Looking for a specialist...
in Health ·
ruggedeagle95, check your PMs!
hiddenheron78
hiddenheron78
Home ›
hiddenheron78 › Posts
Posts by hiddenheron78
7 posts shown.
crimsonpuma48 said:1. I am totally on the same page as you! 👍
2. But seriously, why haven't you hooked up with someone in the medical field yet since you come from a family of doctors 😕?
I just don't have that chance anymore. I lost my mom back when I was just in elementary school—she passed away from cancer in her 40s—and then my dad was taken from us by the war just ten years later.😢
Harold Mendoza3 said:I'm lost—what didn't you sign? :
I haven't signed the organ donor waiver! That goes back to what I mentioned earlier in my other posts.
When it comes to being medically savvy and staying on top of health stuff, yeah, I'm definitely one of those people. Part of that is just because both of my parents were doctors. Growing up around that, I totally get how incredibly tough and high-stress the job is. But I also learned that to be a *real* doctor, you need way more than just textbook knowledge—you need actual social skills and empathy, too.
And oh boy, there are all kinds of patients out there. You've got the ones who think they're geniuses, and then you've got the ones who trust their neighbor's medical advice more than their own physician. It's gotta be exhausting for doctors, honestly.
As for my own experience, it wasn't about me acting like a know-it-all or demanding some specific treatment I read about online. It was much simpler than that. The day before my surgery, I had a long talk with my surgeon. He explained how lucky I was that we caught everything early while my fallopian tubes were still okay, and he told me we could fix everything easily with laparoscopic surgery. But then, when I got into the OR, I was met by a completely different doctor! When I asked where the guy who actually treated me was, he just shrugged and said his colleague handed him off because it was a "routine procedure" and "he knows how to do it too." 😕
Well, things turned out the way they did, and when I eventually asked that second doctor why they didn't do the laparoscopy like planned and went with an open incision instead, he basically told me, "We could have, but this way was just easier." 😠
Honestly, I felt totally violated. 😠
Look, here's what I expect from a doctor: lay out all the options, explain the procedure step-by-step, walk me through the risks, and give me the pros and cons for every single choice. Tell me what *you* think is best, but at the end of the day, the final call should be mine. I'm the one who has to sign the paperwork and, obviously, live with the consequences of that decision.
crimsonpuma48 said:Which hospital were you at when all that happened?
.
At the local Mayo Clinic... Honestly, I switched doctors after that whole mess! My new doctor is absolutely wonderful, but since she’s in private practice, she doesn't handle surgeries herself. She ended up referring me to her colleagues over at Johns Hopkins.
Oh, and that bit about transplants was just a side note—it's just that if they can't even seem to notice me when I'm standing right in front of them, I can only imagine how much more trouble I'd cause if I actually decided to put up a fight! Anyway, I haven't signed anything. I think it's a beautiful thing to help someone else out, especially if I can't even get the help I need myself.
You totally missed my point!
Jose Miller3, of course I wasn't talking about just grabbing blood straight from the vein. What I meant was someone offering to donate blood that goes through the whole standard processing and prep routine for a transfusion if needed—and if it isn't used immediately, it just stays in the system for whoever else might need it, just like any other donation.
My dad passed away during the war back in the early 90s, so I never got the chance to ask him anything personally. But from what I know, it’s actually pretty common for hospitals to ask immediate family members if they want to donate blood when a loved one is prepping for surgery. I even think there's a thing where you can donate a few months ahead of time and then they essentially use your own supply during the procedure. I mean, people are constantly complaining about the shortage of donors, so why is it an issue when someone actually steps up??
Honestly, though, what really ticked me off was the whole protocol regarding receiving it—since when do I not get a say in the decision? It actually got me thinking about how I might just sign an organ donor opt-out form right now. If a situation ever arises where, God forbid, something happens—who’s actually going to check if I signed the paperwork or not? I wouldn't be able to argue my case anyway, just like I couldn't walk myself out of a hospital bed.
Jose Miller3, of course I wasn't talking about just grabbing blood straight from the vein. What I meant was someone offering to donate blood that goes through the whole standard processing and prep routine for a transfusion if needed—and if it isn't used immediately, it just stays in the system for whoever else might need it, just like any other donation.
