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JamesBrown - Illness, Hospitalization

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Mariposa said:
Dear James, Angela, and family:

My best wishes to James for a proper diagnosis. If you're in a major US state, there will be lawyers who will take the case - really it's out of a John Grisham novel. Also, you may find that if there is a major university medical school somewhere nearby, the doctors there are professors as well. I would guess they would be more tolerant of James' past than a religiously affiliated hospital. Of course, since James needs a diagnosis, they've got to be good at that, too.

My life was saved by a major university hospital when I was a young kid and had a strange infectious disease that turned out to be a variant of viral meningitis. I was cured totally in less than a week because my parents insisted I be tested for everything.

You are an absolute exemplification of your name <3 and truly, all of you are in my thoughts. www.lawyers.com is one place to find a plaintiff's medical malpractice lawyer. A reputable one should meet with you for free and spell out his or her fees in a contract should the case proceed. Try to find one with an "AV" rating (the highest). And yes, it is possible may go in front of a jury. As others have said, the hospital will likely find it in the best interest to settle.

I have seen situations like this go in front of the media for medical expense funds. Of course James' health is first priority.

I hope the diagnosis comes sooner rather than later - did you ever find out what they were going to do surgery on him for?
Click to expand...

thank you.

just so everyone knows, james' "diagnosis" was a Small Bowel Intussusception. which they told us is basically a telescoping of the bowels. i think that means that part of your small intestinsal tube like rolls up and over another part of your small intestine right next to it. they said it is very rare unless you are an infant or possibly elderly, but since he had had a severe fecal impaction recently I think they thought that this diagnosis would work.

but, as soon as another doctor(surgeon actually) looked at the cat scan, he disagreed completely. so they threw that diagnosis out the window. and ive been doing some reading about this intusssusception thing on the internet and it doesnt really seem to fit his symptoms. not once did any description of this disorder mention severe pain, and james has pain that is beyond severe. it also said that it needs to be treated immediately, and if it isnt treated within 3-5 days, it would likely cause death as a result of some sort of block of blood flow or somehting. im not sure. anyway, he has had SPINE pain and lower back pain and leg pain that feels like nerve pain and doesnt match up with this diagnoses. also, he has been in this extreme pain and having all these horrible symptoms(not being able to eat, sleep, etc) for a month now and he hasnt died yet. he has had no pain in his abdomen where you would imagine some pain might be in that circumstance. so basically the doctor who diagnosed that seems to be an idiot.

i dont think that telling you about this false diagnosis(more than likely false) will help but i could be wrong, i dont know much about all this medical stuff.
does revealing his first diagnosis help anyone get a better idea of what could be wrong with him?
i think its more likely that the doctor was just an idiot because of how james was treated and called a junky and not ever helped with his pain. i have a theory actualy that they thought james was just trying to get drugs and they thought he was hoping to go to the ER and get an injection of some narcotic, and then get sent on his way, high as a kite, but they were trying to call his bluff and say, you have a serious problem, were going to have to admit you...thinking that this would make him upset because all he wanted to do was to get drugs and then leave. but unfortunately for them, he really did have a serious problem and he actually did want to get admitted and have tests run. and maybe that enraged them even more because they were still under the impression he was a junky trying to score so they thats why they treated him with such inhumanity. i mean, i wouldnt even treat a dog the way james was treated. not that animals should be treated any less than humans.

so anyway, that was his one and only diagnosis, and it is almost definitely false.

thank you all again for your support. good news!...he was able to eat an entire piece of pizza today without throwing up all of it, he threw up just a little. that is really quite an accomplishment for him. thank you all for your advice and support.

angela
 
Put him in a coma. Such as a medically induced coma. Your case is similar to tetanus infection...the muscles are so worked up from being in pain that he loses weight rapidly.

I don't think the doctors would argue against it because putting someone in a coma is not exactly getting him high...so they will probably accept it.

Cane2theLeft said:
Ksa- I doubt ANY medical practitioners would induce a coma in a patient they believed wasn't really in pain. Its FAR too risky and if they don't believe he's in pain, they have no reason to.
Click to expand...

