Elegantly worded letter meant "F&@k You!"
Backstory
Pretty much the subtext of the letter I sent to the director of the hospital where (then two year-old) Sonny was the victim of malpractice - this happened about 16 years ago. He had cut his finger very badly and was bleeding profusely (not to mention the screaming) and the ER staff made us wait roughly 2 1/2 hours, even though other patients pled with the staff to let him be treated first. At one point both his mother and I were trying to get their attention and they literally turned their backs on us. My letter, I was later told by an HR staffer there whom I knew, was the catalyst that caused a shakeup in the ER. Two nurses were fired and a doctor was permanently rotated out. Sonny still has the scar where he was ineptly sutured. by Dean6805 in Six-Word Memoirs on Feb 24, 2013 | 
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Comments
accidentaltourist says,
I was so hoping for a backstory. ;) But maybe this says it all.Dean6805 says,
I was revising, AT. I wish there was a way to write the backstory before you publish.L2L3 says,
I wonder if there isn't an epidemic of this ineptness in emergency medicine. I had a horrible experience n a local E.R. A few weeks ago and since then have heard similar stories from other health care professionals who were E.R. patients. I have a meeting with the hospital director coming up soon. (Not that he didn't already hear from me that day as well.) I always tell people never to leave a loved one alone in a hospital, especially if their cognition is somehow compromised. Believe me, if anything goes south, the hospital employee will have themselves a witness, so should any patient.MO_Thoughts2 says,
Good for you ! They need to be held accountable for the lack of action.lovelylizard says,
We had a similar incident with my mother who was very, very sick and incoherent. At the time she was in her late 70's and thankfully a staff member pulled me aside covertly and told me I would have to make a scene for her to be taken into the exam room. I am not a scene maker, but my brother was with us and he can be very intimidating; let's just say the squeaky wheel gets the grease and she was promptly moved into a hallway on a bed with an IV drip and that was progress, at least. We spent another 6 hours in the E/R with a doctor walking in every 2 hours, doing nothing and she was finally admitted. Today she is a spry 83 year old.Steve__Anthony says,
At least your well-written letter didn't doctor the result. Glad it's just a scar.canadafreeze says,
It is so sad that we have to cause a stir, create a scene, or end up in emergency in the middle of the night to have a chance at the needed medical treatment. What is wrong with this world?Follow the money. It always leads to the answer, whether we are prepared for it or not.
lovelylizard says,
Amen, CF. ER's, in my neck of the woods, now post their average wait times on electronic billboards along major roads. Progress, at least. And, I'm sure average is a very loose approximation.accidentaltourist says,
Pretend I didn't clamor for a backstory above. :) I feel your pain...in the last few years, I've had my share. I spent hours in the ER with my daughter who was brought in by ambulance with severe abdominal pain. Hours, before she was admitted. I also sat hours in a tiny exam room with my aunt who was in mental health crisis. She suffers severe germ phobias, and while we sat in that crowded cubicle, she watched them come in to empty both the regular trash can and the biohazard container. I though her skin was going to crawl off. I had to corner a nurse and say, "You can't do that to someone in her condition...she's going to lose it."notjustagirlintheworld says,
An ER doc I know says 'never go to an ER' unless you literally going to die. They are infamous for long waits and misdiagnosis. Good for you for fighting/writing back. If you were able to penetrate that system you've done a herculean task and I speak for everyone who came after you when I say thank you.