My dad passed away during the war back in the early 90s, so I never got the chance to ask him anything personally. But from what I know, it’s actually pretty common for hospitals to ask immediate family members if they want to donate blood when a loved one is prepping for surgery. I even think there's a thing where you can donate a few months ahead of time and then they essentially use your own supply during the procedure. I mean, people are constantly complaining about the shortage of donors, so why is it an issue when someone actually steps up??
Honestly, though, what really ticked me off was the whole protocol regarding receiving it—since when do I not get a say in the decision? It actually got me thinking about how I might just sign an organ donor opt-out form right now. If a situation ever arises where, God forbid, something happens—who’s actually going to check if I signed the paperwork or not? I wouldn't be able to argue my case anyway, just like I couldn't walk myself out of a hospital bed.
I think this might have been discussed before, but since I’m brand new to the forum, I’ll just ask anyway: what are actually my rights as a patient when you find yourself stuck in a situation like this?
A few years back, I had surgery at a major hospital in Chicago due to an ectopic pregnancy. It was diagnosed early enough that they said an emergency intervention wasn't necessary.
My husband and I share the same blood type and RH factor (AB+), so he offered to donate blood specifically for my surgery, but they told us that isn't how things usually work here. They didn't even consider his offer or run any tests—they basically just brushed him off. Before the procedure, I made it crystal clear that I did not want any blood transfusions unless my life was in immediate danger. They didn't offer me any paperwork to sign or anything; they just supposedly "noted" my decision.
The surgery itself went fine, but just a few hours after I woke up,
the doctor mentioned during rounds to the nurse that I looked "a little pale" and suggested they could give me "one dose just to perk me up." Now, I am naturally pale—I'm a total blonde, light hair, light eyes, so appearances can be deceiving! But I still repeated my decision to the doctor: no blood unless it's a life-or-death emergency. I even reminded her that my husband had offered to donate if it was truly vital—and she just snapped back, "I don't make the rules, I'm not the President." I insisted again that I felt perfectly fine and didn't want the transfusion, but she went ahead and ordered the dose from the nurse anyway. The dose the nurse brought out was A+ (okay, I know, AB+ is the universal recipient, but there was absolutely NO NEED!) and the woman starts hooking me up while I'm still protesting the whole thing.
The only other thing I could have done was cause a massive scene and rip those needles right out of myself! 😠
To make matters even worse, instead of the laparoscopic surgery we had originally discussed, they performed an open surgery. And instead of repairing the fallopian tube, which was just slightly stretched (according to them), they ended up removing the whole thing! The doctor's breezy explanation was simply that "it was easier that way." 😠 😠 😠 😠 😠 To top it all off, my gynecologist later suggested it might actually be better that way, because if they had tried to repair it and messed up, I could have had another ectopic pregnancy in the same tube. "There's less chance of it happening naturally on the other side now," she said, as if I should be thanking her! Result: I can NEVER get pregnant again because that surgery left me with a ton of adhesions. I have one child from before, but I wanted more, and I'm just not satisfied with "well, at least you have one."
Now, I've been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst and they've recommended surgery (supposedly laparoscopic again). It’s not an emergency, but it needs to be handled, and I am running away from making a decision like the devil from a holy water sprinkler because I just can't imagine going through that again. It absolutely terrifies me to think that I have zero control or say over my own body. By the way, my late husband was a specialist in transfusion medicine, which is where my aversion to transfusions comes from—unless it is absolutely, critically necessary. And don't even get me started on the lack of any principle regarding respecting a patient's choice once options have been presented.
Is there even a way in this country for a person to normally express their opinion, get actual answers, advice, and a list of options from a doctor, and then decide for themselves what to do? It would be so much fairer if those jerks at the hospital had just told me, "Look, we can do laparoscopy, but that costs, say, $5,000 out of pocket, or we can do the traditional way which Medicare will cover." Fine! Then I have a choice. But this...
A few years back, I had surgery at a major hospital in Chicago due to an ectopic pregnancy. It was diagnosed early enough that they said an emergency intervention wasn't necessary.
My husband and I share the same blood type and RH factor (AB+), so he offered to donate blood specifically for my surgery, but they told us that isn't how things usually work here. They didn't even consider his offer or run any tests—they basically just brushed him off. Before the procedure, I made it crystal clear that I did not want any blood transfusions unless my life was in immediate danger. They didn't offer me any paperwork to sign or anything; they just supposedly "noted" my decision.
