My spouse had what's considered a major surgery at this surgery center, which went well until my spouse was revived from anesthesia. Below is a brief detail of what occurred. Except I removed part of the ending since the space is needed. Merely look to vitals review site for full version.
May 2016: My spouse immediately experienced such severe pain once revived that my spouse started screaming as soon as was able to. (This went on for roughly an hour-screaming..from pain.) After the screams subsided, I was brought into recovery and not told about what had occurred, only that my spouse was very "animated" once revived. I asked the nurse if my spouse was coherent enough to speak, and she said yes, so I asked my spouse what really happened, and the nurse chimed in with a more accurate account. I then asked why my spouse's vitals were 180/100+, pulse 120+, and she said my spouse had been that way since waking up, except my spouse's face was no longer blood red like it was before. I pressed further asking why my spouse was being allowed to stay in such a bad state, and the nurse told me they couldn't give anything more for pain, that my spouse's level of Post Op pain was not at all normal, and citing my spouse's sleep apnea as a concern. This prompted me to ask if they factored in my spouse's current pain meds as giving a tolerance, to which the nurse said- she wasn't sure-that I may be right. I told the nurse that we brought one of my spouse's Fentanyl patches, asking if it should put on right then since the pain was not being controlled. The nurse told me that wasn't necessary, because they had given my spouse 8mg of Fentanyl. I didn't tell the nurse I knew 8mg of Fentanyl would be a fatal dose- it was truly a nonissue to me in that moment because had my spouse been given 8mg of Fentanyl, I would have been greeted by my spouse's corpse, and things would have unfolded quite differently. This does, however, tie into another oversight made by the same nurse at the point of discharge, which I will touch on at the end. Shortly after that exchange, the anesthesiologist came in, Alain Ruiz Zaita (ME103290), who was quite nasty to both my spouse and myself. Out the gate, without even uttering a word to Ruiz, (or him identifying himself to me) he said to my spouse- it's completely unrealistic for you to expect to be pain free. Ruiz almost immediately realized he had just crossed a line, and he quickly tried to backtrack, saying he wasn't accusing my spouse of that. But by that point, nothing he could have spat back could have countered his remarks, his tone, his behavior. I told Ruiz that was not at all expected or asked, by either of us, with me asking the recovering patient, rhetorically---did you ask or expect to be "pain free" (obviously not). I immediately hit Ruiz with how completely foolish and nonsensical it was of him to say that. Ruiz went silent. I asked Ruiz why I wasn't notified by anyone that my spouse was in distress. He didn't have a good answer. I next pointed out my spouse's high blood pressure and pulse, and Ruiz said it's a sign of the pain. I then asked Ruiz if he factored in my spouse's current pain medicines as a possible cause for why wasn't responding well to whatever they were giving, and Ruiz sent back a glazed over.. nobody's home stare. At that point it was clear Ruiz likely overlooked, or forgot, the pain medicine my spouse has been taking for years. Or didn't care. I wrapped up by asking Ruiz- if my spouse didn't improve before discharge, would they transfer to a hospital. He said no. I said, so I'll have to take my spouse to hospital if doesn't improve- no problem. After nearly an hour (actually two hours considering I wasn't brought back until about an hour after my spouse was revived) of watching this back and forth of the nurse trying to get hold on the pain and dangerously high vitals ---with pain meds followed by slightly dropping vitals followed by spiking vitals followed by more pain meds, repeat, repeat-- my spouse's BP let up enough and was cleared for discharge by Ruiz. Or as Ruiz put it, "Give .. half a milligram of Dilauda and then that's it," in response to the nurse telling Ruiz that my spouse's vitals and pain were going back up. (Just not as high as 180/100+.) Shortly before discharge, the surgeon came in to give surgical feedback and he also addressed my concern. The surgeon said my spouse was likely in so much pain due to a tolerance to pain medicine; that it's gonna take more to get the job done. (What I suggested earlier to first the nurse and then to Ruiz) my spouse has been in severe and constant pain, and the ER is our next step, as recommended by my spouse's care team. (They also think whatever was given during surgery might have had little to no impact, citing that some people do not respond, or receive any pain relief, from drugs used during surgery, i.e., everyone responds differently to medication.) ..... Something the anesthesiologist should have thought of. read more
