William Beaumont Hospital ER and Royal Oak EMS Gross Mistreatment by Royal Oak EMS and William Beaumont Hospital ER Royal Oak MI Royal Oak Michigan

This is a true story that you would never think would happen in the USA, but it happened to my wife and me on September 24, 2011 in Royal Oak, Michigan.   The incident was traumatic in the extreme and should never happen to anyone.  Please bear with me as it is very difficult to relive it again in the telling.

First here is some necessary background information to better understand her situation and mind set.

My wife carries the BRCA1 & BRCA2 genes that foretell a women’s greatly increased risk for breast and/or ovarian cancer. Her grandmother, mother died of breast cancer, and two aunts died as well.  Her two sisters also have breast cancer.  Her OBGYN doctor told her that it was only a matter of time when she would get cancer, not if, and he told her it would most likely be aggressive and possibly untreatable.

His recommendation to her was to have prophylactic surgery to remove as much of the “at risk” tissue as possible.  For her that included bilateral prophylactic mastectomy (removal of both breasts) and salpingo-oophorectomy (removal of healthy fallopian tubes and ovaries).  It was a difficult decision that she gave much thought to.  After much study and careful thought she decided that it was her best option to live a longer cancer free life.

She began the process in May, 2010.  The first stage was the removal of her ovaries.  That surgery was done in June 2010.  After another three weeks had past she had the double mastectomy done in July, 2010.  She opted to have breast reconstruction surgery and the first phase of that was complete in August 2010.  That included the insertion of expanders to allow placing of breast implants once her skin was stretched enough.  Also a tumor was removed from her left forearm in Sept, 2010.  She had additional reconstructive surgery in January 2011.

The surgeries were for the most part successful, but not without complications. The pain that she experienced throughout this process was extreme to say the least. She was prescribed pain pills which she took very sparingly as she did not wish to become addicted to them.  The plastic surgery caused painful scar tissue to develop which required another surgery to clean up the scar tissue and ease the pain.

On Sept 12, 2011 she had yet another surgery when both nipples were constructed and an incision made ten inches under her arm to remove excess skin and clean up painful scar tissue from the original surgery.  She was taking an anti-inflammatory medicine and pain pills, but using both very sparingly.  On Sept 22 and 23 she went to her doctor because she was feeling light headed.  She had not taken any medications at all after Sept 15 because she thought that might be why she was feeling that way, however the doctor thought it was from the surgery itself. 

We were supposed to go to a MSU football game on that Saturday Sept 24, 2011 in East Lansing, but I was worried that she was in too much pain and not strong enough to spend a whole day at the game.  As a compromise I talked her into going to downtown Royal Oak to watch the game at a local restaurant that caters to MSU fans.

We spent the entire afternoon (from 12:30 PM, until 6:30 PM) watching the game and having dinner and drinks (5 glasses of wine for her and 4 beers for me).  When the game was over we went shopping in the local shops on Washington Avenue in Royal Oak.  We returned to our home in downtown Royal Oak around 6:30 PM.

My wife was tired and said she was just going to go to bed.  I tucked her in and went to work in my home office.  About an hour later I walked into the dining room and saw water running through the ceiling from our master bathroom.  I became very worried and rushed upstairs to find my wife unconscious in the shower.  I was not able to rouse her and I noticed a bump on her head, so I assumed that she had fallen and hit her head.

I picked her up and put her in the bed.  As I was doing this she regained her senses.  She did not know what had happened.  I was very afraid that she had suffered a concussion and I started to call 911.  She said not to, as she thought she would be alright.  I relented, but was still extremely worried about a concussion.

While I was talking to her she passed out again, and I did call 911.

The Royal Oak EMS people arrived several minutes later and that is when things started to spin out of our control.  As I was telling the EMS team what had happened and they were taking her vital signs the team leader noticed her 2 prescription bottles on the night stand.  His question to me was how many of those had she taken?  I answered that I didn’t think she had taken any for a week.  He seemed skeptical.  I kept telling him that I was worried about a concussion, but he was focused on the prescription bottles.

When I asked him if he thought she had a concussion his remark to me was no he thought she was doing it to get my attention.  In hind sight, I should have told them to just leave, but I was very fearful that she was injured from her slip in the shower and I wanted to have her checked out by a doctor. I filed his comment as curiously inappropriate at best and asinine at worst. 

