On Thursday August 15, my husband went to the emergency room at Calvert Memorial Hospital. He suffers from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). The hot weather tampered with his condition and he was having trouble breathing, chest pains, and dizziness from a lack of oxygen in his blood. The emergency room doctors did chest x-rays and a blood oxygen level test and determined that he should be admitted. Friday morning around 10am he finally is moved to a room. Later in the afternoon his family doctor visits him and adds a few medications to help his condition.
On Saturday, the doctor comes in to visit and says that the insurance company doesn't want him in the hospital and they are making it difficult for the doctor to justify his stay. The doctor is willing to fight the insurance company and appeal.
On Monday, August 19 my husband is released from the hospital utimately because the insurance company is refusing to pay. The doctor said he had no choice but to let him go home, and that the insurance company said they would be responsible in the event something tragic happens (like death).
On Saturday late in the evening, August 22, my husband was struggling to catch his breath and was very restless. I took him again to the emergency room at Calvert Memorial Hospital, where a different ER doctor admitted him. My husband has been administered massive doses of interveneous steroids, up to 600mg of Salumedrol in one dose and intervenous antibiotics, which has blown out a vien in his arm at least once a day if not more.
Again, my husband's doctor comes to see him and says I'm not sure how long I can keep you in here. After three days in the hospital, the insurance company complained and moved him to a transitional care unit.
On Wednesday, August 26, the insurance company said they would not pay for any additional care and sent him home.
On Friday, August 27, my husbands feet were swollen six times their normal size. He in fact was swollen all over. Needless to say, he was diagnosed on Tuesday, September 3 with congestive heart failure at the doctors office and sent home to recover.
Some of my husbands symptoms from this illness are distention in the small and large intestines, excessive fluid on the lungs and around the heart, lethargy, and muscle spasms (from the potassium levels in his body being off), and extreme difficulty breathing. Moreover, my husband had rhuematic fever when he was a child and has a heart murmer. All of these things combined, can lead to failure of the mitral valve resulting in death.
Don't you think, that my husband should be in the hospital, where he can be constantly monitored? I work and consequently have a two hour commute to and two hour commute from work everyday. I can not be at home to take care of my husband. Who is going to help him out of bed, help him prepare meals, and take a shower when I am not there.
Who will be monitoring his vital signs to make sure that he doesn't dip into a critically lethal state.in addition, to this non-sense I pay nearly $400.00 a month for insurance and they are refusing my husband medical care.
If you or anyone you know, knows someone who has the guts to take on the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Monopoly in the Washington, DC area, let me know. I am ready to fight it out legally. Where is Johnny Cockran when you need him. Johnny if your out there, shoot me an e-mail at XXx In the meantime, please pray for my husband.
Totally frustrated and distressed. ACRS
Chari
Washington, District of Columbia
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