<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TheBeef @ Jul 2 2008, 12:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticKing @ Jul 1 2008, 11:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Damn thats so bad man on so many levels. Have you thought about suing the hospital?</div> I contacted the most powerful lawyer in town, the one guy that I knew could take them down or alteast scare them into settling, and listen closely to this part: I go in, give a deposition, after he takes my statement, he says hold on a sec, he leaves the room, comes back in a few minutes later and says he cant take the case, its a conflict of interested becasue hes on retainer from the hospital....so he basically took a deposition under false pretenses knowing that he would see us in court if we got that far....now when I contact the other lawyers in town, they wont take it, because they are afraid of him and because we already gave him a deposition.... </div> Thats very sad. Can another lawyer from out of town take the case? (like from another state for example) So how long has she been disabled? If you don't mind me asking Beef.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TheBeef @ Jul 2 2008, 12:50 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticKing @ Jul 1 2008, 11:39 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Damn thats so bad man on so many levels. Have you thought about suing the hospital?</div> I contacted the most powerful lawyer in town, the one guy that I knew could take them down or alteast scare them into settling, and listen closely to this part: I go in, give a deposition, after he takes my statement, he says hold on a sec, he leaves the room, comes back in a few minutes later and says he cant take the case, its a conflict of interested becasue hes on retainer from the hospital....so he basically took a deposition under false pretenses knowing that he would see us in court if we got that far....now when I contact the other lawyers in town, they wont take it, because they are afraid of him and because we already gave him a deposition.... </div> That lawyer should be fired, he knew he was on retainer for the hospital. You need to keep going lawyers that you haven't been to yet and keep trying. Maybe even talk to AEM, he might know something that you can do.
Horrible situation. I can say that hospitals in New Jersey are closing down in a rapid pace because the state is in the worst financial crisis ever. As a result hospitals become more and more crowded. In my own personal experience, I had to go to the ER a few years ago on a Sunday afternoon, and there was a mass of people there. Mental hospitals are even worse because they are being phased out because they're old/outdated in favor of a more clinical type hospital or outpatient treatment program. The report mentioned she had been admitted the day before and had been waiting for a bed. Overcrowding in Psychiatric hospitals have been a problem for decades. As for what happened, I'm guessing either the people there are dumb as rocks, willingly ignored her, or thought she was just causing a scene because she was mentally ill. Either way, the doctors and the orderlies covered it up by saying that while she was lying on the ground, she was going to the bathroom or sitting up. Then the smoking gun in the form of the video came up and now they're completely fucked.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticKing @ Jul 1 2008, 11:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>So how long has she been disabled? If you don't mind me asking Beef.</div> November 27th was the 1st day she complained of dizziness and double vision....within a day, she couldnt stand up....
So 8 months later and the docs still don't know the diagnosis? How old are the kids? and how are they coping with it? And she's able to talk right?
She can talk and she can see, just not well enough to balance on her own....she uses a walker around the house and a wheelchair if we go to the doctor....the kids are 8, 7, 3 and are used to it now, but they all have had issues....the hospital was so heartless that after they fired her, they contested her unemployment becasue if you cant work, you arent eligible....then when the unemployment kicked in, after a hell of fight, it cancelled the food stamps becasue it put us over the income limit....like I said, a nightmare on all levels....the unemployment is over now, and it takes a while to get the foodstamps, so August would be the soonest....so I work three jobs, take care of 3 kids and a handicap adult, cook all meals, do all the shopping, and still we slowly sink because I make just under what we pay out and thats if we ignore all the collections calls from the medical bills....in my spare time, I fight the government and the counterintuitive social programs that reward those that refuse to work and ignore those that are killing themselves to make ends meet....Im 31, I havent slept more than 6 hours a day in months, I average around 4, my hair is turning white, its falling out in patches, and I have violent hallucinations when I sleep that seem so real that Im often scared to even try....Im diabetic and cant drink alcohol or Id likely be a drunk by now....but I will say, its theraputic to talk about, because I have very few outlets to vent....all of which make me the logical choice for Commisioner of FUN!!!!!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TheBeef @ Jul 2 2008, 01:14 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>She can talk and she can see, just not well enough to balance on her own....she uses a walker around the house and a wheelchair if we go to the doctor....the kids are 8, 7, 3 and are used to it now, but they all have had issues....the hospital was so heartless that after they fired her, they contested her unemployment becasue if you cant work, you arent eligible....then when the unemployment kicked in, after a hell of fight, it cancelled the food stamps becasue it put us over the income limit....like I said, a nightmare on all levels....the unemployment is over now, and it takes a while to get the foodstamps, so August would be the soonest....so I work three jobs, take care of 3 kids and a handicap adult, cook all meals, do all the shopping, and still we slowly sink because I make just under what we pay out and thats if we ignore all the collections calls from the medical bills....in my spare time, I fight the government and the counterintuitive social programs that reward those that refuse to work and ignore those that are killing themselves to make ends meet....Im 31, I havent slept more than 6 hours a day in months, I average around 4, my hair is turning white, its falling out in patches, and I have violent hallucinations when I sleep that seem so real that Im often scared to even try....Im diabetic and cant drink alcohol or Id likely be a drunk by now....but I will say, its theraputic to talk about, because I have very few outlets to vent....all of which make me the logical choice for Commisioner of FUN!!!!!</div> The govt is messed up man, I live close to Springfield Mass and I see it here, how people that don't work, are perfectly healthy receive benefits, whether its food stamps, mass health (like medicaid), and on top of that money to spent. And again they're perfectly healthy and able to work, they're just lazy and enjoy ripping the dumb govt. Then you see people that work day and night yet will never get a break from the govt. So she was very healthy before and then suddenly this happened? Have you tried contacting the media and see if they can help with the cause to get the govt to help you with the bills and everything else?
