Health Horror Stories
"These stories of health abuse are not independently verified by the editors of this website. However, all of the women have agreed to a HIPPA release to any qualified attorney willing to take their case, or to an investigative reporter from the media."
Patient Finds Erroneous Information In Her Medical File
We get many reports of people in Perryville that find wrong records in their files. This particular patient was undergoing an endoscopy when the doctor asked about her liver transplant. “Liver transplant?!” she exclaimed. She had never even come close to having one. Then the doctor went on to divulge that the notation in her file said: “transplant was from a live donor.”.
Why does wrong info make a difference? Because healthcare providers give treatment plans based on what the inmate’s file says. Critical errors may result.
Wrong Diagnosis of Cancer Could Have Caused Suicide!
.(See June 24th story of “Another cancer causality on Carlos”)
Provider JOHNS misdiagnosis of end-stage cancer put GG in severe mental distress. Reportedly, she spoke of ending her life between tears of grief. GG was put in IPC to, allegedly, receive ” better pain management care” than she could receive in GP at Carlos.
A source in IPC said she heard GG cry all night in pain. According to GG, she would press the nurses button repeatedly for her pain pill, but it would take the night nurse an hour to get to her.
While at IPC a real doctor had a complete blood panel done. GG did not have cancer!!! Her severe pain was caused by a spinal issue, and her other symptoms were due to anemia, B12 deficiency, and fatty liver problems. Dr. Ibham was furious when he found out that JOHNS had made her diagnosis completely from an MRI scan.
GG is back among her support group and never wants to go back to IPC for any reason.
Elderly Woman Endures 3 Days With Broken Femur, With Only Muscle Rub For Pain!
This one takes the cake. We’ll let her tell it in her own words. We will call her “Sue”.
“I collapsed again on San Carlos, but this time I woke up to terrible pain. My leg was at an awkward angle, but when I tried to straighten it the pain made me pass out again. The nurse said my blood pressure was only 65/45, so they were so concerned about that they refused to look at my leg.
They got busy giving me fluids trying to get my pressure up. Officer WATT was very kind fetching me water and fruit cups. When my pressure got to 100/60 Officer WATT told the nurses, ” Look at her leg”, but the nurses sent me back to my Bay with muscle rub for pain. I cried all night in severe pain.
The next day I was wheeled into medical where the nurse said, “Oh, it’s you again.” I told her I think my leg is broken. She had a brief conversation with provider JOHNS, who sent me to X-ray at Complex. Officer AVILA said I had to get pants on as I was in shorts. It took three inmates to help me put pants over my bruised and broken leg. The pain was unbearable.
Officer AVILA pushed my wheelchair to the Vehicle gate and left me in the hot sun. Transport officer GONZALEZ arrives in the regular van and demands I get in. I tell him I can’t get out of this chair, and he’ll have to come back with the wheelchair-accessible van. He grumbles and whines, but eventually gets the correct van.
At Complex x-ray my pain is nonstop as they move me on the slab to get the picture. I am literally screaming my head off. After that, I’m transferred to IPC instead of back to my Bay. That night I was given T3 for pain.
The next morning Dr. Ibham greets me with the news my femur is broken in two places and he’s called 911. Immediately in the hospital, I get an MRI and CT scan, then wheeled right into surgery. Anesthesia was my first pain relief in 3 days. The surgeon told me my surgery went well and that I have a titanium rod now, and he also fixed my knee.
One of the officers that sat in my hospital room was named Blake. This officer treated me with contempt at all times. Blake commandeered my TV remote that had the Nurse call button it. I had to beg her to let me use it for that purpose. When I couldn’t reach something like my water glass, and I asked her for help she always said, “That’s not my job.”
When I was discharged from the hospital, Officer Garcia parked my wheelchair 4 feet from the van, and said nastily, “Get in. I can’t help because I’m not allowed to touch you.” The surgeon ordered me not to put any weight on my leg. No stool, no walker, no cane…..she ordered me TO HOP ON ONE FOOT and get in the van. )Keep in mind I’m also shackled from head to foot.). When they realized the physical impossibility of it all, one officer got behind me and tried to lift my torso, while Officer Garcia took both my knees and jerked me up into the van sideways. I SCREAMED in pain and almost blacked out!
I don’t even remember getting back to Perryville. At the Vehicle gate, there was a discussion among the guards as to where I was going. They decided to deposit me at IPC, but when we got there the nurse said I wasn’t on her list. I begged her to let me spend the night as I knew they’d throw me back in my cube with no medication at all. She agreed because it was only 24 hours since my surgery.
The next morning the head nurse said the on-call doctors told her to send me back to my Bay because they had no “idea what to do with me.” So back to my bay I go, this time via the wheelchair-accessible van. The catch is, no one could get the lift to work properly. Eventually, a Sargent rigged it enough for transport, but the door was sprung. Again at the V gate, officer MARKEL stripped me out and refused to allow me any of my clothes or property or pain meds or KOPs. I spent the night in extreme pain.
