Incompetent GPs

[Proud Pies]

Tess's post about the RMH prompted me to post about the recent happenings with my mother. Some of you here have met my mother. Those that know her, would know that she was fit and healthy, and took part in marathons and went to exercise classes 5 days a week.

In November, Mum went in to have a full knee replacement. Her doctor knew that this was not allowed to happen during the football season.

Here are the events that unfolded next.

MOnday Nov 7, admitted to Private Hospital (Veterans Affairs War Widow). Nov 8, surgery to replace knee. Saturday, transfer to Rehabilitation Centre. Staples removed on 22nd November. Discharged from Rehab Centre Wednesday, 23rd November.

Friday 25th November, took Mum to local GP as dressing appeared to have 'greenish' tinge and knee was hot and had redness.

GP decides that serious infection and prescribes 2 different antibiotics in high doses and at one stage Mum was taking 8 of one antibiotic a day and 2 of the other. This went on for 3 weeks. Finished taking all antibiotics on 18th December.

Christmas Day 25 December, Mum extremely unwell, goes home early. The following week, getting sicker and weaker. Mentions to my brother that she feels like she has hepatitis (she had this 49 years ago but remembered the same feelings) 29th December, goes back to GP as urine as now colour of coca cola. Doctor decides to send urine sample off for tests. Next day (Friday) goes back to GP for results. He advises that has bladder infection and puts her on more antibiotics.

My brother, his wife and I discuss all of this and believe it all relates to the original infection and that he should have contacted her surgeon the first time and had her put back in hospital on a drip rather than large quantitites of antibiotics. Decide that we should go to the doctor with her this week for answers. But we aren't medical people so wouldn't know. Gut instincts kicking in.

Wednesday, I call Mum from round the corner and ask if she wants anything as I'm at the local shopping strip. She says, no, she's going to the doctor as she thinks she's allergic to the medication. I said that i'd be there in 2 minutes to take her.

I arrive to take her to the doctor and take one look at her and tell her that she is GREEN. Get to the doctor, normal GP not on, see other GP. She tells him she's really itchy and feels she's allergic to the medication. I tell him the history of all the above and that her skin is actually green. His ears prik up (the special spelling thing here changed the word prik to 'nob' so have had to mis-spell it) and he asks her to take her glasses off ..........WOW......YELLOW EYES. If that's not jaundice then nothing is. He comments that with the itching and the jaundice that he wants her to have an ultrasound on her stomach and full blood tests in the morning. He changes the medication to a different kind and suggest Telfast for the itching.

Next day full fasting blood tests, and ultra sound. On Friday, she gets call from original GP and asks her to come in. She comes in and he advises her that she has 'drug induced hepatitis'. He keeps apologising to her for causing it!!!!! He contacts a Liver specialist and send her home to pack to go to hospital.

I call in to take her to her original appointment and she advises me that she has to go to hospital.

I rang my brother and informed him of what was occuring and gave him the details of the blood tests. At 4pm, i rang the doctor to advise we'd heard nothing from the specialist and he said to ring the specialist direct. I rang and the receptionist checked with the specialist and then tried to get mum a bed at the hospital (same Private Hospital as originally). She called back and said there wouldn't be one available until midday tomorrow and that mum would be much more comfortable in her own bed than on a hospital trolley in the emergency department.

I again called my brother because i wanted to get copies of the blood test results so that we could have copies. My sister in law had looked up 'drug induced liver disease' on the net.......the information is astounding:


http://www.tga.gov.au/docs/html/aadrbltn/aadr9605.htm#report

Australian Adverse Drug Reactions Bulletin
Volume 15, Number 2, May 1996

Drug-induced liver disease ...

[eddies bank balance]

[Hanskies]

My Uncle was in RMH 2-3 years ago, just had open heart surgery, a few days later a nurse come in to dress his wounds and has gone to grab a tube of Bonjela (yes that shit u use for mouth ulcers) to rub into the wound. Lucky my Aunty was there to stop her really.
Seriously think training isnt long enough at uni for nurses, but if they dont know what something as simple as a mouth gel is they shouldnt be in a hospital!

[Joel]

The problem with people doing nursing straight out of school is that tey don't know if they will like it, and in the end, they just do it because they don't feel there is any other option.

Whereas, nurses who do a Div 2, and want to become Div 1s know they want to be nurses, and have had experience before doing it at uni. It is currently pretty hard for Div2s to get into uni (nursing), so I believe it more places should be made available for Div2 nurses to convert to Div 1. Although it is possible to currently do so, the places are limited.

[Proud Pies]

what about this incompetent GP (Doctor) who has put my mother's health at serious risk? Where do we go to report that and the obvious lack of knowledge?

GP's are more dangerous than nurses as Nurses can't order prescription medication

I've actually just contacted the Australian Adverse Drug REactions Department an we now have a case number.

[Joel]

Yes, you are correct, although nurses adminster medication (and can give too much if their calculations are incorrect).

Not sure about your question though, surely there is some sort of commission or ombudsman that could be contacted.

[Proud Pies]

yep, just edited my post with the details Joel

Sorry if i'm coming across harsh, i've been extremely worried about her health since 25th NOvember and now this person has actually caused her health to suffer as it has.

[Eunos]

Hmmm....as most know, I severely broke my R/H wrist on the 28th of last month.
So 2 1/2 days in hospital to repair.
Now, in that time, I did complain that my L/H wrist was sore. They put ti down to "severe bruising".
Just got back from having x-rays done. L/H wrist is broken. Not severely, but broken just the same.
Cost me $68.55 to have the rays done at a private clinic, surely the hospital should have done the right thing and x-rayed it?


Now, for the important question...........who's going to wipe my arse?

[Proud Pies]

[HAL]

I'm not too good with negative counterfactuals.

[Eunos]

Since the original insertion of plates in the R/H I've been able to do most things with the left, albeit in some pain.
I typed the earlier post after finding out the break. So, I've waited till the wife got home and returned to the local GP to have a "back cast" put on.
This holds it in position until the surgeon can have a look on Thursday, the day the staples are removed from the right hand. I expect a full cast then.
My local GP, my first visit to him, has written a letter of complaint to the specialist.

You can all rest easy, the wifes volunteered!

[Proud Pies]

and yet, you type so well with both arms out of action lol

[Eunos]

[Proud Pies]

[HAL]

Compare that to a bad spellchecker helps.