# Where's davidm? In the hospital recovering from a medical screwup. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 29, 2017, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049 "2017-11-29T12:24:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/201 "2017-12-21T14:54:19Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > Then I found out that they’ve been giving me the wrong dose of one of my meds. > > They were confused about micrograms per millimeter, if you can believe that. Yes, I can. I used to take 300 micrograms (mcg) of melatonin at night. One time when I gave a nurse my list of meds, she heatedly argued with me that 300 mcg was the same as 3 milligrams (mg). :smack: (1000 mcg = 1 mg, 1000 mg = 1 gram, 1000 grams = 1 kg, and so forth. Sheesh.) ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/202 "2017-12-21T15:09:00Z")
To add insult to injury, I had an appointed to see my surgeon today. It was scheduled for 9:30 this morning. The wheelchair van picked me up, along with my brother and dropped us off at the surgeons office. When my brother tried to check me in they said that the surgeon was unavailable and that they had left me a voicemail about rescheduling. It turned out that the number where they left the voicemail was one I’ve never heard of! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/203 "2017-12-21T16:59:38Z")
My doctor always calls me the day before to confirm. If for some reason I don’t hear from his office, I’ll call to make sure. Maybe your brother can help with that if you can’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/204 "2017-12-21T23:12:24Z")
**davidm** –by any chance, are you currently in Middle Tennessee? It sounds like my local hospital. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2017, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/205 "2017-12-22T11:52:15Z")
> [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](#): > > **davidm** –by any chance, are you currently in Middle Tennessee? > It sounds like my local hospital. No. I’m in PA, just outside of Philly. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/206 "2017-12-28T20:22:18Z")
How’s it going? I hope you are managing to have some half-way decent holidays. Let us know how the walking is going and if you have any idea when your release to back home date is! ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/207 "2017-12-28T20:27:49Z")
Hang in there, pal. I’m sorry you have to deal with all of that. ---
**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2017, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/208 "2017-12-28T20:38:43Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > (Please tell this Canadian you’re not on the hook for the resulting medical costs of this! Dear God, surely even the US system isn’t THAT heartless! Or is it? I shiver to even imagine that it’s entirely possible!) DavidM’s insurance is going to be billed for the full cost of all this, I think. All those procedures and all those hospital stays. Even if he’d died. As I understand it, even though it was due to a medical error, he’d have to sue the hospital and prevail in court that the error was due to gross malpractice (not just a common mistake or consequence of the procedure, which it technically was) in order to get as a financial settlement…eventually…for the cost of his care plus some for his lawyer plus _maybe_ a little for pain and suffering. Is this correct? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/209 "2017-12-30T08:59:37Z")
I’ve had a setback. I’m back in the hospital with an infection. They think it’s either kidneys or lungs, so they’re giving me broad spectrum antibiotics appropriate for both. Thursday night, my first night back in, I was completely delirious from fever. I thought I’d been kidnapped and was being held in a dungeon. The human brain is a funny thing. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/210 "2017-12-30T12:52:05Z")
Ouch. Sorry to hear that. Most major medical adventures have plot twists & with luck this won’t be a big one. Dungeon indeed. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/211 "2017-12-30T13:27:21Z")
I have no fever this morning. The doctor was in and said that I’m doing much better. They’re pretty sure that the infection is in my lungs; I have pneumonia. They’ve moved me out of the “dungeon” (actually the ICU) to a regular room. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/212 "2017-12-30T13:57:43Z")
Glad to hear things are improving. At least pneumonia seems like a simpler thing to have than some of what you’ve been going through! ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/213 "2017-12-30T14:29:31Z")
Progress! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/214 "2017-12-30T15:27:37Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > I have no fever this morning. The doctor was in and said that I’m doing much better. > > They’re pretty sure that the infection is in my lungs; I have pneumonia. > > They’ve moved me out of the “dungeon” (actually the ICU) to a regular room. Glad to hear you are doing better. That’s one problem with hospitals-- they’re full of sick people, and you’re likely to catch something there. I spent a few days in the hospital earlier this year and got pneumonia, too. But it sounds like you’re on the mend. Were you released to your home, or were you still in rehab when you had to go back to the hospital? Best wishes for the New Year, and keep us posted! ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/215 "2017-12-30T15:56:14Z")
I’m glad you are out of ICU, keep getting better. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/216 "2017-12-30T16:23:43Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Glad to hear you are doing better. That’s one problem with hospitals-- they’re full of sick people, and you’re likely to catch something there. I spent a few days in the hospital earlier this year and got pneumonia, too. But it sounds like you’re on the mend. Were you released to your home, or were you still in rehab when you had to go back to the hospital? > > Best wishes for the New Year, and keep us posted! I was still in the rehab center, which is fortunate, given that they found me unresponsive. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/217 "2017-12-30T16:27:15Z")
I am so sorry that you’re living this nightmare. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/218 "2017-12-30T17:37:35Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > I am so sorry that you’re living this nightmare. Thank you. Nightmare is the right word for it. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/219 "2017-12-30T18:24:50Z")
Nightmare yeah, but it makes great stories, right? Right? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2017, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049/220 "2017-12-30T19:49:35Z")
Dear David: My wish for 2018 is that it finds you happy and healthy and back to living your life without all this awful in it. Is there anything we can do for you while you’re in the hospital? Anything we can send you? Are you going back to rehab after this? I pray for better outcomes and your swift recovery. your humble TubaDiva [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-davidm-in-the-hospital-recovering-from-a-medical-screwup/803049.md?page=12)