4 replies to this topic

[kipper]

My story..... i was a pretty healthy 32yr old ER nurse, who was diagnoised with epilepsy (partial tonic/clonic) at christmas 2003 following a siezure in front of all my collegues on a very busy shift. Over the next few months i took lamictal that gave me the usual (terrible) side effects. Over the next few month i continued my usual lifestyle (party) hard work & overtime (siezure free).
Being a smoker i came down with the usual yearly chestinfection in April (i live in Australia) felt pretty crap as i was breaking up with my guy and probably getting rundown from too much OT.
For 2 days i still have no recollection what happened but down to pure luck i was discovered on the brink of death from severe respiritory distress by a friend who stuffed me in the car and drove me the 3 minutes to my own ER.
I have vague memories of that time but essentially i was intubated and resusitated by my friends and collegues for 5 hrs before i was stable enough for t/f to icu ( i had 1cm of clear lung bilaterally). I was lucky enough to have multi organ failure and DIC too. Tubed for 9 days and my family had flown 24hrs just to be there when i would die ( if they made it). I came out of it HURRAY and was discharged a week later. off my head on MS contin / Endone/ Dialantin. Weighing just 43 kg (from 58 2 weeks prior). i sent my family home and during my next f/u had to have a 2lt pleural effusion drained. Once again in ER, i was then shipped off "upstairs"...... only to find that i had a gelatenous empyema of my rt lung that would only be sorted by a decortication. Luckily a thoacic transplant surgeon spent 5 hrs doing keyhole instead of a 12'' thoracotomy wound. This meant another o/n stay in icu and then moved to the C/T HDU. Whilst in icu i had overdosed on pca so it was taken down and replaced with a very unsuccessfull thoracic epidural. My first night was terrrible and the icu guys came down to "flush" my epidural i had fevers & rigors (continuously above 40c). Eventually i told them to give me 100mg tramadol po (4am) and i would wait until morning. This is where my respiratory reg ( and budding friend) would deal with it.
I called her personal phone at about 07:30 but she was running late and would come asap. Eventually i fell asleep only to be woken by the hand of a kitchen porter lifting my gown. We were behind close curtains in a 4 bedded bay. I said what the fuck are you doing a couple of times and he left. Whithin a minute my morning round of Drs and nurses entered behind my curtains. When they asked me how i was, i completely decompensated and told them what had happened. Everyone left and i was told to press my buzzer if he returned.
Within the hour the HEAD OF SECURITY WHO IS AN EX POLICEMAN and the ACTING ClINical services manager ( who was actually my boss in ED and acting up in this position for 4 days)
I was interviewed within the hour.
He had been sent home after the complaint by his line manager
He was NOT formally interviewed by the hospital for 6 days.
Following the investigation i was told that they could prove nothing and therefore no further action would be taken.
The were not going to inform the police (this was a week after the event)
Whith the help of my dr friends support. i dragged myself down the corridor (o2 bottle in towe) one week later and reported the case to the police.

This is a very brief part of the story. It has taken an awful lot of earnings, time, sanity dealing with this - Eventually last december he lost his 2nd appeal against the charge. But my leave is now over and i have to return to work next week. What do people think and do you want to hear the rest of it. Just a small addit : he continued working within the hospital that i worked at too, for a full year until he was found guilty the first time.
Thanks for listening i, your thoughts moral and legal would be welcome.
Thanks Kipper

[NawlinsGirl]

HI KIPPER,

FIRST OF ALL LET ME WELCOME YOU TO THE NURSECHAT SITE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR STORY WITH US. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THE REST OF YOUR STORY SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE WITH US.. I AM VERY SORRY THAT YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH JUST WITH YOUR MEDICAL ISSUES YOU SURE DIDNT NEED TO DEAL WITH THAT PERVERTS ACTIONS. YOUR FACILITY SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE AGGRESIVE IN FIRING THAT JERK. YOU WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO WAKE UP AND CATCH HIM , WHAT ABOUT THE PPL THAT DONT CATCH HIM. I AM SO GLAD YOU NOTIFIED THE POLICE AND I HOPE THEY FIRED HIM AND PLACED HIM IN JAIL. IF HE WAS FOUND GUILTY, I WOULD SEE ABOUT SEEKING ACTION AGAINST THE FACILITY FOR NOT TAKING THE PROPER ACTIONS TO PROTECT OTHERS FROM THIS GUY.. ANYWAY, THATS MY OPINION AND I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THE REST OF THE STORY.. I HOPE ALL IS WELL WITH YOU NOW ..

NAWLINSGIRL

[tracy9559]

i agree that really is awful, the medical part was bad enough. why do you suppose they are so reluctant to report it to the police. negative publicity for the hospital? i would have thought if you were up and about and a porter did something inappropriate your word would be enough??
hope you are finally on the road to good health.
tracy

[mattsmom]

I am so glad you survived all that!!! A friend of mine had MRSA sepsis with a similar path..and was unable to return to work . Your youth was on your side for sure!

How awful to awake and find somebody violating you! I don't know the laws in your area, but I do know that hospitals in general are more concerned with bad publicity than keeping their nurses safe. I would pursue this quietly through the police route; and like mentioned, if found guilty sue the hospital for not stepping up and taking action sooner.

Good luck and thanks for sharing!

[Pete]

I am sorry Kipper. This is an awful. Although it is always wrong, I hate it when somones trust is abused by those whom we should be able to have confidence. I have always thought that there should be a charge for the betrayal of public trust. This to be on top of what ever else the person has done. Not just for Nurses and the medical professions but for any profession in which the public should have trust like therapists, teachers ministers etc.
When I hear things like this, I feel let down professionally by these people. I feel professionals should show them that the confidence in these professions should not be abused.