Lori has extreme arthritis that affects her joints, especially the hands. Six months ago she had a reputable surgeon in a hospital reconstruct her right hand….it went well.
Since then, Naphcare has had cost cutting front and center. Lori was thinking she was returning to the same place and doctor for her left hand, but she grew concerned as her van parked in a strange part of town. They went to a strip mall with the usual fast food joints, and one sign that only said “surgeon”.
The guards took her through the back alley where she met a surgeon she’d never seen before. The nurses (?) took her history and wrote down her allergies. It was plain the prison hadn’t supplied this doctor with any information about his new patient he was about to operate on.
When Lori explained the complex surgery she received on her other hand, the doctor said, ” Uh, I don’t do that kinda work. I just cut the nerves so you don’t feel pain.” Lori was horrified but was afraid to refuse for a host of reasons, retaliation being one of them. As she vacillated, the doctor grew impatient and said, “Ya wanna get rid of the pain or what?!” So, against her better judgment she complied.
Lori told the staff TWICE she was allergic to all opiates, Demerol, Morphine, ect. They put a red band on her wrist. At some point during the operation they injected her with Demerol, and she went into anaphylaxis shock!! Who didn’t see the red band on her wrist?!! They had to yank out her breathing tube, causing trauma, pushed Benadryl into her to stop the reaction.
The guards carried Lori, who was in a stupor, into the van and back to the prison, where they unceremoniously dumped her on a bed with no medical supervision for four hours!! The next morning her left arm was wrapped up, but no instructions given.
She started to really drink water, the Demerol was still in her system, and that’s when she had a secondary anaphylaxis incident where her throat closed up. A college educated inmate knew enough to keep her airway open, call for 911 and direct them to give her an epi pen before the ambulance arrived. The bay officer and so-called nurses had NO IDEA what to do to save Lori’s life….but a smart inmate did. The next few days for Lori were painful. Besides the surgery, she had sores inside her mouth and throat from the shock.
No Care Naphcare, how do you sleep at night?