WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAJOR PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS AND INSTEAD OF ADDRESSING IT, THE DEMOCRATS NEW POLICY IS JUST TO CALL OUT TRUMP AND MUSK AS NAZIS

I like this post because I can speak of the crisis, while defending the VB Harlingen, in part, and show how DHR has dropped the ball.

I cannot stress enough VB Harlingen doctors, nurses and even aides are amazing.  The aid for tonight and last night is like a mother forcing her kid to take a bath.  I am under orders to use a special soap to prevent the infection from becoming even worse.  I want to shower, but I am on about 11 hours a day of IV antibiotics.  They used to be able to do both at the same time, hence two IVs, but now they are separate.  If I need to get up, I try to work it around IV changes, so they do not have to stop them and restart them. I do everything I can to help the nurses. So, we just did the shower between IV changes.

THE WONDER DRUG

For 20+ years my chronic fatigue syndrome, and inability to sleep has made me miserable. For maybe a month or longer I have been sleeping in 5–10-minute intervals.  The VA would not change my meds until we had the pain under control. The VB psychiatrist gave me Quetiapine 75mg.  It restores your natural sleep state.  The nurses laugh because I do not remember them coming into the room for endless medications.  They say I wake up for a bit and then am out like a light.

I cannot say enough good things about my care.  The psychiatric team are more about short term trauma.   They are so good. 

THE CRISIS AT VB

I can assure you the doctors and VB are on the problem non-stop. On any given day they have 6000 radiology reads pending.  This is a crisis.  I got my MRI on a stat, but the read took 6 days. The doctors have assured my VB is working around the clock to recruit more radiologists.  VB has zero control over this issue.

When this happens every doctor wants a stat, which means the non-stats are not done.  At some point someone will die, and as far as I am concerned there will be no negligence.  If you cannot recruit the staff, you cannot recruit the staff.

In part I blame the medical schools.  They know how many radiologists for so many doctors. But you cannot force people to be radiologists.  But you can give incentives, such as some form of loan forgiveness.  So, this is a crisis wherein the hospitals are as much a victim as the patients.  

I CANNOT IMAGINE EVER USING DHR AGAIN

The problem here is on the administrative side. My doctor is actually exceptional, but he has no control over his medical records. 

The medical records department has refused to release the medical records from this doctor.  We only care about one: the culture from all of the infection removed from both ears.  It will help my doctors to better target my infection.  In some cases, it can be life or death. 

VB Harlingen has proof they have requested the record, and it was sent to the correct fax. They are ignoring the calls from my doctors. They asked I call and have them tell me the culture results. They will not.  They say it is a HIPPA violation.  It is not.

If you call medical records the phone rings until it disconnects. This is a contempt for the patients.  It is really sad, because my doctor is exceptional.  His staff was asked to inform him of the problem, and they will not.

What I have is life threatening. Someone is going to die before DHR will care.

This is a crisis created by DHR's administration.  DHR is to blame for the crisis.

My VA doctor said there is nothing he could do.  False he could have given medical records a heads up and gotten me the records. On Monday morning I will ask the patient advocate to direct medical records to get the records.  My fear is the hospital is full, so they are going to move me the second 

BACK TO VB HARLINGEN

Well, this one is on the hospital.  My doctors, nurses and I have been blown off.  I cannot eat chicken breast, pork loin or anything similar, or anything with bulk or heavy starch.  This is where the knowledge of what is fluid.  They just do not see people at advanced stages. 

A sinus infection can reach to the jawbone, throat and in some cases the spine causing inflammation.

In speaking to many of the nurse they have never seen a sinus case like mine.  I am certain the ENT doctor while amazing has never seen this level of infection in the sinuses.  I am fine with this.  We are all learning on the job, and unlike the other 3 hospitals they treat emergency ENT. This is yet another crisis. 

Anything thick or bulky will cause my throat to close.  Also chewing causes intense pain in my jaw.  

Two nights ago, they moved me to a remodeled wing where everything is like new, but smaller.  This is okay.  The other rooms are better for patients in wheelchairs. 

The kitchen services in the other ward were amazing. they had my diet perfect.  I love things like collard-greens. They go down with no problem. I am fine with tomato soup for dinner or lunch and a light salad. I love cream of wheat.

But no last night they brought me chicken breast and mash potatoes which get caught in my throat.  I choke and have to breathe through my nose.  I sent it back. Then this morning they gave me eggs and potatoes instead of cream of wheat. I sent it back and they refused to give me cream of wheat, And then again for lunch chicken breast and potatoes.  The nurse reached his limits and demanded to see someone in kitchen services.  They never came and instead sent a sandwich.

Now pay attention since about November my blood sugar has been very high.  I get 3-4 insulin shots a day. The problem is the infection is not diabetes.  I am on a diabetic diet.  They do not understand what this means.

For dinner they are fed up with me and send 3 sandwiches and a bowl of bow-tie noodles.  I ate one sandwich and the noodles.  I was hungry, and yes, my blood sugar came in at 206.  I needed 3 units of insulin. 

Things were so perfect in the other room for kitchen services.

For me this is tragic because everything else is so amazing. My ER doctor, Dr. Rodriguez was amazing.

I remind you; VB Harlingen is very good.  In the future if I have a choice I will come here.