She had come to again when they were checking her vital signs, and she was confused, scared and disoriented by their presence in our bedroom.  She told them to leave her alone and to get out of her house. She then demanded that they leave her house she was not going anywhere she did nothing wrong. The EMS became very aggressive and she was verbally demanding that they leave.     As this was all happening I was telling her what had happened and that I was worried that she had a head injury.  She was very scared and telling the EMS people to leave her alone.  She then told them she was tired and was going to get some rest.

At this point I felt that I had no choice but to have her taken to the ER.  While the EMS people were dragging her downstairs to put her on a gurney she regained consciousness and again began yelling at them to let her go. One of the EMS techs was holding her right arm above her head.  I told them they couldn’t hold her like that because of her recent surgeries that it was hurting her. They didn’t seem to care.  At this point I was torn between being worried that she had a head injury and the fact that she was now conscious and did not want to go with the EMS people.   I told them to take her to the ER.

In hind sight the EMS people should have done what my wife wanted, as she was awake and did not want to go to the ER.  They took her anyway against her wishes.

They would not let me travel in the ambulance with my wife, so I drove right behind them all the way to the ER.  Once in the ER ambulance receiving bay at the hospital one of the EMS guys yelled at me about being too close behind them on the way there.  I ignored him and tried to go into the ER with my wife.

By the time I find her they were still holding her down and very agitated because of holding her right arm above her head hurting her greatly.  I again told them to put her arm down that she had just had surgery.  They ignored me.

A security guard kept me from going in the ER with my wife by stepping in front of me blocking my way and saying that they would tow my car and call the police if I didn’t move it.  They said to park in the front lot and go in the main ER entrance and I could join my wife then.  I reluctantly complied.  That was a mistake, as I should have insisted on going in with my wife.  Especially in light of what happened to her next when I was not there to look out for her.

I will relate here my portion of the story and my wife will tell you in her own words what happened to her in the ER while they had us separated from each other. 

I quickly moved the car to the parking area and entered the Emergency Room reception area.  I told the people at the desk why I was there and that I needed to get into where my wife was immediately.  They told me to sit down and they would see what was going on and that I could go back soon.

Their idea of soon was more than 20-25 minutes.  The whole time I kept explaining to the people at the reception desk why I needed to be with my wife.  I explained about here recent surgeries, and that she did not want to be there, and that I needed to be with her for support.  They ignored my pleas.  I believe it was from instructions from the ER personnel, as their tactics seemed to be to separate us from each other.

The Royal Oak EMS team leader had shown a callous, arrogant attitude from the beginning and he told the ER personnel that my wife was “uncooperative”, so he set the scene from the start.  What should have been a straight forward examination to see if she had a head injury instead became a series of abuse and mistreatment by the ER personnel that I believe thought they were dealing with a drug abuser or worse.

By separating us from each other they made my wife fearful and even more determined to get out of there.  If I had been with her the whole time I do not believe that the situation would have developed as it did.  The hospital personnel acted in an aggressive, non-compassionate, callous manner toward my wife to put it mildly.

Here is what happened to her while they had sequestered in the waiting room in her own words:

I was put into a curtain area separated from everyone.  I was in a sitting position with my arms wrapped around my knees when the nurse came in. I told her I was alright and that I was not staying she completely ignored and threw a gown at me and told me to get undresses.  I told her I was not getting undressed until I spoke to my husband. She told me to get undressed again and I told her no not until I speak to my husband. She became extremely rude and said “YOUR HUSBAND IS NOT AVAILABLE, WE CAN DO IT THE EASY WAY OR THE HARD WAY.”  I told her I had done nothing wrong and I was leaving.  I went to get up when she called a security guard who came in held me down while they stripped me.  Holding my right arm above my head with such force the pain was unbearable. I was screaming to have them stop which they did not.

Finally after 20-25 minutes of pestering the reception area people they had a nurse’s aide take me back to my wife in the ER.  What I saw enraged me.  There was a security guard (rent-a-cop variety) holding my wife’s right arm over her head.  She was near hysterical with fear and pain.  She was crying and yelling at them to let her go they were hurting her.  In the curtained area was a male nurse, a female nurse and the security guard.  I told them to put her arm down they were hurting her and she had just had surgery.  The male nurse told me he would do whatever he wanted and for me to keep quiet.  I again told the security guard to put her arm down and his response was not to tell him how to do his job.

I saw that they had put restraining straps on her as well.  I said “what the hell are those for?”, and the male nurse answered that she was a threat to his people.  I told him that was bullshit that she was in pain and afraid of what they were doing to her and to take the restraints off her.  I said she would be okay with me there with her.  They refused.  I again insisted, and that became a recurring battle between us the rest of the night.  The restraints only made my wife more fearful of them and how they were treating her like some kind of criminal.  Remember, I called for their help when I thought she might have a serious head injury such as a concussion.  She did nothing wrong.  We were not criminals, merely citizens looking for medical assistance!

The attitude in that emergency room was poisonous, unprofessional and borderline criminal.  The EMS team leader had by his assumptions set the stage for a very traumatic night for us (and my wife especially).  He ignored what I told him at our house and continued to exhibit a predetermined mindset that was nowhere near the truth.  By not treating my wife in a professional, compassionate manner he set into motion the events that transpired that night.  Had she been calmed and reassured that she was doing the proper thing by going to the hospital to be checked out, I believe that the night would have gone far differently!  His jump to a wrong conclusion leads to everything bad that took place that night.

The hospital personnel influenced by his opinion, continued and even worsened the treatment to my wife.  They should have been professional and listened to what I was telling everyone and treated her with the respect and dignity that anyone deserves.  She was there to be examined for a concussion or more serious head injury.  Instead she was treated like a drug abuser, a criminal, or someone worse.  No one should be mistreated like she was!  We went there for help, not abuse!

My wife was strapped to a gurney and put into the hallway in the emergency room.  She was embarrassed and near hysterical with humiliation.  I continued to ask for her to be unrestrained, and when she would have a cat scan to determine if she had a head injury.  We were ignored by nearly everyone working in the ER.

Finally after many requests from me she was placed in a room out of the hallway, but she was still restrained to the gurney.  I was pissed off to no end, but I wanted her to have a cat scan (the entire reason for her being there in the first place) before we left to determine whether she had a serious injury from her fall in the shower.

After what had to be hours they came to get her to have the CAT scan.  She had calmed down somewhat with me beside her, but she still wanted to leave.  I began walking with her down the hall to the CAT scan area when another “rent-a-cop” stepped in front of me and told me that I couldn’t go with her.  I said that I was going with her and he then began pulling on “fighting gloves” (finger less gloves that fighters use in mixed martial arts fights).  I looked and him and said to him “Really? Are you serious? You don’t want to do that!” just let me past.  At that point 2 more security guards joined him in blocking my way.  The nurse’s aide that was taking my wife to the cat scan saw what was going on and told me not to worry she would take good care of my wife and to just stay there and she would be right back.  I finally said okay, because I knew that if I fought them I would be hauled off to jail, not them.

An explanation should be made here to reveal some of my background.  I am a retired U.S. Army officer that has seen my share of combat and organized, trained and lead men for years.  I also served as a “security coordinator” at a Detroit Metro alternative high school.  I have an extensive knowledge of how security personnel should behave and the standards they should maintain.  These rent-a-cops employed at the hospital were looking for trouble and not trying to diffuse it as they should have been.  They were confrontational, poorly trained and should not have been in those jobs.  I was in no manner threatening to anyone from the EMS people to the ER personnel the whole night.  I was insistent that they treat my wife with respect and compassion, but they were unprofessional to a fault.

My wife was returned from the CAT scan back to the room we were in before.  The nurse’s aide was true to her word and she was the only one in that hospital that treated my wife with concern and compassion that whole night!  We then had to wait for the results of the scan.  The whole time the rent-a-cop stood outside the door glaring at me as if to provoke a response from me.  Instead of taking his bait I shut the door in his face instead.  We then waited for over an hour while I continued to ask hospital staff if the results were in yet. They all said they didn’t know.

