Journal 6

Journal 6 – June 30, 2006

It seems like they saved up the unusual cases just for my visit. I was expecting 4 weeks of otitis media and diabetes care. Now I can add transverse myelitis to the list. One of our patients is in the hospital right now paralyzed from the neck down with no apparent cause. The plan was to do an LP on Thursday to find out what happened but, the time I left on Friday, it still hadn’t been done. We thought the neurologist planned on doing it at noon on Thursday but found late that afternoon that he hadn’t even visited the patient (that he early said was the most serious neurology case in the hospital). When someone was finally able to get in contact with them he stated that the neurology department doesn’t do LPs and it would have to be done in radiology under fluoroscopy. Radiology said they couldn’t do it because they were going home. As if things weren’t bad enough for this lady. Being bounced around within the bureaucracy had to be frustrating.

Little obstacles like this seem to be quite common in Peace Health. I’m beginning to wonder if it’s the same in all large healthcare organizations. Is this my future?

Last note for the day: ambulances and people who get motion sickness don’t mix!