NORWALK HOSPITAL NEGLEC, ABUSE NORWALK, Connecticut

I'm talking about the guy who reccomended ipecac as some magic cure-all.

I went to NH three times with exactly the same symptoms as Mr. F. The fisrt time, in '95, I was fast-tracked, because I first went to a walk-in clinic for my symptoms. They thought I had appendicitis and called ahead; I was seen 'immediately'. (Helpful advice: Walk-in or 'urgent care care' clinics are useless if you are experiencing abdominal pain, chest pain, or headaches. The only thing they can do is refer you to the ER for CT scans, MRIs, etc. Save your money and skip the walk-in clinics for these types of things).

Even being fast-tracked, it still took about an hour before I had my blood taken and labbed, IV in place, was medicated for fluids, anti-biotics and pain meds , had a catheter inserted, and started drinking the kool-aid for the ct scan. (I was admitted with diverticulitous and spent 5 days in the hospital on antibiotics and pain meds, no surgery).

The next time, 2008, same symptoms, it took about 3 hours to be triaged, seen, medicated, only I didn't have insurance then, so when they said they wanted to admit me, I demurred and was sent home with 12 vicodin and anti-biotics. It sucked, but I got thru it.

The last time (December 2011), presented with nausea, vomitting, diarhea, extreme abdominal pain; they were so busy, I never even got into a private ER room. They kept me in the hallway behind the triage station for 6 hours till they told me they were admitting me, and I'd probably need surgery. (spent 4 weeks and ended up with a colostomy). But during those 6 hours, they took my blood and urine, hooked me up to an IV, gave me fluids, anti-biotics and pain meds.

I also had no insurance and no income at that time. Shortly after being admitted I got a visit from my assigned case-worker, who got me on medicaid, and so my needed surgeries (3 in all, this year) have been paid for.

At no time was I treated with anything less than courtesy, kindness, and professionalism. I think, if you go into an ER screaming "I need pain meds!!", you will be seen as a drug seeker. If you go in in honest pain and are polite, this is what you will receive in return. But in my experience a person who is loudly complaining of pain takes back seat to the one who is crumpled on the ground, passed out from the pain (that would have been me, the last time), or the person who is in shock because their leg is hanging on by a thread (never me, thank god, but I've seen it). And yeah, it generally does take a few hours.

Also: I took my mother to the ER 3 times this year for near-the same symptoms. In her case it turned out to be infectious colitus (hospitalised for weeks each time, plus extra time in rehab/nursing home). At all times she was treated with courtesy and professionalism. I took her again twice this year for injuries; more courtesy and professionalism.

I've been to the ER *TWICE* just this past week, once to get my mom stitches, last night to bring my sister in for alcohol detox. Even my mess of a sister (unwashed and unlovely in the misery of her addiction) was treated with kindness, courtesy, and professionalism. Even by the ER tech, who had to clean her up from her unexpected menstrual mess, was nothing but kind, consoling, and sympathetic. Really, from what I've seen, ER nurses and techs are nothing short of heroes, doing the really mucky jobs for the least grateful of patients.

In none of these 7+ cases were we treated poorly. But, none of these cases took less than 2-3 hours just to get seen (with the exception of my fisrt admission). It's just the nature of the system.

If you had an IV (making "2 hours without attention" a lie), then you also had blood drawn, which has to go to the labs to see what's up, what infections you have, right? My first two ER visits, I had a high fever and a high WBC count, the last was a different infection, there was no manifestation of fever or elevated WBC count, but a different serum evaluation showed a different infection, not apparent by the normal means of fever and WBC.

If your doctor had been waiting on these lab reports, then it might be obvious why he wouldn't want to treat you before he knew what was going on?

So I have to wonder what the heck you did to piss them off so badly? It may have happened the way you say it did (and I'm sure your lawyer is working on that), but that hasn't been at all like my experience.

And to the person who glibly recommended syrup of ipecac? Horrible advice. You don't know if the person is suffering from colitus, diverticulitus, appendicitus, a beeding ulcer, CANCER, etc. Why on earth would you profess to give such irresponsible advice (just puke, you'll feel better??!!), as if you were some kind of expert?

In short, my extensive experience with Norwalk Hospital ER and their personel has been amazing, over a period of years.

First of all, when you go to an ER, you expect to be treated urgently and with RESPECT.

It's obvious you got NONE OF THAT at this SORRY EXCUSE FOR AN ER!

NO SYMPATHY for the ones in pain, while most likely the staff was just playing cards or having a smoke-break.

I would have b**ch slapped that c**t Kathleen to the floor!

STAY AWAY! from this h**lhole and be glad you DIDN'T receive treatment.  With the story you tell, I wouldn't want these guys examining MY DOG!

A TIP-

IF you find yourself at an ER again, immediately UPPLAY your level of discomfort.  Sometimes they will ask your level of pain on a scale of 1 to 10 etc.  ALWAYS make it sound like you're on the verge of dying!
I once told one of these places that I thought I had been poisoned.

