He just turned 85, although he did not know it. He has 9 children and more grandchildren and great-grandchildren than one can count. Their hearts are broken. This is a story that should not have happened. A story of medical incompetence. A type of neglect of sort. Some call it just “sloppy medicine”.
He is an alcoholic, you see and often would have a temper, never physically albeit but he would “misbehave” as the family would put it so perhaps he was labeled from the beginning? Labeled as a difficult patient. Perhaps they automatically judged him like a book by its cover and said he was noncompliant. He’s just another old man, anyhow. Right?
One month ago he attended a beautiful granddaughters wedding and stood proud by her in her photographs. What a cherished memory that is now. He then began acting out….”misbehaving” like before only in extreme ways he never had before. And there was no alcohol this time and had not been for some time. He would thrash his arms and legs and try to hit people violently. This is not a violent man. This is a man that has 51 grandchildren and great-grandchildren that call him Pepe. The medical providers tied him down. To the bed. By his chest, his wrists and his feet. For three weeks they did this. They blamed his medications and his history of alcoholism and said he was now psychotic. They NEVER even scanned his brain to see if his behavior changes could be coming from there….
They gave him blood thinner injections to prevent blood clots since he was inactive.
On July 22nd, 2011 they said they could do nothing more for him and that he was officially “lost in his brain” and sent him away to a psychiatric hospital. Barely 12 hours later he developed difficulty breathing necessitating a brain scan to see the cause. A bleed. An acute intracebral hemorrhage was discovered and had been there actively bleeding for several weeks, made worse by the blood thinner injections given to him by the very same care providers that his 60 plus family members trusted. The very same care providers that said he was in a state of psychosis and was “lost”. The very same care providers that held him down.
He was not delirious. He was not psychotic. He did not have dementia. He had a traumatic brain injury that was misdiagnosed and made worse by the addition of blood thinners. He was treated like an animal by medical personnel that when he, at his worst, looked to for help. Rather their gross incompetence and neglect led to lack of timely diagnosis and contributed to the bleeding itself and have led to this man now truly being “lost”.
Because of the size of the bleed and surrounding swelling with resulting damage he IS now “lost”. He does not know who he is or any single one of his 9 children. He is trapped in his body unable to express himself appropriately to anyone.
Practicing medicine myself, I am ashamed of the medical profession that this happened. I am embarrassed for the hospital where it occurred and feel sorry for the providers and other caregivers that cared for this man during his stay at Palm Bay Hospital as they obviously made dire mistakes. I fear for the other patients that are in this facility and that are cared for by these same care providers as until they take a step back and remember the oath that they took when they decided to practice medicine, incompetence will continue to occur. We cannot practice “sloppy” medicine. Patients and their families trust us. They trust us at all times, even when they are at their worst, which at times it is admittedly trying to take care of these patients but it is our responsibility to either to do so or bow out of providing care for them before doing harm.
I am so, so sorry Pepe that you were subjected to this. I love you. I pray for God’s blessings on you and know that someday soon you will be with Nana. XOXO.
