For anyone who read my story, if you are having surgery, scheduled for surgery, or thinking about it, please keep the following in mind:
- You may have a wonderful surgeon, but does the hospital where he/she performs the surgery support this procedure?
- Do they support obesity and realize that it is also an illness? You can find out through their Culturing Diversity Department. Hopefully they have one.
- Look for a hospital that has a Bariatric Unit in the hospital, devoted to obesity and the surgery.
- Have a family member at the hospital all of the time, asking questions and being involved in your care. They will be your only advocate. If I wasn't as involved as I was, my wife would have died in January.
- Hire private duty nurses/aides to assist your loved one. This will also help the nurses as the obese patient is more difficult. Most of all, it will clear up any "attitude" a nurse may have, when assigned to your loved one.
- If you have a problem and you disagree with your doctor, DON'T BE AFRAID OR INTIMIDATED! Speak up. Get another opinion if you have to.
- Look for a surgeon that has a relationship with a hospital that has an obesity program or bariatric unit. This will ensure that the health care workers had had training with obesity, support the surgery, and understand the reason for it. This was the case with Hospital #3 and I thank God everyday.
- Don't let visiting hours or Nurses intimidate you! You need to be with your loved one, especially if they are in an ICU or SICU. Go to Nursing Administration immediately if you have a problem and you will get results immediately. This information I learned from a Nurse in hospital #1.
- Read your Patient's Bill of Rights and understand them. Don't be afraid to throw them in anyone's face if you need to.
- When you investigate the hospital, find out if the ICU or SICU is a "locked unit", should you end up there. If the unit is "locked", your doctor will have no control over your care, only the surgery part of it. He/She will have no jurisdiction. Your care will be handled by the doctor who runs the ICU/SICU, that particular month. Remember, this doctor does not know you or your medical history. This was the case with us, and I found out too late. If the unit is "not locked", you doctor will have the authority to take full control of your care, write orders, etc..
HOSPITAL EQUIPMENT
Ensure that the hospital you will be in has equipment to handle the obese patient. There is a big difference between a 300 pound patient and a 450 pound patient. I have heard stories through my research where a patient had complications and needed either MRI or CT SCAN and was unable to get them because they could not fit in the machines.
HOW SAD IS IT THAT A HOSPITAL WOULD PERFORM THIS TYPE SURGERY AND NOT HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO HANDLE ANY SIZE PATIENT! A PATIENT CAN DIE FROM THIS TYPE SCENARIO.
Going forward, it will be my mission to share my story so someone else can possibly avoid going through what we are going through. If I can save one person and their family from the pain and heartache we are going through, then I would have accomplished what I set out to do.
REMEMBER... NO ONE IS EXEMPT FROM MEDICAL NEGLECT AND SUBSTANDARD HEALTH CARE. DON'T BE AFRAID TO INVESTIGATE OR ASK QUESTIONS. YOU ARE ALL THAT YOUR LOVED ONE HAS TO ADVOCATE FOR THEM, AND I PERSONALLY FEEL VERY SORRY FOR THE PATIENTS THAT ARE ALONE AND HAVE NO ONE.
