a lot of his patients and his nickname was the "butcher". The medical board would do nothing to the guy.

Rod's mom had lung cancer that had progressed to her heart. She survied that but they burnt her inards to a crisp with radiation. It was bad techs that did that. Her heart and remaining lung could not sustain her after that.

 

[HUGGY]

Make No Mistake: Medical Errors Can Be Deadly Serious
Medical Errors - Introduction and definitions, Statistics, Description, Proposals for improvement, What patients can do
Research Activities, February 2008: Feature Story: Physicians want to learn from medical mistakes but say current error-reporting systems are inadequate

Most recent statistic is 120 die per day from them, that's 3,600 per month, and 43,200 a year in the US alone ... do you REALLY want to trust these people with your lives as much as we do? It's a truly frightening fact that is largely ignored, and still, they are trying to blame the patient more than admit their own arrogance. I know I am a cynic about doctors, but really, even without that fact, this is just wrong, isn't it?

Do your stats include people that die from being denied proceedeures by the vultures that administer health care insurance and profit from pain and suffering and sometimes death?

 

[KittenKoder]

In all fairness, my doctor is the greatest.

But the doctor I had before him, in dealing with my hypothyroidism, used to say things like, "You should get out there and run."

And at that point in time, my thyroid levels made me feel like an 80-year-old woman, and I thought, "Bitch, I'd like you to spend one day in this body that hurts all over and is tired constantly, and then get your ass out there and run."

I should have punched her in the face, but I doubt it would have made her any smarter.

I started not trusting them when I was a teen. My mother was taking me to her doctors and just by talking to her they diagnosed me as "schyzo-whatever" ... I was a teen, rebellious as they come, but nothing was wrong with me at that point. So they put me on meds, which she made damned sure I took every day. They turned me into a zombie ... like being drunk or stoned only without the cool "high", so I found a way to pretend to take them (the only person I ever lied to was my mother and for good reasons) until I was finally able to move out (at 16 in that time). Now because of it I started developing social problems, bad ones, the kind that can get you locked up if you don't have a reason for them. Didn't get a decent diagnosis until my last doctor (stayed with her until she retired). But now I still don't take any meds for those, because found out the side effects were worse than the problem, so I just found a place in life and society I can function instead, the internet is such a blessing.

 

[KittenKoder]

There needs to be a national clearing house type program for complaints that is not controlled by the medical proffessionals. If I was better at web site stuff I'd try to get something going along those lines where people could warn others or tell about the good doctors they have experience with. Maybe you can get something like that going KK?

Dad had cancer and his first doc cut the tops off the cancer and it grew for another year and a half before he started bleeding. At that point he got to specialist that gave him proper care. He would learn that first doctor had either killed or maimed a lot of his patients and his nickname was the "butcher". The medical board would do nothing to the guy.

Rod's mom had lung cancer that had progressed to her heart. She survied that but they burnt her inards to a crisp with radiation. It was bad techs that did that. Her heart and remaining lung could not sustain her after that.

Well, I've been trying to figure out my next personal project, perhaps that could be it. If someone would design the graphics for it though, as you can see from my newest site I still have a long way to go on the graphics design and it should have a more professional look to it. Who knows, maybe we could revolutionize healthcare in the US with it.

 

[HUGGY]

In all fairness, my doctor is the greatest.

But the doctor I had before him, in dealing with my hypothyroidism, used to say things like, "You should get out there and run."

And at that point in time, my thyroid levels made me feel like an 80-year-old woman, and I thought, "Bitch, I'd like you to spend one day in this body that hurts all over and is tired constantly, and then get your ass out there and run."

I should have punched her in the face, but I doubt it would have made her any smarter.