Ya you're right.
 
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Ksa said:
Put him in a coma. Such as a medically induced coma. Your case is similar to tetanus infection...the muscles are so worked up from being in pain that he loses weight rapidly.

I don't think the doctors would argue against it because putting someone in a coma is not exactly getting him high...so they will probably accept it.
Click to expand...

While it's not uncommon for comas to be induced for a range of reasons, it's a resource intensive option not without risk and not something one can simply turn up and request.

That said, sedating him for the purpose of carrying out diagnostic procedures is definitely a possibility and it's not especially uncommon.

I'd definitely be trying to organise a consultation with an orthopaedic specialist.
 
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Ksa- I doubt ANY medical practitioners would induce a coma in a patient they believed wasn't really in pain. Its FAR too risky and if they don't believe he's in pain, they have no reason to.
 
Please do not take posts from other threads, other forums and bring them in to announce your disapproval of someone. If you are unhappy with a person's thread, posts or remarks through PM- REPORT IT, or PM a Mod.
Don't try to ridicule any member of BL in TDS, or anywhere else for that matter.
 
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wow that's an intense story. i don't even know what to say, except for the first two things that came two my mind - not telling the doctors about previous drug history from the beginning (i know you cant change the past obviously, but i wouldn't have because personally i know once you say yer an addict doc's become very hesitant for the reasons that they stated however incorrect they are), and getting him what ever pain killers you could. if he's not going to see a doctor for at lesat 3 weeks, i'd want to be on what ever i could get during that time if i was, god forbid, in that much pain. by the time he would be tested his urine would be clean. fucking a i'm not an advocate of drug use for mental/physical problems, but in cases like this it's fer sure necessary. i would even be willing to say heroin.
good luck, i hope you all can find him a decent doc asap.
 
angela,
i am so sorry james and your family are going through this and having such a horrible experience w/ the medical community. sadly it is not all that uncommon and it is unforgivable.

osteomyelitis, an infection in the bones, is often seen in i.v. drug users. the spine is frequently involved. has james had fever at all?

do you know anyone who has medical knowledge and is not an emotionally involved family member who could possibly act as an advocate for james? he def needs assistance getting a proper evaluation by an internist and neurologist at the very least.

don't give up on the medical community because of the assholes y'all have run into so far. be persistent. if at all possible get him to a hospital associated w/ a university. do not take "no" or "we can see him in 3 weeks" for an answer. patients have rights. he is acutely ill and needs to be evaluated and treated now, not 3 weeks from now. there is absolutely no excuse for abusive behavior on the part of any medical professional so report any abusive behavior by doctors or nurses to your state's dept of professional regulation.

best of luck, i'll check back for any updates, and will be saying some extra prayers for your whole family.
-izzy
 
Cane2theLeft said:
Ksa- I doubt ANY medical practitioners would induce a coma in a patient they believed wasn't really in pain. Its FAR too risky and if they don't believe he's in pain, they have no reason to.
Click to expand...

Even if they absolutely believe he's in pain there have to be exceptional circumstances for them to resort to inducing a coma.

I'd really enlist the help of James' parole officer in finding a doctor to co-ordinate his medical care.
 
jamesBrown said:
thank you.

just so everyone knows, james' "diagnosis" was a Small Bowel Intussusception. which they told us is basically a telescoping of the bowels. i think that means that part of your small intestinsal tube like rolls up and over another part of your small intestine right next to it. they said it is very rare unless you are an infant or possibly elderly, but since he had had a severe fecal impaction recently I think they thought that this diagnosis would work.

