Posts by Thomas Reyes6

I envy anyone who’s actually had a decent experience with doctors; unfortunately, my family hasn't. It was the same story with my late father. He found out he had cancer when a doctor burst into the exam room, shuffling through test results and practically laughing in his face. I’m quoting this: "What do you expect? You have lung metastases, there's no point in me seeing you." He only finally admitted him to the hospital after seeing his potassium levels, adding, "I'll admit you only because I don't want you on my soul when I meet God." I don't know. I think at that exact moment, my father just gave up on himself. These are the kinds of experiences I live through personally. They are stories that should never happen. My respect goes out to the physicians who approach their patients with genuine care and compassion, but they are few and far between.

In the heat of everything, people mentioned reporting the woman from the ER, but they forgot—our priority was my Grandfather and getting him help. They performed a gastroscopy and sent the biopsy off. Then, the doctor called my mother and laid it out plainly: it’s stomach cancer. He told her that within a few days, Grandfather won't even be able to swallow liquids, and he'll need to be on a liter or a liter and a half of IV fluids every single day. They planned to discharge him this Friday to either a facility in a small town or somewhere out in the suburbs. To wrap it up: the situation escalated to where my mother had to be the one to tell her father he has cancer. My mother had to explain the medical options to him—even though she doesn't have a medical degree and doesn't understand the options herself. Grandfather refused the suburban facilities, saying, "I assume there's a bed for me in NYC; I never asked for anything, I just want to die here." So, we decided: a ward in NYC. He was supposed to be discharged yesterday, but then he started vomiting. They said they’d take him for another gastroscopy, but in the end, they didn't bother; according to the doctor on duty, it wasn't necessary. All so they could discharge him today. And the discharge papers? They recommend, and I quote, "consuming liquid food three times a day, with IV fluids as needed," as instructions for the nurse at the facility. A nurse handed over the paperwork because the attending doctor wasn't from this ward, and his primary doctor wasn't available—though he gave the okay over the phone. This is the same doctor who told my mother three days ago that Grandfather needs a liter or more of IV fluids daily. The same doctor who knows that every time Grandfather tries to swallow something at the hospital, he vomits blood. He knows he can't take liquid food orally. I won't even get into the logistics of managing parenteral nutrition outside of a hospital setting. I'm writing all this because I want to know: what is it that truly "breaks" you or the patients themselves? Is it the fact that you or a loved one is battling cancer, or is it having to climb mountains and valleys while dealing with extra stress and incompetence from the very people who are supposed to be helping you?

I visited my Grandfather in the hospital the day before yesterday. He’s 86, and he was diagnosed with stomach cancer just four days ago. Until six months ago, he was perfectly healthy—tending to his garden at the cabin every single day. Then, in the span of a single week, he was bedridden. This is a man who has never been sick a day in his life, someone who kept all his natural teeth until he was 70, yet one morning he simply couldn't get out of bed. He refused to see any doctors, right up until recently. Two weeks ago, he finally asked my mother to come over and call 911 because the pain was becoming unbearable. We didn't know what was happening; we just saw how much he had weakened, unable to even hold down liquids without vomiting. My mother called 911 and tried to explain the situation calmly, emphasizing that this is a man who has never needed medical attention in his life. The ER dispatcher just brushed her off, saying, and I quote, "No, ma'am, he isn't an emergency; you're just trying to get rid of him! Have him see his primary care physician to get a referral!" To make a point, my mother made a second call using a completely different tone, demanding the name of the specific dispatcher. Suddenly, the response changed to, "The ambulance will be there in a few minutes." Thank God they arrived. Once they admitted him to the University Hospital, blood tests revealed he had internal bleeding; his iron levels were at 1, and his red blood cell count wasn't even a third of the normal range. The doctor said it would be unacceptable to let a man bleed to death, so a transfusion was ordered and he was stabilized. We breathed a small sigh of relief after that initial shock with the emergency services. Moving forward, the doctor at the hospital said they would run more tests to figure out the root cause... though, deep down, we all suspected it was cancer.