I started not trusting them when I was a teen. My mother was taking me to her doctors and just by talking to her they diagnosed me as "schyzo-whatever" ... I was a teen, rebellious as they come, but nothing was wrong with me at that point. So they put me on meds, which she made damned sure I took every day. They turned me into a zombie ... like being drunk or stoned only without the cool "high", so I found a way to pretend to take them (the only person I ever lied to was my mother and for good reasons) until I was finally able to move out (at 16 in that time). Now because of it I started developing social problems, bad ones, the kind that can get you locked up if you don't have a reason for them. Didn't get a decent diagnosis until my last doctor (stayed with her until she retired). But now I still don't take any meds for those, because found out the side effects were worse than the problem, so I just found a place in life and society I can function instead, the internet is such a blessing.

Christ Kitty!..and you think I'm nuts!

 

[KittenKoder]

In all fairness, my doctor is the greatest.

But the doctor I had before him, in dealing with my hypothyroidism, used to say things like, "You should get out there and run."

And at that point in time, my thyroid levels made me feel like an 80-year-old woman, and I thought, "Bitch, I'd like you to spend one day in this body that hurts all over and is tired constantly, and then get your ass out there and run."

I should have punched her in the face, but I doubt it would have made her any smarter.

I started not trusting them when I was a teen. My mother was taking me to her doctors and just by talking to her they diagnosed me as "schyzo-whatever" ... I was a teen, rebellious as they come, but nothing was wrong with me at that point. So they put me on meds, which she made damned sure I took every day. They turned me into a zombie ... like being drunk or stoned only without the cool "high", so I found a way to pretend to take them (the only person I ever lied to was my mother and for good reasons) until I was finally able to move out (at 16 in that time). Now because of it I started developing social problems, bad ones, the kind that can get you locked up if you don't have a reason for them. Didn't get a decent diagnosis until my last doctor (stayed with her until she retired). But now I still don't take any meds for those, because found out the side effects were worse than the problem, so I just found a place in life and society I can function instead, the internet is such a blessing.

Christ Kitty!..and you think I'm nuts!

No, I think you are looking for people to hang instead of solutions, big difference.

Also, I have never once claimed to be close to what people dream of being "normal", I admit my flaws and always welcome constructive criticism, and I learn from my mistakes when I can. Everyone has flaws, the strong ones are those who are willing to work on them, work through them, or get them fixed whatever those problems are. I worked through mine since it was the only option I had. Cyberspace just happens to be the one area I can think clearly even when socializing with more than one person at a time.

 

[RodISHI]

There needs to be a national clearing house type program for complaints that is not controlled by the medical proffessionals. If I was better at web site stuff I'd try to get something going along those lines where people could warn others or tell about the good doctors they have experience with. Maybe you can get something like that going KK?

Dad had cancer and his first doc cut the tops off the cancer and it grew for another year and a half before he started bleeding. At that point he got to specialist that gave him proper care. He would learn that first doctor had either killed or maimed a lot of his patients and his nickname was the "butcher". The medical board would do nothing to the guy.

Rod's mom had lung cancer that had progressed to her heart. She survied that but they burnt her inards to a crisp with radiation. It was bad techs that did that. Her heart and remaining lung could not sustain her after that.

Well, I've been trying to figure out my next personal project, perhaps that could be it. If someone would design the graphics for it though, as you can see from my newest site I still have a long way to go on the graphics design and it should have a more professional look to it. Who knows, maybe we could revolutionize healthcare in the US with it.

It has been a few years since I have worked on web design. I'd be willing to give it a shot if we could come up with something that would work.

 

[HUGGY]

I started not trusting them when I was a teen. My mother was taking me to her doctors and just by talking to her they diagnosed me as "schyzo-whatever" ... I was a teen, rebellious as they come, but nothing was wrong with me at that point. So they put me on meds, which she made damned sure I took every day. They turned me into a zombie ... like being drunk or stoned only without the cool "high", so I found a way to pretend to take them (the only person I ever lied to was my mother and for good reasons) until I was finally able to move out (at 16 in that time). Now because of it I started developing social problems, bad ones, the kind that can get you locked up if you don't have a reason for them. Didn't get a decent diagnosis until my last doctor (stayed with her until she retired). But now I still don't take any meds for those, because found out the side effects were worse than the problem, so I just found a place in life and society I can function instead, the internet is such a blessing.

Christ Kitty!..and you think I'm nuts!