but, as soon as another doctor(surgeon actually) looked at the cat scan, he disagreed completely. so they threw that diagnosis out the window. and ive been doing some reading about this intusssusception thing on the internet and it doesnt really seem to fit his symptoms. not once did any description of this disorder mention severe pain, and james has pain that is beyond severe. it also said that it needs to be treated immediately, and if it isnt treated within 3-5 days, it would likely cause death as a result of some sort of block of blood flow or somehting. im not sure. anyway, he has had SPINE pain and lower back pain and leg pain that feels like nerve pain and doesnt match up with this diagnoses. also, he has been in this extreme pain and having all these horrible symptoms(not being able to eat, sleep, etc) for a month now and he hasnt died yet. he has had no pain in his abdomen where you would imagine some pain might be in that circumstance. so basically the doctor who diagnosed that seems to be an idiot.

i dont think that telling you about this false diagnosis(more than likely false) will help but i could be wrong, i dont know much about all this medical stuff.
does revealing his first diagnosis help anyone get a better idea of what could be wrong with him?

so anyway, that was his one and only diagnosis, and it is almost definitely false.

angela
Click to expand...

Whoa... more progress. MAJOR progress that James is now able to eat solid food. I am not a medical professional or diagnostician. It is possible that the suboxone could still be 'stopping him up' - absolutely, the previous diagnosis should receive a second and maybe a third opinion. I can't say whether or not that is it. Opioids, including suboxone, can cause fecal impaction, hernias - and the person I would trust the most to make a good diagnosis would be a gastroenterologist at either a university hospital or otherwise one that is highly-rated. I would have the GI doc consult with a pain management or addiction specialist on that possibility. These things might not be detectable under a CAT scan, and someone who is squirming from pain (<3) would not be able to give an accurate read. Most imaging requires the patient to be tranquilized to some degree as it is uncomfortable at best, the patient must be still, and I know I would be screaming from the invasiveness of the procedures alone.

Nervousness and anxiety in general have a tremendous effect on the GI tract, so the distress/stress that James is experiencing due to pain - whatever the immediate cause - it's obviously not helping James physically or mentally. I think that being able to call it something that is correct would be of great benefit. It would give him at least a prognosis. It is not normal for this to be happening to a young man. Have they ruled out an ulcer combined with sciatica? James' injuries from sports combined with stress would be consistent with his symptoms, to an extent. I think at this point in James' treatment, absolutely everything must be ruled out so that James can get his health back. Opiate addiction can take an enormous toll on the digestive system, and a set of proper imaging, perhaps under general anaesthesia (not inappropriate for someone in recovery who requires surgery or an invasive procedure - of that I am sure) and a whole new set of blood work, would seem to be indicated here. The dose may need to be adjusted if he does go under - and general anaesthesia is pretty much an induced coma though as a non-pro I can't advise on that one way or another. The human body has an enormous capacity for recovery in the right hands. I would think it would be the path of lesser resistance to find a successful cure or at least a treatment. I get the feeling this is not terminal; adequate medical care through a university (you wouldn't believe how creative med students can be when working with a specialist/department head!) and James receiving the nutrition and hydration his body needs to repair itself - starting with being able to keep down food, water, juice, and broth - under the care of a savvy medical team who can make up for the failed efforts of the county hospitals - he'll live through this. I would ask even a nutritionist about the value of a bland diet. An immunologist may also have to be consulted to order tests to see if James was allergic to anything he was eating before, though the tests may not be accurate if he's eaten only a mango popsicle and a slice of pizza within the past month. :( <3

I would bring in a GI doc, a pain consultant/anaesthesiologist, a GP who keeps accurate records/can review and correct the ones that were forged, and an immunologist, in that order - if it were me I would get a forensic medical specialist (almost always an MD in the USA) on it, who has nothing to do with the hospital. Your lawyer would be able to facilitate that. A forensic accountant for the bills might also be advisable. I would make sure they know it is"stat" as most are former doctors. The hard part would be picking out those who are biased against "junkies" IMO, and making decisions based on who can treat your bro most effectively.

I hope this has been of some help to you and your family. Continued white light and strength - time is for sure of the essence, so please be sure to consult with your family and with James about all of this. There is no such thing as a lost cause in the eyes of a savvy, intelligent person - whether or not a doctor. Don't give up; whatever they told you before, the right professionals will find the right way. <3

You will, too; you and your family together, all together.

Much love,

Mariposa
 
Love you jb!!!

It's great to see post again, JB. I'm happy something pissed you off :! enough to bring you back. Even though it sucks that you are having an argument with another BLer, I'm still extremely thrilled that you came back. For me that is such an answer to prayers. (No one is paying attention to the other poster. You don't need to worry about it.)%)

Angela is a doll and I am really glad she's been keeping us informed of your progress. My own sister is in her first month of rehab in the outskirts of Nevada somewhere after having a DUI car wreck. She's 41 and away from her daughter, my 10 year old niece, for the first time. It's hard for her. Before this, I haven't talked to her in a few years because SHE has been judgmental over MY substance usage. I would not trust her to help take care of me at all. Last year she tried to talk my kids into doing an intervention on ME. I don't' even drink. She has always felt that alcohol is ok and drugs are WRONG.

Your sister is so helpful, loving, and NONjudgmental and I am really glad for you to have her to help you. I know it is really hard for her to see how much pain you are in. :( Watching you come so close to death has been terrible for her. She says you really are the linchpin holding the whole family together, and it is very sweet to have a sister talk about a brother like that.:)

I am glad you are on some pain relieving substances and getting some of your life back, some of your appetite back, some of your bluelight back.%)

I wish I could be helpful. I'm in California. Frankly, I'm not doing all too well but compared to your situation, my shit is under control. :| Please continue to keep us informed when you feel up to it, and know that you are continually in the thoughts and prayers of people all over. We truly want to see you pull through.<3
 
I have had to do some clean up in this thread-
PLEASE do not use this thread as a place to air out dirty laundry or take up old battles.

If you have issue with a person- take it to PM or report them.
Do not continue to derail this thread.
 
this is angela again. just so you know, for the people who care, james had an appointment with a pain specialist that his suboxone doctor told him about. he was going on friday, but they called today and changed it all around and said the doctor wont be in and the appointment is being moved to tuesday. so an extra 4 or 5 days i think. its good news but i wish they didnt move the date back. its also good news though because this doctor works out of a university hospital. the only hospital we havent been to yet. i think he works with a group of pain management doctors there. i dont know if they are part of the hospital or if they just work in a space in the hospital. we will find out.

please wish him luck. he is now constantly running a fever over 100.5 F because of his pain. whenever his pain is lowered somehow, his fever goes down with it. so that gives us hope that he doesnt have an infection. it might be the pain just causing his body to heat up. i dont really know if it can work that way though.

thank all of you who have been very supportive. it is not only helping james but it is helping me so much.
angela
 
Yea Angela that is strange that his temperature is attached to his pain. I've never heard of that before but I'm no doctor. It would be interesting to find out if other people have that happen....
 
Hang in there until Tuesday but don't hesitate to get him to a 'real' hospital if he deteriorates further over the weekend (unlikely I hope).

We're all hoping James makes some significant progress on Tuesday. <3
 
Wish i had some advice but all i got is my love and hope to send to you, james and your family..
I can only imagine the agony, frustration and heartache you're all experiencing. But what a family! James is very lucky to have such supportive family.

I sincerly hope things keep improving.
 
jamesBrown said:
james was able to eat a mango popsicle today. it was amazing, i could actually tell a difference in him after he ate it. i guess even just a few calories can go a long way in his condition.

thank you all, this could be from your support, and prayers, and wishes, etc.

i appreciate it all. and please dont hesitate to give advice.

i know this seems insignificant but it truly is a miracle to us. when i say he cant eat for weeks, i mean it.
Click to expand...
please please tell me what has happened to james and why is he in all this pain I swear I have thought about this thread for days since I've read it and I know there's a way to help him where are you guys in terms of location
 
as i mentioned in a previous post james' symptoms sound a whole lot like osteomyelitis, an infection in bone. it commonly affects the spine in i.v. users.
just a guess but i've seen it fairly often in 20+ years of hospital nursing which is why i asked about fever.
i hope this new doc can put this all together, accurately diagnosis james, and get him on an effective treatment plan.
best of luck to all.
-izzy
 
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