You already posted a great outline for a letter to the hospital. I would go from there and add names and specific dates and room numbers etc and mail it…keeping a copy for yourself and sending a few copies to maybe your attorney, government departments that inspect the hospitals and their services. The list is endless. Even a copy to the editor of your local newpaper or TV advocates on your local stations. Think we knew what was going on and if we don’t speak out, think of the poor patients that are not in as good of health and frame of mind that you were in.

I have a really bad list of things that happened and just let them drop too! Now your message got me fired up to make a list and fire it off as a good letter to the head of those departments.

Your stay was short…mine was 9 weeks so I have a long list!

For example the Nurse in the ICU that was adjusting my tubing on my trache and her hand slipped and knocked it out! Air coming out all over the place. After what seemed to be 30 minutes of her pushing and pulling and my exhaustion. I finally told her by lip reading that I wanted her to get the Doctor. He come in and the air either inflated my chest or lung to the point I was trying to get their attention that my chest was in extreme pain. Doctor said “Here we go!” Asked the Nurse if she wanted to insert the tube into my side thru the ribs. She agreed quickly but added she had never done that procedure. Now remember I could not speak! With that the doctor grabbed my arm and pulled it above my head, producing terrible pain in my frozen shoulder. I made a face as I turned my head to look away and the Nurse yelled at me “Don’t you try to bite me!” Beleive me at that point I did not want or ever had wanted to bite a person.

On several occasions I “floated” the ventilator and felt like I was drowning. Agine not being able to speak the problem was fixed. Once by a quick acting ICU Nurse and next by a Doctor that just happened to be around.

In Rehab they told me to make sure I did not get exhausted but worked me once in the morning and then in the afternoon. Brought me back and while transferring me to my bed let me fall. Next they tried to lift me back to my feet using my shoulder and the walker. I colasped twice. The second time hanging myself by the arm pits over the sides of the walker. Finally I told them to go and get a lift team that two tiny nurses were not going to lift me back into my bed or into the wheel chair. Took a male Nurse and a Security Guard to get me back into the wheel chair and then back into my bed. By then they had picked me up by my shoulders 6 times. From that time on I had ato be on pain pills for my shoulders and left the hospital still in pain. After rehab had ended I could see my shoulder was going to be frozen if I did not take this problem under my control and went to a chiropractor that turned things around in weeks after the hospital workers had made it worse for months.

I could go on but my fingers are tired! I have to admit the food was great in the hospital. I had Turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes and gravy each week and also Salmon with peas and carrots each week. Breakfasts were great minus the cardboard waffles but the rest was excellent! Lunches were always so different whether it was a fancy salad or a sandwich. A few times they brought me my two containers of diet iced tea but they were not just COLD they were FROZEN SOLID!

Giving my fingers a break!

I am amazed that you put up with as much as you did. All of my hospital stays have be just that in the hospital but not at home. The care was good and the service responsive to my needs and wants. I sure hope I never do!
I do beleive you have some thing to complain about.