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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMy wife can't get a hospital bed for non-covid health issue.
We live near San Antonio, Texas. A few weeks ago, she started to feel nauseous and had a hardness in her upper abdomen. Symptoms got progressively worse until she could not hold down food and eventually even water made her vomit. I took her to the emergency room where she received intravenous fluids, had medicine prescribed and then was released. They put her on a liquid diet, which she tells me is a clear indication that she should have been admitted. Based on her history of being hospitalized, she has told me that they do not release you until you take in solid food and process it normally.
The medicine stabilized her condition for a time, but it did not improve. We have repeated the emergency room, IV, prescribe and release dance 3 times. The car ride there and back is intolerable for her, causing motion sickness. She does have Medicaid, but has to jump through hoops to get referrals for doctor's appointments. She finally has one tomorrow, but it is a video chat appointment. It's nice that the doctor has video chat capability at his end, but we only have internet through hot spots on our phones and no web cams. I have doubts about how that would work or if it will help at all.
All of this is happening in a state that rushed to reopen like Florida and had the state block local mask ordinances like Georgia. The general attitude was that the lockdown being over meant that the pandemic was over. When the surge became undeniable, the governor finally issued a state-wide mask mandate. He is catching hell from all sides, from people with common sense for doing it too late and from the idiots on the right, both in and out of government, for doing it at all. They still don't get it.
We are no longer arguing over competing theories like trade or tax policy. We have finally gone through all the bouts on the undercard, and are engaged in the championship fight: reality versus bullshit. Reality should be the favorite since objective proof exists. The only reason the fight continues is because reality fights fair and bullshit cheats. The right has a decades old infrastructure to discredit truth tellers, scientists, journalists and non-partisan career government officials, and were quick to whip it out for the corona virus.
The climate debate has shown us that the republicans would rather burn the whole world down before allowing the government to make it a little less profitable to do business. My wife can't get a hospital bed for non-covid health issue because the wealthy will fight tooth and nail to avoid being slightly less rich.
uponit7771
(90,335 posts)genxlib
(5,524 posts)That paragraph was a winner
UpInArms
(51,282 posts)mercuryblues
(14,530 posts)and treat that instead of just treating the symptoms.
GreenPartyVoter
(72,377 posts)chriscan64
(1,789 posts)I have not heard reports of regular patients being kept out of hospitals, but trust me, it is an issue.
marybourg
(12,622 posts)a. g.i. specialist?
marlakay
(11,455 posts)Not a lot of doctors will take it.
marybourg
(12,622 posts)chriscan64
(1,789 posts)The access to that specialist is the video chat tomorrow. That may bring her closer to a diagnosis, but what then?
marybourg
(12,622 posts)MLAA
(17,285 posts)people
(624 posts)Hope you get some clear information from her dr.'s appointment. Wishing she and you some medical help and information. Wishing both of you the best.
flibbitygiblets
(7,220 posts)tazkcmo
(7,300 posts)Don't know who he is, where he gets his info or what his medical experience is but it was on Facebook for crying out loud!
Sarcasm
cayugafalls
(5,640 posts)You are her champion and I know you are fighting hard for her and we all here wish you well, but please fight hard. You sound like her advocate and caregiver. Do not be afraid to challenge your doctor tomorrow and demand she get seen or get in if you feel she needs to be in the hospital.
When my mom was ill, I was her caregiver and many times I had to advocate strongly for her because she was not strong enough or willing. It is hard to express yourself sometimes with doctors and it can be done, with compassion and strength.
I hope tomorrow yields some better results.
Your wife will be in my prayers.
barbtries
(28,788 posts)join the many hundreds of thousands of trump's and republicans' human victims.
i hope you can find a way for your wife to get the care she needs.
FakeNoose
(32,634 posts)Also prayers for the doctor, and hopes that she/he sincerely wants to help ... as most doctors do. Believe it or not, many doctors see through the Republican bullshit as much as we do. They might have a little more money than us, but they have also seen the damage that Republicans have done to our healthcare delivery systems too.
Good luck to you and your wife!
SWBTATTReg
(22,114 posts)One of the biggest blunders that republicans across the board have done is reopen too early, and thus, along w/ donald jerkwad trump, cause tens of thousands of additional and unneeded deaths in this country, all as you say, for a few more cents on someone's net income statement. A truly pathetic reason.
When you wrote your words 'the wealthy will fight tooth and nail to avoid being slightly less rich.', they rang a bell with me and thus highlights the biggest problem that the so called 'republicans' have, is actually representing any Americans other than the 1%ers. This single minded obsession with defending big business at all costs and gutting regulations right and left (to help big business yet again) as rump is doing should be taken as an indictment against the wishes of all Americans to preserve the environment and so forth, and provide a living wage to all who seek it.
rump everyday puts up more barriers to everyday Americans seeking a better life for themselves, and knocks down barriers that were put in place to prevent bad businesses and their practices from engaging in damaging behavior.
yonder
(9,664 posts)Those words ring so true and the main event is here.
I hope things turn out well for your wife - sending some positive vibes your way.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)I assume she has been tested for it. Perhaps she got a false negative.
I wish you both well.
-Laelth
chriscan64
(1,789 posts)Her immune system is compromised and I think if she did have it, the symptoms would be worse if not fatal. She does not have a fever, and it has been 3 or 4 weeks.
Laelth
(32,017 posts)Well, I would want to get tested again. Its a strange disease with a wide range of symptoms. Vomiting up brown oatmeal (blood in the stomach) and being unable to keep water down (usually for 12-24 hrs) has been documented (no fever required).
Good luck!
-Laelth
MichaelSoE
(1,576 posts)Obstruction. Upon examination via scope they discovered my small intestine somehow wrapped around my large intestine necessitating surgery. The surgeon had to make a substantial incision and untangle the mess by hand. I hope they find out it is something less severe.