PHYSICIANS STICK TOGETHER

WHEN OUR MOTHER WAS FLOWN TO ARMC IN MAY 2007, WE WERE TOLD THERE WAS NO BED AVAILABLE AT HENDRICK.
ONCE AT ARMC WE WERE TOLD THERE WAS NO CHANCE OF HER MAKING IT THROUGH THE NIGHT.
THE CCU PHYSICIAN, DR. PATE, LIFTED HER HEAD UP OFF HER PILLOW, SHINED A SMALL FLASHLIGHT INTO HER EYES AND SAID, "SEE, SHE IS ALREADY GONE." HE THEN LET HER HEAD FALL BACK ONTO THE PILLOW. HE DID THIS WITH MY SISTER AND I IN THE ROOM.
NOT ONLY DID SHE SURVIVE OVER NIGHT, SHE TOLD US THE NEXT DAY SHE HEARD EVERYTHING DR. PATE WAS TELLING US.
IN THE WAITING ROOM WE HEARD A NUMBER OF FAMILIES COMMENTING ON DR. PATE HAVING THE PERSONALITY OF A FENCE POST. (I AM AWARE DR. PATE IS A HENDRICK PHYSICIAN)
WITHIN A FEW DAYS, HER CARDIOLOGIST FOR MANY YEARS, DR. BARGAINER VISITED HER AND SAID HE WASN'T SURE WHAT HAD HAPPENED. WE DISCUSSED THE DRUG PROCRIT SHE HAD RECEIVED AND HE STATED, "WE WANT TO MAKE SURE SHE DOESN'T RECEIVE THAT DRUG AGAIN."
OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS AS HER ONDITION IMPROVED, SHE WAS MOVED TO THE FIFTH FLOOR AT ARMC.
DURING THIS TIME THE PHSYICIAN AND NURSES WERE REMINDED DAILY SHE WAS NOT TO RECEIVE THE PROCRIT DRUG AGAIN. HER CHART WAS CLEARLY MARKED AS WELL.
AFTER VISITING OUR MOTHER ON A DAILY BASIS, HER CONDITION IMPROVED EACH DAY. THEN ON A FRIDAY IN JUNE, SHE APPEARED VERY CONFUSED, NO APPETITE, AND WAS HAVING SEVERE STOMACH PROBLEMS. (WE DID NOT REALIZE AT THIS TIME THAT SHE HAD RECEIVED THE PROCRIT DRUG THE NIGHT BEFORE AT 11:00pm.)
OUR MOTHER WAS RUSHED BACK TO CCU A SHORT TIME LATER. IT WAS AT THIS TIME THAT WE LEARNED SHE HAD RECEIVED THE DRUG AGAIN ALTHOUGH SHE HAD REPEATEDLY TOLD THEM NOT TO GIVE IT TO HER AGAIN.
THE CCU PHYSICIAN AT THIS TIME WAS DR. HEADSTREAM. WHEN I ASKED DR. HEADSTREAM ABOUT THE PROCRIT DRUG BEING GIVEN AGAIN, HE GOT WITHIN TWO INCHES OF MY FACE AND YELLED, "YOU CAN HIRE ALL THE GOD DAMN ATTORNEYS YOU WANT. IT WON'T DO ANY GOOD." AS MENTIONED EARLIER, THIS WAS WITNESSED BY EMPLOYEES OF ABILENE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER. MY SISTER AND I WERE ESCORTED TO THE ADMINISTRATION OFFICE WHERE WE WERE INSTRUCTED TO FILE A COMPLAINT AGAINST DR. HEADSTREAM. WE WERE ALSO INFORMED HE HAS A HISTORY OF THIS BEHAVIOR BUT IT IS USUALLY NURSES FILING COMPLAINTS AGAINST HIM.
AFTER COMPLETING THE COMPLAINT FORM, MY SISTER AND I RETURNED TO THE CCU AREA. I CONTACTED DR. HIRSCH FROM HENDRICK AND INFORMED HIM OF WHAT WAS GOING ON. (SHE DID NOT HAVE CANCER)
DR. HIRSCH ARRIVED AT ARMC AND IMMEDIATLY STATED, "I AM SORRY. SHE HAS HAD A SEVERE REACTION TO THE PROCRIT. I AM SUPPOSED TO BE ON VACATION (JULY 4TH WEEK) BUT I AM GOING TO STAY HERE AND SEE WHAT I CAN DO. LETS GIVE IT A FEW DAYS AND LET THE PROCRIT GET OUT OF HER SYSTEM."
DR. HIRSCH THEN WALKED INTO THE CCU ROOM WHERE HE WAS SEEN TALKING TO DR. HEADSTREAM. WE WERE LATER TOLD BY A NURSE THAT THEIR CONVERSATION WAS VERY HEATED.