The next morning, believe it or not, I go back to IPC. Officer SOTO wheels me to the gate. Officer NELSON comes over and says, “How’s it going” as he KICKS my wheelchair with his foot! I scream in pain, and to her credit, Officer SOTO said to NELSON, “What the hell are you doing, she has a broken leg!” Nelson said he was just “kidding around”, but this is the second time he’s kicked my wheelchair.
This time when I entered IPC, Dr. Ibham greeted me red-faced and fuming! He was so mad. He told me, ” I left specific instructions for you to be sent here to IPC after your discharge from the hospital. What were those #@%* people thinking! I swear this place is so f***up it makes my head swim!”. After he calmed down, he told me why I had been falling down all these many months. The medication I was given for night terrors, Prazozan, was famous for causing falls. It should never have been given to an elderly woman, and any “idiot” should have known better. I stayed 5 more days in IPC. When I get inventoried of all my belongings, there might be another story”
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I was in prison for 17years and have seen so many people die in front of me It’s traumatic and I have PTSD from it. Medical never helped me for my heart problems, never took tests, just told me I have congested heart failure and didn’t do anything for me. I saw it every day. They never helped us, made us always feel like we were lying and would send us away. Making people work in the kitchen who have scoliosis, heart problems, people who have AIDS and Hep C as well as other STDs. There’s rat poop on our kitchen food, birds all over our trays that we eat off of making us all even sicker, black mold everywhere. We can’t breathe in our cells due to all the mold and crud in our walls, vents, and coolers. They are trying to kill us – they don’t care and the money they get for us does not go to us. There is so much more.
I’ve been sexually attacked by the CO police officers twice. I have my whole life to account for in there and I’m surprised I made it out after 17years. They have medium inmates on max yards getting assaulted and they don’t care. They say it is due to no room. They also send you to max yard as punishment without ever getting tickets. It’s all retaliation. They will ruin your life if you don’t do what they want. They make up lies, yep the sergeants, if you refuse to work because you don’t feel good. I heard a Sergeant say “Oh you’re going to hurt yourself” then cuff her up and put her in isolation when the girl never said it. I’ve seen it all, believe that.
Hi Cynthia! I’m not sure if you’ll see this but I am so sorry for what you went through. Thank you for sharing a glimpse of your story. I would love to ask you questions as I am exploring ideas for my doctoral capstone and am interested in issues in the AZ Women’s Prison. Is there any way we could talk further?
That was my friend 😭 she was cool ag and funny. I feel bad I had to leave San Carlos for Cruz. But fck their medical center, the whole prison is fucked up and corrupted. I’ve been out for 8 months now and I still remember everything like yesterday especially with health care. Like can the prison do an upgrade and fix their shit or will more ppl have to die like my friend here? It’s fucked up because I knew she was having a hard time in the beginning getting her shots. We both came from the same county. She wasn’t even a criminal like person. She was fun, bright and very smart, like she could’ve went to college. She had alot planned for herself…damn I love Jowell thank for the laughs and being a loyal friend. Rest in Paradise
Yeah, she was a very cool person to know. She would hug you when she saw you with a big smile. She was always cool to everyone, no hate or anger in her heart but she probably did towards ADOC health employees
I was incarcerated for 9 years and just released March 2024. In 2019, my stomach swelled up and I looked 9 months pregnant. They told me I had impacted stool and had me drink a laxative. The pain got worse, I couldn’t breath or walk and this went on for 2 months. My family contacted the ACLU and prison and finally in February 2020 I was sent to the hospital and diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian cancer. I was in the hospital for 10 days and started chemo. I went back to the prison and was expecting chemo every 3 weeks. It took over a 3 weeks for me to get scheduled for my next chemo. In May, I had just came back from chemo and was told I was packing up and being sent to San Carlos. I had to load and unload all of my belongings after a day of chemo and was being transferred to a yard with 1300 women. I then had surgery to remove the cancer in July and once released from the hospital was sent to Maria and put in a cell, by myself with no A/C. I had to move everything by myself and carry a chair out to take a shower. I had an incision from belly button to my pubic bone. Finally after 2 weeks, I was sent back to Carlos. I was told later that I had peritoneal cancer and not ovarian, after I had had a complete hysterectomy. I never had a follow up PET scan to make sure the cancer was gone. In March of 2023, I started seeing a new oncologist, Dr. Benjamin and he finally ordered a PET scan and saw that I had cancer again in the same area of my stomach. I had surgery again in May and started six rounds of chemo. Between the medical Dr’s John and Johnson my medical treatment at the prison was horrible. They didn’t give me anything but Tylenol and Excedrin for the pain and I had to fight to get an extra mattress and extra milk for protein shakes. If I didn’t have my family to support me and stand up for me I would have died. I applied for clemency 2 times and because I wasn’t dying in 3 months, I was refused. Something needs to change with the health system and prison.