Our medical system has always pissed me off, I would really try to invest more money (if possible) into that if I was a politician.
Shes was healthy and active before she became ill, working and attending college(shes less than a year from bachelors in elememtary education at UCF). We havent been able to get her disability because they wont approve a claim if no doctor will attest to what the ailment is and because no doctor has been able to diagnose her, it leaves us in the lurch....these arent normal doctors either, the nuerology department at the Univ of Florida, some of the countries leading researchers put everything they had into her for a week....we spent 7 days at UF-Shands in Jacksonville and she saw teams of doctors every day we were there....they have eliminated a crazy list of ailments including cat scratch and lyme disease....they essentially tested her for everything and nothing came up, but when they test her eyes, they can see the nystagmus(sp?) which means one her, her left, tracks sideways back and forth causing her double vision, dizziness, and loss of balance.....
This sounds like an extremely unlikely circumstance, given the type of ailment afflicting your wife and the bad luck you had with your lawyer. Don't know what to say, I wouldn't stop trying though.
Pretty sad for the woman. I'm glad I've never had any truly serious medical problem and had to wait in a waiting room for 10 hours in agony. As well that's pretty rough Thebeef. Hopefully you will have a long lost uncle that you will inherit 30 million dollars from, as well as his title as Commissioner of Fun!! But seriously, sounds like you're doing a damn good job considering the circumstances.
My observations... This IS GOVT. HEALTH CARE at it's finest. King's County Hospital. Key word is County, as in government run. It was a psych ward. The people in the video looked like patients to me. They're nuts in the first place, or at least disturbed. They also probably have seen people do strange things before (like lying on a floor) and didn't think anything of it. I'm not defending the hospital in the least. The commentary is spot on - she had problems and was in the right place to get them taken care of. My personal experience is somewhat different from what people say it's like. My wife had a seizure a couple of years ago and got a ride to the emergency room in an ambulance. She was seen right away and got immediate care. In fact, she got too much care, as the hospital first asked me if we're insured (no) and then asked if I own my home. When they found out we do own our home, they ran up the bill - my wife had every test imaginable, and given the choice of an expensive test or a cheap one, they chose the expensive one. The bill was staggering, but I was able to negotiate it down to a fraction of what they first billed us for. It still hurt a lot to pay it. That said, I've had to see a doctor once or twice a year. I go to one of the nearby clinics and get seen generally within an hour. The diagnostic centers around here are excellent as well. While at one of these clinics, I've seen people come in who belonged in an emergency room (broken leg or whatever) and the clinic sent them over right away. My wife sees doctors monthly or so, and there's no issue with the quality of her care; in fact, I got to know one of her doctors and he's a very cool fellow. The bottom line is that big hospitals only make sense in crowded urban areas where you might even find one every square mile. As the cities grow, the hospitals get overloaded - they were built for X people per square mile and now there's 10x (or whatever). In the US, the emphasis on health care is at the clinic level. We're building new and lots of clinics as fast as they can be done. The clinics serve as outstanding triage centers - people with the flu get prescriptions and sent home, while those who are really sick end up at the hospital where they belong. *shrug*
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Denny Crane @ Jul 2 2008, 01:57 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>My observations... This IS GOVT. HEALTH CARE at it's finest. King's County Hospital. Key word is County, as in government run. It was a psych ward. The people in the video looked like patients to me. They're nuts in the first place, or at least disturbed. They also probably have seen people do strange things before (like lying on a floor) and didn't think anything of it. I'm not defending the hospital in the least. The commentary is spot on - she had problems and was in the right place to get them taken care of. My personal experience is somewhat different from what people say it's like. My wife had a seizure a couple of years ago and got a ride to the emergency room in an ambulance. She was seen right away and got immediate care. In fact, she got too much care, as the hospital first asked me if we're insured (no) and then asked if I own my home. When they found out we do own our home, they ran up the bill - my wife had every test imaginable, and given the choice of an expensive test or a cheap one, they chose the expensive one. The bill was staggering, but I was able to negotiate it down to a fraction of what they first billed us for. It still hurt a lot to pay it. That said, I've had to see a doctor once or twice a year. I go to one of the nearby clinics and get seen generally within an hour. The diagnostic centers around here are excellent as well. While at one of these clinics, I've seen people come in who belonged in an emergency room (broken leg or whatever) and the clinic sent them over right away. My wife sees doctors monthly or so, and there's no issue with the quality of her care; in fact, I got to know one of her doctors and he's a very cool fellow. The bottom line is that big hospitals only make sense in crowded urban areas where you might even find one every square mile. As the cities grow, the hospitals get overloaded - they were built for X people per square mile and now there's 10x (or whatever). In the US, the emphasis on health care is at the clinic level. We're building new and lots of clinics as fast as they can be done. The clinics serve as outstanding triage centers - people with the flu get prescriptions and sent home, while those who are really sick end up at the hospital where they belong. *shrug*</div> I personally think it is all still way too expensive.