I IMMEDIATELY RECEIVED A PHONE CALL ON MY CELL PHONE FROM DR. HIRSCH AND HE SAID, "I KNOW I CAN NEVER CONVINCE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY BUT THE PROCRIT DRUG DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THIS."
MY SISTER AND I THEN WALKED BACK INTO CCU TO THE NURSES STATION. DR. HEADSTREAM ASKED A NURSE TO HAND HIM OUR MOTHERS CHART. DR. HEADSTREAM WAS HANDED THE WRONG CHART AND HE THREW THE CHART DOWN ON THE DESK AND YELLED TO THE NURSE, "THAT IS THE WRONG GOD DAMN CHART." ONCE HE WAS HANDED THE CORRECT CHART, HE IMMEDIATELY TURNED TO A HANDWRITTEN NOTE BY DR. HIRSCH THEN SMILED. HE THEN SAID, "NOW, DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS?"
AS OUR MOTHERS CONDITION BECAME WORSE, DR. GULLETT WALKED IN AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED TALKING ABOUT LAWSUITS AND WHY WE SHOULD NOT EVEN CONSIDER IT. I ASKED DR. GULLETT WHY HE AND DR. HEADSTREAM WERE CONTINUOUSLY TALKING ABOUT LAWSUITS AND REMINDED HIM WE HAVE NEVER EVEN MENTIONED LAWSUITS. DR. GULLETT THEN STATES, "MY MOTHER DIED THE SAME WAY YOUR MOTHER IS GOING TO." A FEW WEEKS LATER AN ARTICLE IN THE ABILENE REPORTER NEWS MENTIONED DR. GULLETTS MOTHER WAS VISITING ABILENE FROM ANOTHER STATE. DR. GULLETT FAILED TO RETURN MY PHONE CALLS AS I HAD A QUESTION FOR HIM.
OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, WE REQUESTED TO MEET WITH ALL THE PHYSICIANS TOGETHER. THE SOCIAL WORKER, LINDA SPEEGLE DID A GREAT JOB OF PLANNING THIS MEETING. HOWEVER, EACH DOCTOR REFUSED TO MEET TOGETHER WITH US. WHEN WE CONTINUED TO REQUEST A MEETING, THEY CAME AND TALKED TO US ONE AT AT TIME.
WE CONTINUED TO TRY TO GET OUR MOTHER TO HENDRICK MEDICAL CENTER BUT WAS REPEATEDLY TOLD, "THERE ARE TOO MANY POLITICS INVOLVED BETWEEN THE TWO HOSPITALS IN ABILENE. YOU ARE BETTER OFF HERE." THEY WOULD NOT LET US MOVE HER OUT OF ARMC. FINALLY, WE WERE ALLOWED TO TRANSFER HER TO BAYLOR IN DALLAS. BEFORE LEAVING FOR DALLAS, SHE SUDDENLY BECAME UNRESPONSIVE. SHE REMAINED THAT WAY THE ENTIRE STAY AT BAYLOR. THE PHYSICIAN AT BAYLOR STATED THERE WAS NOTHING HE COULD DO. HE THEN STATED, "IF THE DOCTOR IN ABILENE INJECTED HER WITH PROCRIT WHEN SHE TOLD THEM NOT TO, THEY DON'T HAVE A LEG TO STAND ON."
WE THEN MADE ARRANGEMENTS FOR HER TO BE TAKEN TO HENDRICK MEDICAL CENTER.
WHEN WE ARRIVED AT HENDRICK MEDICAL CENTER, DR. GULLETT WAS THE FIRST ONE TO GREET US, EVENTHOUGH HE HAD BEEN TOLD REPEATEDLY TO STAY AWAY. JOINING HIM WAS DR. FEHL, WHO HAD BEEN FIRED AND TOLD TO STAY AWAY ALSO. THEY WERE BOTH TOLD AGAIN TO LEAVE.
BEFORE LEAVING, DR. GULLETT STATED HE WAS LEAVING FOR A CAMPING TRIP TO CALIFORNIA AND IF I NEEDED HIM I COULD CALL A NUMBER HE GAVE ME AND THEY WOULD LEAVE A MESSAGE TIED TO AN OAK TREE DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO HAVE CELL PHONES IN THE AREA HE WAS CAMPING IN. (VERY STRANGE BUT TRUE)
I TOLD DR. GULLETT TO NOT BE EXPECTING ANY CALLS FROM ME.
MY SISTER AND I THEN TALKED TO THE NURSING SUPERVISOR AT HENDRICK AND WERE TOLD SHE WAS NOT A BIG FAN OF DR. GULLETT BUT THERE IS NOTHING SHE COULD DO TO STOP HIM FROM COMING TO THE CCU AREA.

TO BE CONTINUED AFTER TEXAS MEDICAL BOARD INVESTIGATION: