Having psychiatric diagnoses & then carrying them in your records through any health care you seek needs changing.
Why?
Because even in a phys health crisis, you're treated as a mental illness problem, no matter how normal your feelings about pain & discomfort are.
For example,
In April, I had sudden pain on my left side so intense, all I could do was crawl to my phone to call 911. After transport to the ER, I was told I had kidney stones & would be admitted. Yes, I was given strong IV painkillers, a private room during Covid, all that seeming fine, and
the next morning, nurse announced I was headed down to surgery to remove the kidney stone. Fine. Pre-surgery, urologist told me he'd also be placing a stent in my ureter to help urine drain things out. Ok. Female nurse & anesthetist were with me thru procedure. All ok so far but
after the procedure, the stent inside me hurt badly, and felt like a constant jabbing to my genital area. Not only was it painful, it felt like never ending sexual assault. The pain meds weren't giving enough relief & I started to get a bit freaked out. Staff said pain meds were
being stepped down, but nobody offered help on how I could otherwise deal with the extremely sensitive pain. I kept trying to tell nurses what it was like. They sent an ICU nurse to basically instruct me to get a grip on myself. I was out of line. So I felt unheard, despairing,
like I'd rather just die, honestly. Staff deemed me actively suicidal, many guards suddenly surrounded me, gathered all my stuff, phone too, & I was given a sitter in my room, to watch me. (But we broke the phone out.) Then a dr did an evaluation to determine if I should go to a
psych unit upon med discharge. The next day the dr returned to talk about it & my therapist sister got on the phone & pushed the liability issue re risk of contracting Covid at a psych unit, making the dr's eyes get big. She left. I laid in bed, sitter in room, fearing I'd end up
tossed in some psych unit, a stent up me, genital area on fire, no pain meds, trying to recover from kidney stone removal. Had to gather all my inner strength to remain calm & pleasant, to get a good behavioral report from nursing staff, to avoid a psych hosp at all costs. Next
day, psychiatrist came in to talk. He asked if I was just in so much pain that I became irrational, suicidal. Yes, I said, yes and I'm fine now, forcing a smile. 2 hours later I was released home, still in lots of pain, no prescription for any pain relief, but at least home. Then
a few days later, got stent out. Still much discomfort, but better.
Days later, went to online med portal & read dr's admission notes. I was viewed as schizophrenic the whole time in hospital, an erroneous diagnosis made in past that just stays. Almost got me a psych admission.
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