Hi Joelle, sorry to hear you are having such a monster of a time with the MS. Thinking of you and sending you positive thoughts.

I'm sorry you are doing so badly, but glad you went to the hospital. I hope the IVSM helps you greatly.

Remember to get lost of water and potassium with it. I drink V8 with Calcium (that stuff is loaded with potassium) while on IVSM to help fight off the mineral depleting aspects of IVSM that makes me feel so horrible.

I also make sure I get any other rx's necessary to fight off the bad effects of IVSM. If I have trouble sleeping, I get an rx for Ambien. If my stomach bothers me, I get Nexium and take lots of Tums. Also, get a lot of rest.

I was released from that nightmarish hospital on Thursday night, believe me, i'm using the term hospital very loosely.

I'm still getting the roids at home. I left the place with no diagnosis. They couldn't even tell me whether they did the proper type of mri since it was ordered by the on call doctor who was a DO not a neuro.

The only reason. I went to that particular er was because my neuro supposedly was on staff there. I came to find out that he is no longer making rounds at any hospital. When I finally saw a neuro, the first words were "ON doesn't cause pain most of the time"!!! I was so doped up all I did was start crying. My dh is not as ms savy as he needs to be. He was not much help advocating for me. All I wanted to do was get up and leave and go to another real hospital but dh assumed it was because I drugged and didn't know what I was I saying. That was just the beginning of the"fun" visit I had.

The regular optho came in to see me somewhere around midnight my first night, the only thing I remember about that is her telling me that they tried to reach my neuro and he didn't respond the first two times. The third time they did reach him he said "just give her to the on call doctor"!! Those were her exact words. She started rattling off other neuro's names that I could switch to. I was still on dilaudid and she woke from a dead sleep to give me this lovely bit of info.

Then at around 4 or 5 am a nurse came in to flash the light's in my eyes. She got this very troubled look on her face. I demanded to know what was wrong and she said that my right pupil was fixed and wouldn't dilate! Naturally I was freaked out. So they came in and said it's time for your dilaudid. I was in extreme pain and very upset so I wasn't in shape to refuse. I stupidly assumed they would call the optho or somebody. They didn't. When dh came in the morning he raised he!!. It took them until 4 or 5 that afternoon to figure out that it was caused by the drops put in my eye by the optho. During all that time they did nothing. I could have had stroke or who knows what! They told me they couldn't understand the optho's notes!!

I told them to step me down to percocet at that point. When they finally came to start my iv for the solumedrol the blew out four of my veins. I was obviously dehydrated because I hadn't had a saline drip since I was in the er. They had to do a pic line.

When I was coherent enough I told them they were not keeping me in this clown hospital for one more day. I became my usual sarcastic, btch on wheels self. They couldn't wait to get me out there then. I have follow ups a neuro optho, a regular optho, and my soon to be former ms specialist. I'm filing a complaint through my insurance company because I don't believe they or I should pay a dime. I haven't even told you guys all of it.
ys all of it. I'd be typing all day, lol. I really don't want to scare anyone here. This is unlike any hospital experience i've ever heard of.

Thanks again for all of your support .

Oh Lordy Joelle,

Sounds like you went to H&LL and back! I am sorry that you had such a bad time, espeecially after I made so much noise about getting checked out!

Their lack of medical care and knowhow is inexcusable. I'd do the same, let my insurance company know what went on and make sure I never entered that facility again.

I hope the IVSM helps and that the next neuro is the one you have been searching for.

Thanks, RW. Don't feel bad, needed to the hospital! Just not that one! I hope I don't have to get an ambulance chaser so that I won't have to pay for the non-care I received, ugh!

Bless your heart! I'm so sorry for all the carp you had to put up with. We have a hospital like that here......the one my Dad was in......I wouldn't take my CAT there!! And I told them as much. They were happy to see us go, too!

Well, I'm awake now so I'll give you a call in a few....or if you see this before I do you can call me. Sorry I was asleep the first time! I'd been up at 4 AM and laid back down around 7 and fell asleep.

Glad you're home.....at least you know you're safe there!

Sorry about the ambulance chaser comment. I know plenty of decent people in the profession. My sis is a paralegal at a huge firm. I'm just a bit keyed up from the steroids.

Oh sweetie! what a mess. I have been in a few of those places myself, and have gotten out of an ICU bed, and GONE HOME! its so scary when you are so ill, and unable to protect yourself, and a loved one who comes to guard you (yes, you need a full time guard in the hospital) doesnt have enough information to make informed decisions. Can you appoint someone else as your health care proxy? A sis? a friend? a neighbor? Or is your hubby willing to take on more? Its alot to ask of anyone, but when so drugged, sick, and picked over, its almost impossible to take care of yourself. you are at their mercy.

I hope you are able to rest now, and recoup at home. I would have some strong words for the neuro that left you to fend for yourself. Woo!

Joelle, I just saw this and I am so sorry for your ordeal. I am Jim's proxy when he's unable to be, it's in his records. No one but me can make decisions for him and/or get information. If i am unable to be there, the boys are his proxy. When he was in ICU I am the one who figured out it was Gabapentin withdrawl causing his mania and seizures. You MUST have someone who can watch over you at all times when your unable to. Fortunately for us, the ICU listened to me rather than his neuro once they realized he dropped the bomb, literally. We now have a spinal cord doctor and only see a neuro once a year. His old neuro was fired and placed on MS research twice a week by the hospital.

Dh has promised to never allow this to happen again. Fortunately, my 18 year old son (who has much experience with hospitals) is volunteering to be my advocate too.

I trust him completely, he's very calm and rational along with being very shrewd.