THEIR TRICK IS  to sit back and snicker at your discomfort long enough for you to give up and leave.  Then they will bill you or your insurance the same as if you had received treatment.  It's FREE MONEY! for these BOTTOMFEEDERS!

THE BEST plan is to STAY AWAY! from these places ALTOGETHER.  Check around your area for "URGENT CARE or TREATMENT CENTERS".  You should have better luck there and, according to my insurance, will be MUCH CHEAPER.

OR if you're lucky enough to still have some ipecac (not sure of proper spelling) syrup lying around, or know where you can get some, that will save you the trip altogether.  Unfortunately, the stuff worked SO GOOD that the medical profession lobbied to have it discontinued.

A FUNNY SIDENOTE:  I recognized one ER employee on the shoulder of the road one night who had obviously wrecked their motorped.  Since I remembered them not being too overly concerned with my discomfort way back when, I decided to just motor on after throwing my slushee on them.

Good Luck!

Your problem was for YOU an "emergency," however, your problem was NOT a medical emergency. When you go the the Emergency Department, your "complaint" is given what is called an "Level of Acuity." A person who ambulates (that means WALKS IN by his own 2 feet), complains of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain presents as a patient that can wait for the next available room. In addition, when a patient is hollering, screaming, complaining and can't shut up about the wait time, that gives the medical staff a VERY accurate picture of how comfortable or not that patient truly is, and gives them plenty of reasons to make the ASSESSMENT decision that you could wait for a room. Unfortunately, there are not always room available everytime someone walks in the ER for an issue. Did you call your primary care physician for any of the symptoms you were having? Did you try any over-the-counter medications for ANY of your symptoms? Did you do anything to try to resolve any of your symptoms prior to coming to the ER? If you called your doctor(and you SHOULD call your doctor for this complaint) what did your doctor say to do, and did you follow your doctor's orders?
In addition, you claim you did not get care, you didn't like the care, no one did anything for you?? Apparently you had an IV in your arm(which you also complained about) , during placement of which blood was taken and sent. Blood is always taken when the IV is placed. Several nurses and a physician have "examined" you. You only "RIGHT" is to get a "MEDICAL SCREENING EXAM," to make sure you are not going to fall over and die from your "complaint," and THAT is the only RIGHT you have. There is NO LAW that says the doctor needs to solve all your problems, the doctor only needs to screen you, which a "SCREEN" is based on the doctor's judgement. Doesn't mean you get to order up a CT, an XRAY, or anything else you can google. You GOT a MSE(Medical screening exam." Google that while you're looking for more things to complain about.  You complain you asked the nurse for pain medication while you were waiting and didn't get any, yet then you complaint the doctor saw you, gave you pain medication, yet you STILL complain the doc had not done a CT scan or anything to diagnose you before he gave you pain med? So what is it, did you want to sit there in pain and complain more, or did you want them to make you wait 5 more hours for CT and Xray and blood results to come back and then give you pain medication? You are a very typical self-centered person who comes to the ED instead of going to their primary doctor, you come for issues that are NOT emergent, and then you tie up resources complaining and causing drama. You don't have a RIGHT to have your NON-EMREGENCY seen before someone who is actually emergent. You have NO idea what was going on in the rest of the department, including CPR, coding a child who died, or someone having a Stroke. You stand and there and THREATENED staff you were going to leave unless you get pain medication, and then you complaint they GAVE you pain medication? You don't make any sense. They should have told you to leave, you were wasting everyone's time.
Oh, and by the way, just because you come in by ambulance, that does not make you look any sicker than you actually are. In fact, when you are perfectly capable of WALKING, and you've been to this ER 2 previous times for the same thing, you are even LESS emergent. You are tying up valuable resources that should be available to someone who is actually sick. You should be ashamed of your self. GET a primary care doctor, USE your primary care doctor. And if you insist on going to the ER by ambulance, and insist on going back to an ER that you have had ongoing "issues" with, then get over yourself. You WILL have long wait times.
And because you just took an ambulance for your BS, there is a wife doing CPR on her husband on the front lawn....waiting and praying for the ambulance to get there.

It's amazing but true from the first to the last letter.

I came to this hospital because it is the most clouse to my house and the other is  more than 10 miles from my home in an emergency situation that counts.

The case has been reported to the authorities  in addition to my lawyer.

And besides I'm not stupid moron, it was a emergency situation

IF, and that's a BIG IF, this really happened the way you "tell" it, you have a case for malpractice...but it's so unbelievable I doubt anyone would take you seriously.



First, if you REALLY did have to wait all the time, you don't know what the staff had underway in the treatment areas unless you peeked in the curtains....did you?



"....this woman pull the needle from my arm so violently that the blood leap......Put your hand in the arm to hold the blood at the end is your own blood."



You sound like a welfare queen who didn't have her demands met when she wanted them.



One BIG question, if these people were so cruel, uncaring, unprofessional and just plain mean, did you go back....are you really that stupid?



I'd really be interested in the true story and what was found to be wrong with you, or is that between you and your shrink?