After becoming increasingly frustrated and angry at the treatment my wife was getting I insisted to talk to the ER doctor in charge.  She finally came to see us.  I asked what the CAT scan results were and she said they were negative, but she wanted to keep my wife overnight for observation.  My first question to her was would the restraints be removed.  When she told us no, and I asked why not.  She said because my wife was a treat to hospital personnel.  I told her that was untrue, and said they she would not be staying any longer. 

She said she would not give her a release and I told her to get me the form to leave without a release from them.  We had endured more than enough abuse at their hands.  We had come there voluntarily for help and they had treated us like criminals.  We both told her we would never set foot in that hospital again, and that their treatment was unprofessional and abusive.

We left shortly after that conversation with her.  My impression was that she could have cared less what we thought, or how my wife was treated.  I left with the opinion that that ER was a mismanaged place that was a danger to anyone going there.  I would tell anyone to go to another ER if they value how they want to be treated.

After that whole night of hell, my wife has suffered severe depression.  She doesn’t sleep at night, she is angry, and extremely depressed most of the time.  The incident is with her daily and it has negatively impacted her well-being.  It is just as if she were raped.   She has been professionally diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and continues to be treated for it.  She is at times extremely angry at me and I feel terrible about what happened and wish (in hind sight) that I had never called Royal Oak EMS, or gone to Royal Oak Beaumont ER.  A younger me would have more than likely been fighting a rent-a-cop and been arrested.  I am glad that I did not react to his taunts, but I also feel that I let my wife down too.  The whole incident is incomprehensible to us.  We just could believe that this could happen to law abiding citizens (let alone anyone at all) in America.

Since this incident my wife had to have shoulder replacement surgery (her right shoulder) and has had many complications from it.  We believe it was caused directly by her rough handling by EMS and ER personnel, as she had no issues with her shoulder before the incident.  An MRI was taken by her orthopedic surgeon and it showed bone fragments floating in her shoulder.  Complications included a second surgery to remove scar tissue that caused severe burning pain.  It was only partially successful and she had to have a series of cortisone injections after that surgery to relieve the pain that had remained after the corrective surgery.  She continues to experience pain to this day, but she will not go back to that doctor again.

We sought the advice of several attorneys, but even though they all said my wife was mistreated and she had a case, they would not pursue litigation.  The reason all of them gave us was that the cost of litigation was too great and the end result too little to pay off for them.  This was another eye opener for us, because believe it or not we wanted the incident to be public in the hopes that people involved would be censored or at least reprimanded for their actions, not in the hope of some wind fall profit to us.  So do not believe all that advertised talk about helping the “little guy”, because bottom line it is all about the money!

Just for your enlightenment you have two years to file a lawsuit, if you can find someone to represent you.

Once we discovered the hard truth about legal representation we began to look for other avenues to file a complaint/grievance.  We found out to our disappointment that you only have 12 months from an incident to file a formal complaint with the State of Michigan.  We missed that deadline while our “case” was being evaluated by an attorney.

I should also tell you that I have prostate cancer and I discontinued my association with Beaumont doctors after this incident (and for other reasons).  I have since begun going to a world renowned hospital in Detroit where the treatment I have received has been night and day different than experienced by us both at Beaumont Royal Oak.  I have been treated with respect and compassion every time I have gone there from the security guards to the doctors and nurses and everyone else working there.

My wife had her other cancer prevention surgeries done at another hospital in Southfield where her treatment was also compassionate and caring.  So, do not believe that there are no other better run hospitals in the metro Detroit area because there are.  We urge you to seek them out and spare yourself a similar experience to ours at Beaumont Royal Oak.

So here we are blogging to get our experience out in public in the hope that it will keep just one other person from suffering similar treatment at Beaumont Royal Oak ER.

We are now finding out that this kind of mistreatment happens more often than you would believe at this hospital.  Once someone hears what happened to my wife, they more often than you would expect share similar first hand stories of abuse, neglect and worse at this hospital.  I can only conclude that many departments are mismanaged and foster the kind of treatment that we and other receive on a regular basis.

Please feel free to share your experiences at this hospital, so others can make an informed decision when it comes to choosing a hospital for them or their loved ones.  I know that there are good people working there that are compassionate and caring, but that was not our experience in the ER at Beaumont Royal Oak.  Think long and hard before going there.