The System

Today my dad did pretty good. He says he is glad he only hurts on his right side. I was happy to see he was in a pretty good mood for all he has been through. He got out of bed and ate lunch in his chair. It really hurt him to move around. He said he was glad that all the pain was on the right side (referring to the first fall when he hurt his shoulder and the second fall that ended in a broken bone)

Here is one of the main reasons I hate the Kaiser system. The Kaiser system is compartmentalized. The doctors refer you back and forth and you never get a answer.

I did not feel like asking questions last night after being at the hospital for 12 hours. The surgeon called it a semi hip replacement and it was a "good" surgery.

Today I wanted to know what is a semi hip replacement. This afternoon I notice the "a" section doctor at the nurses station. I was polite at first. I said excuse me Doctor, do you have time to answer a question? Yes, she said. I said what part of my dad's hip did they replace? She said you will have to ask the surgeon. Ok I have to admit it, I lost it.

I said to the "a" section doctor knowing the answer,  what time do you expect him in. She said oh, well he could come in at anytime. So being the smart ass I am, I said so you expect me to wait here for hours and hours and he may not show up until the middle of the night? "A" doctor said your right they do work 24 hours" I said all I want is a simple answer. What part of the hip did they replace? "a" doctor - I don't know. Do you think you could look on that computer your sitting in front of and find the notes from the surgery? Reluctantly she agreed. She looked at the notes and looked at me and said you will have to ask the surgeon. I hit the top of the nurses station with my hand and said in a voice that made everyone turn and look - This is what I hate about this hospital, everything is so compartmentalized, all I want is a simple answer to a simple question. Nothing more! I stomped back into my dad's room.

The next thing I know, doctor "a" is in my dad's room with the phone. She had the surgeon on the phone.  I asked the surgeon what is a semi hip replacement? He said everything except the hip socket. He went on to tell me Dad has a brand new ball and metal bone. Great, that is all I wanted to know, thank you for your time I said to him. The surgeon went on to tell me about his plan of action. He was very nice. When I got off the phone I told "a" section doctor thank you for helping me find the answer.

Why do they make you go though all that crap?  I don't like loosing my temper. I am learning how to work the system. If you have a question beat up the nurses station desk and you will get your answer.