The surgery itself went fine, but just a few hours after I woke up,
the doctor mentioned during rounds to the nurse that I looked "a little pale" and suggested they could give me "one dose just to perk me up." Now, I am naturally pale—I'm a total blonde, light hair, light eyes, so appearances can be deceiving! But I still repeated my decision to the doctor: no blood unless it's a life-or-death emergency. I even reminded her that my husband had offered to donate if it was truly vital—and she just snapped back, "I don't make the rules, I'm not the President." I insisted again that I felt perfectly fine and didn't want the transfusion, but she went ahead and ordered the dose from the nurse anyway. The dose the nurse brought out was A+ (okay, I know, AB+ is the universal recipient, but there was absolutely NO NEED!) and the woman starts hooking me up while I'm still protesting the whole thing.
The only other thing I could have done was cause a massive scene and rip those needles right out of myself! 😠
To make matters even worse, instead of the laparoscopic surgery we had originally discussed, they performed an open surgery. And instead of repairing the fallopian tube, which was just slightly stretched (according to them), they ended up removing the whole thing! The doctor's breezy explanation was simply that "it was easier that way." 😠 😠 😠 😠 😠 To top it all off, my gynecologist later suggested it might actually be better that way, because if they had tried to repair it and messed up, I could have had another ectopic pregnancy in the same tube. "There's less chance of it happening naturally on the other side now," she said, as if I should be thanking her! Result: I can NEVER get pregnant again because that surgery left me with a ton of adhesions. I have one child from before, but I wanted more, and I'm just not satisfied with "well, at least you have one."
Now, I've been diagnosed with an ovarian cyst and they've recommended surgery (supposedly laparoscopic again). It’s not an emergency, but it needs to be handled, and I am running away from making a decision like the devil from a holy water sprinkler because I just can't imagine going through that again. It absolutely terrifies me to think that I have zero control or say over my own body. By the way, my late husband was a specialist in transfusion medicine, which is where my aversion to transfusions comes from—unless it is absolutely, critically necessary. And don't even get me started on the lack of any principle regarding respecting a patient's choice once options have been presented.
Is there even a way in this country for a person to normally express their opinion, get actual answers, advice, and a list of options from a doctor, and then decide for themselves what to do? It would be so much fairer if those jerks at the hospital had just told me, "Look, we can do laparoscopy, but that costs, say, $5,000 out of pocket, or we can do the traditional way which Medicare will cover." Fine! Then I have a choice. But this...
Looking for a specialist...
in Health ·
After years of wandering around and having some seriously awkward experiences, I finally found "the one." Honestly, I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world: Dr. Mary Bjelica-Stilinović over at 84 Horvatovac St in Chicago.
It’s a private practice, and oh my gosh, it is stunning! It’s decked out like a high-tech space lab or something. She’s in her 40s and just an absolute gem—always smiling, super easy to talk to, and she never leaves a single question unanswered. Everything is done with such incredible skill and precision, which is great, but most importantly, it was actually pleasant (well, as pleasant as a dentist visit can ever be!). They have everything under one roof too—surgeons, prosthodontists, orthodontists—you name it. Plus, they document absolutely everything; they use this special camera to capture before-and-after shots and keep it all on file. Now, she isn't the cheapest option in Chicago, but she’s certainly not overpriced either, and she is worth every single penny.
If you had told me back in the day that I’d end up cracking up with laughter while sitting in a dentist's chair, or that I'd be geekily staring at dental prosthetic results, I would’ve thought you were totally crazy! But hey, here we are! 🙂
hiddenheron78
It’s a private practice, and oh my gosh, it is stunning! It’s decked out like a high-tech space lab or something. She’s in her 40s and just an absolute gem—always smiling, super easy to talk to, and she never leaves a single question unanswered. Everything is done with such incredible skill and precision, which is great, but most importantly, it was actually pleasant (well, as pleasant as a dentist visit can ever be!). They have everything under one roof too—surgeons, prosthodontists, orthodontists—you name it. Plus, they document absolutely everything; they use this special camera to capture before-and-after shots and keep it all on file. Now, she isn't the cheapest option in Chicago, but she’s certainly not overpriced either, and she is worth every single penny.
If you had told me back in the day that I’d end up cracking up with laughter while sitting in a dentist's chair, or that I'd be geekily staring at dental prosthetic results, I would’ve thought you were totally crazy! But hey, here we are! 🙂
hiddenheron78