Substandard Health Care Experience
My Substandard Health Care Experience
Ruby M. Smith
Jodi Sapaugh
September 13, 2010
My Substandard Health Care Experience Throughout the years I have had many health care experiences which were extremely good and represented positive communication and quality care. Unfortunately, in those many years there have also been a few substandard care experiences. No matter the situation, time of day, or facility utilized the patient deserves to have the best care possible. Sometimes quality care is lacking My substandard care experience also involved my son, Philip. Philip had been experiencing recurrent sinus infections. For some reason these infections just would not go away. I had taken him to his family doctor several times for sinus infections and he was always prescribed an antibiotic. For some reason the medications just were not working. At this point I resorted to taking him to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. The ENT assured me that Philip did not need tubes in his ears and that his adenoids were healthy. So, back to the family doctor again. One more antibiotic later and Philip began experiencing severe lower abdominal pains. These pains started mildly but over a few days began to become very intense. Philip was little. He was only five years old. Naturally, the family doctor had requested blood work several times. Each time the blood work came back normal. We were dumbfounded as to why the sinus infection kept coming back. Philip had a fear of needles so his family doctor would always prick his finger and squeeze his finger to get enough blood for the tests. This was fine with Philip and he would always let the doctor work with him to get enough blood. The evening that the abdominal pains became too intense to just be a tummy ache he had gone to the bathroom and had a bowel movement. It disturbed him when he saw red in his stool and he called me in to check on him. What I saw scared me to death. Not only was the blood in his
Ruby M. Smith
Jodi Sapaugh
September 13, 2010
My Substandard Health Care Experience Throughout the years I have had many health care experiences which were extremely good and represented positive communication and quality care. Unfortunately, in those many years there have also been a few substandard care experiences. No matter the situation, time of day, or facility utilized the patient deserves to have the best care possible. Sometimes quality care is lacking My substandard care experience also involved my son, Philip. Philip had been experiencing recurrent sinus infections. For some reason these infections just would not go away. I had taken him to his family doctor several times for sinus infections and he was always prescribed an antibiotic. For some reason the medications just were not working. At this point I resorted to taking him to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. The ENT assured me that Philip did not need tubes in his ears and that his adenoids were healthy. So, back to the family doctor again. One more antibiotic later and Philip began experiencing severe lower abdominal pains. These pains started mildly but over a few days began to become very intense. Philip was little. He was only five years old. Naturally, the family doctor had requested blood work several times. Each time the blood work came back normal. We were dumbfounded as to why the sinus infection kept coming back. Philip had a fear of needles so his family doctor would always prick his finger and squeeze his finger to get enough blood for the tests. This was fine with Philip and he would always let the doctor work with him to get enough blood. The evening that the abdominal pains became too intense to just be a tummy ache he had gone to the bathroom and had a bowel movement. It disturbed him when he saw red in his stool and he called me in to check on him. What I saw scared me to death. Not only was the blood in his
References: colitis. (2010). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/colitis Lexington Medical Center. (2010). About Lexington Medical Center. Retrieved from http://www.lexmed.com/about/default.aspx