No, I think you are looking for people to hang instead of solutions, big difference.

Also, I have never once claimed to be close to what people dream of being "normal", I admit my flaws and always welcome constructive criticism, and I learn from my mistakes when I can. Everyone has flaws, the strong ones are those who are willing to work on them, work through them, or get them fixed whatever those problems are. I worked through mine since it was the only option I had. Cyberspace just happens to be the one area I can think clearly even when socializing with more than one person at a time.

Here is a partial solution. Don't shop at walmart. Buy locally ..think globaly. I get all my rope for the hangins at ACE hardware..a fine american company.

 

[KittenKoder]

There needs to be a national clearing house type program for complaints that is not controlled by the medical proffessionals. If I was better at web site stuff I'd try to get something going along those lines where people could warn others or tell about the good doctors they have experience with. Maybe you can get something like that going KK?

Dad had cancer and his first doc cut the tops off the cancer and it grew for another year and a half before he started bleeding. At that point he got to specialist that gave him proper care. He would learn that first doctor had either killed or maimed a lot of his patients and his nickname was the "butcher". The medical board would do nothing to the guy.

Rod's mom had lung cancer that had progressed to her heart. She survied that but they burnt her inards to a crisp with radiation. It was bad techs that did that. Her heart and remaining lung could not sustain her after that.

Well, I've been trying to figure out my next personal project, perhaps that could be it. If someone would design the graphics for it though, as you can see from my newest site I still have a long way to go on the graphics design and it should have a more professional look to it. Who knows, maybe we could revolutionize healthcare in the US with it.

It has been a few years since I have worked on web design. I'd be willing to give it a shot if we could come up with something that would work.

Okay, anyone else who wants to interject, as well as yourself, PM me with ideas if you want to help out, I need to lay down for a bit for other medical reasons (hospital made a recent mistake a couple years ago so now I have a physical problem to, yay).

 

[RodISHI]

I think it needs a directory for state by state, ect.. break downs into categories.

 

[xotoxi]

I would like to speak from the perspective of doctors, since I am one.

Since we are human, we make mistakes. However, since we are dealing with lives and peoples health, we do our absolute best to minimize them.

It is hard to draw the line between evaluating a patient and diagnosing someone with a benign condition or illness, and going on a multimillion dollar fishing expedition to look for something that could be deadly but is unlikely to exist. Sometimes you have to play the percentages and go with the most likely scenario.

For example, yesterday, I saw an 11 year old girl with mild cold-like symptoms and fatigue with fevers off and on for a month. She had a virus, unquestionably. The mom seemed very concerned and wanted some tests. I ordered blood counts, but I didn't see the point of getting a chest xray, blood cultures, urine cultures, or start a workup for lymphoma or leukemia or something else bad. And had I given her antibiotics, and she hadn't improved (because antibiotics don't treat viruses), I would have been asked for another round of antibiotics, or a different antibiotic.

I had to make a call. Maybe she does have a tumor or something. Or a whopping pneumonia. But from my experience and what the patient looked like, the chances were nil.

The area of medicine that I do admit needs constant improvement is medication errors, especially in hospitals. Most of the time it is the wrong medicine or wrong dose that is given, and unusually these errors are due to the multiple steps that are needed to give the medicine: physician has to order it, the order has to be read and placed into the computer, the pharmacy has to fill it, the nurse has to give it. There are so many steps were a simple error, like a moved decimal place, can have dire consequences. As medical professionals, and hospitals, we are very aware of this and are doing everthing that we can to prevent future occurances.

I just wanted to jump in and say my peace. Thanks for listening.

 

[stekim]

I think it needs a directory for state by state, ect.. break downs into categories.

I just saw an ad that said Angie's List is now or will soon be adding doctors. There you go! Well done.

 

[catzmeow]

I love me some Angie's List. And FWIW, they've already added doctors.

 

[stekim]

I worked with a pretty girl named Angie once. But since I'm married I never got to make her list.

 

[catzmeow]

I worked with a pretty girl named Angie once. But since I'm married I never got to make her list.

What category would she have placed you in?