I feel the need to share a particular incident that happened to me in our local hospital. Yes, same hospital as the sexual assault occurred in.
I had recieved a concussion through playing volleyball (yes that does actually happen)..I had gone to the ER to be evaluated, hence where the concussion was diagnosed. I was instructed if I had any continuing symptoms to come back to the ER. Around a week later I had developed some terrible anxiety attacks, it was a friday afternoon, the doctors office was closing and I was directed to go back to the local ER for evaluation. So I did. Upon arriving, I was fidgety, couldn't sit still, pacing, I was struggling pretty bad. The anxiety I had developed came from my PCP (whom was affiliated with said hospital), when she wouldn't take my condition seriously, after my husband had sent me to her because he was concerned I needed a CAT scan or MRI to determine if there was a more severe problem since the ER did no testing of any sorts, and that week a famous woman had dropped over while at a ski resort and died as a result from a blood clot to the brain after bumping her head. He was legitimately concerned, well the concussion exaggerated those symptoms.
So the nurses come in and proceed to do question me as if this had anything to do with my mental illness, and began asking questions of whether I was suicidal? And it seemed as though they didn't want to be concerned with what I was there for, and so my anxiety was going even further through the roof.
They sent me for a cat scan and when I came back, all my clothes were gone. I asked where my clothes were and they said they are locked up, I'm like what??!!
I said I want my clothes back, you can't just take them, and she proceeded to say to me while handing me some medicine, and I said no I'm not taking that!
So somewhere between the point of getting a CAT scan and getting back, someone decided that my issues were mental illness related. I hadn't even seen a doctor yet!
So she leaves the room, it felt like forever waiting for someone to come back so I peeked out the door and asked if I could go use the bathroom, I saw a security guard standing out there, and I was thinking, what the heck! So her and said big huge security fella, followed me to the restroom, in which she said don't lock the door, so I locked the door. I like many of other millions of people in this world prefer privacy when I use the rest room.
They didn't take too kindly to such a thing, I got yelled at all the way back to the room, and like a little child told to stay there. Yay me.
Well, the waiting was excrutiating, about as bad as everything else that night and so I asked for a magazine,
so I asked if I could get up and go get a magazine from the family room a couple rooms over..the nurse goes in the family room, grabs a magazine and like a owner throwing a bone to his dog to fetch, threw the magazine in my room.
Ok I'd had about enough of this treatment from them, it was degrading, humiliating, I am neither a child or a dog, and hell to the NO I never once said I was suicidal, this was ridiculous!
She had done plucked on my last nerve. I was recieving security supervision for no reason, I didn't even know what this was all about, and I had finally become pissed off.
I said to her, I don't want that magazine I have already read that magazine may I please go over to the family room and get one I hadn't read yet?
She said no you need to stay in there, you need to just lay down and the doctor will be in, in a few minutes, I said, this is ridiculous, I'm goin to go get a magazine to read, she said don't you come out of that room, I said watch me! I felt I had every reason, every right to walk two rooms over to get a magazine..and if she wouldn't, then I would.
So I stepped forward, took one step to the side and the security guard grabbed me and swung me around, I pulled my arm away and told him to keep his hands off of me, I didn't touch him he had no right to grab me, I didn't do anything wrong, and I wasn't bothering anyone...he proceeded to grab me again, that time in his double attempt to grab me he hit his arm on my finger and broke it.
Well, yep that one took the cake, his next attempt landed him face first on the ER floor, in a mixed martial arts armbar. However I did let go, because the gasps of the ER staff caught me by surprise and I was just young in my training at an orange belt level.
After that the fight was on.
I was wrestled to the bed, given forced shots, restrained, which I do have a knack for escaping atleast my hands, and wouldn't ya know it, that's about the time the doctor decides to show up.
About a half an hour later, here came a sheriffs officer, I had gotten off the bed at this point, little Miss escape artist herself, an he caught me at the door, in which he is gonna hand me a TDO order, well this night couldn't get any better if it tried, I took the order crinkled it up and gave it a real good toss, and again, the fight ensued.
This was getting to be almost at popcorn status, until the officer tried to break my arm. I did somehow manage to tinker out in which, I would find myself bruised and battered the next morning, on the psych ward, with a very awkward looking finger in severe pain.
Psych doc comes in my room, ask how I was feeling and I said, I'm feeling fine, he said are you suicidal, I said I NEVER WAS TO BEGIN WITH!
I said I don't even know why it was assumed that I was! He said ok if you are feeling alright now you are free to go home, I said well can you guys do something about my finger since your security broke it, he said yes we will get you some xrays, I said ok.
So this is what all that boiled down too.
I went in for symptoms related to a medical problem I was diagnosed with in their ER, that they told me to come back if I had.
A nurse (playing doctor) assumed it was more than that, heard anxiety and assumed I was suicidal.
The doctor (playing nurse) believed the nurse without having seen me first.
The nurse (playing doctor) made matters worse, by involving security for no reason.
Security put their hands on me...not a smart thing to do.
The doctor (playing nurse) had not a clue what she was doing and went for a TDO despite knowing the real situation.
And by the time the sheriffs officer got there, the security officer done made a bad situation worse and all hell went and done broke loose.
End result: I recieved over 30 bruises all over my body, including one that was equivalent to the size of a size 10 boot, in mens (yes, we measured and took pictures)...perfect imprint as well, someone put their entire bodyweight on my leg with their boot. And a broken finger.
Again, for all of my stress and inconvenience, both mental and physical, I went to seek assistance in holding them responsible, and nope...nada..nothing. Not an ounce of assistance from anyone legally.
This was also indeed the second time I recieved such unnecessary abuse out of this facility as well.
All of this due to one persons unnecessary stereotyping.
While I have indeed written this out as the somewhat comical version, it was anything but funny, it was traumatic, it was senseless, it was humiliating, it was horrible. It was the result of someone assuming one thing over another and alot of harm and abuse as a result.
Things really need to change in this state that is allowing things to go on in these ER's and psych wards. Once you are diagnosed mentally ill, you are forever mentally ill..if I have to wear that title til the day I die, then I am goin down fighting for the mentally ill, since I have experienced the abuse of the forgotten population, then one day I hope my voice helps someone see, what people refuse to see..and has the ability, the power and the means to do something about it!
I stand alone, but atleast I will stand up for the mentally ill, someone has too.
No comments:
Post a Comment