On awaking 12 Oct I was extremely dizzy, could not stand and began vomating. My husband took me to the ER at Southern Maryland Hospital along with a list of the medications I was taking including a bottle of naproxen I had just been prescribed for Shoulder Pain.
I was admitted to the ER, and an ER physician came into treat me. When he came in the room my husband tried to show him the new medication I had just started taking 4 days early. To determine if I might be having a reaction. He also showed him a clearning substance I had been clearning with the day before.
The doctor looked at the bottle of clearner and dismissed it as the cause. But he didn't even want to look at the bottle of new medication Naproxen. He tried to sit me up but I became so violently ill... He just gave up, didn't even examine me and left the bay I was lying in. From that point forward he just started testing me randomly. Blood samples, chest xray etc. Gave me something for nausea and started pumping with pills for dizziness that were very strong. I rarely saw him. When he got the blood test he noted my potassium and magnesium were low. And there fore he ordered IVs to boast the levels. He didn't come into my cube to tell me this or discuss it but just told the nurses to start the drip.
The nurses had trouble getting the IV in and the potassim severely burned going in the IV in my hand. The nurse had to turn the level down because I couldn't cope with the pain and burning. At a high level. And she scoulded me "that now I would have to stay longer because the drip would take longer" as if this would cause her more work and it made her mad. Another nurse came in and saw how much pain I was in and tried to talk to the first nurse about adding additional fluid so it wouldn't burn so badly an argument insued between the two as the one nurse said no additional fluid could be added to the drip. Finally another nurse came in and placed another IV in a larger vein. After this drip was started I was just left in the cube. No one checked on me until the IV drip Beeped that it was complete. The sheet on my bed had come off, I was hooked to a EKG as well as the drip and wanted to lower my bed. But there was no bell to ring for the nurse. I tried to manuever myself out of the bed to lower the bed but couldn't. I could hear the doctors and nurses laughing and joking out in the ER and I was too imbarrassed to call out for help. I just fell back and endured the pain.
I had to go to the restroom and became violently ill in the restroom in the ER. My husband finally came into the bathroom to assist me... As the nurses and doctors were still joking and cutting up and seemed oblivious to the fact I was having difficulty in the restroom, although they had just said we'll be here if you need us... Right???
I was finally discharged from the ER about 3PM. With no diagnosis just vertigo. (I had no idea what had just happen to me, I was scared and still very weak and ill. But one thing I knew was I was not going to get any better or get any answers in the SM ER Room. I was told to follow up with my physician. It was later determined by my physician that I had experienced a severe reatction to the Naproxen... The naproxen bottle has a warning of dizziness. And if the ER doctor had paid attention to the medication and looked it up. He would have been able to easily determine from my symptoms that I was having an adverse reaction to the Naproxen. Which can cause "Asceptic Menegitis" dizziness, muscle weakness, nausea. Vomiting etc.
A better treatment for me would have been an IV drip of fluid to help clearn the medication from my system.
This experience has really frightned me. Altough my primary physician uses Southern Maryland and its the nearest large hopsital to my home. I am very affraid of taking any of my family to the ER there again. I've been there before however and not had this bad a situation. This is the first time I'd been so ill however and required ER treatment. I tried to find a patient complaint page on their web site so I could report my experience but could not. This circumstance was so traumatic for me I felt I needed to post it somewhere. The professional services at the ER at Southern Maryland need a complete review. There were a few staff members who were caring. But even the caring ones forgot to remove my second IV. They were about to let me leave the hospital with the IV needle still in my arm. Until I reminded them (sick as I was) aren't you going to take this out. The response... Oh I forgot you had 2 IVs. If they can forget to remove an IV... What else are they forgetting. I can truly see now how the Postman. Was treated and released from this ER. And later died of ANTHRAX. If his treatment was the same. I can't help but feel he did not receive proper care.
Joan
Waldorf, Maryland
U.S.A.
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