Syracuse, NY
Get her out of there. Get another physician.
In ‘07, my mom was taken to a hospital in Rochester, NY. Couldn’t lift her arms, open her eyes, walk, and when she tried to swallow and water came out her nose. She had to be carried. Since there was no nutrition, she was basically dying. The ER doctor said, “She’s just old”, and told us to take her home (to die). She was 82. We took her home because they wouldn’t admit her. This was before the “death panel” issue, but not before “affirmative action” in medical schools — if you get my drift.
That afternoon, my sister went online and diagnosed the problem as Myasthenia Gravis. She called the specific department at the hospital and said she was bringing her in and they had BETTER treat her. Mom went in and after 24 hours of IVIG, steroids, and IV hydration, she began to rally. Now she’s 88 and has more get-up-and-go than her kids do.
The days of being able to trust doctors to make correct diagnoses are gone. Every family member has to be pro-active. It’s a terrible state of affairs when a secretary can diagnose a problem that a physician can’t. We’re so used to taking as Gospel what a doctor decrees, but we can’t do that any more.
Are there Catholic hospitals in Syracuse where life is valued? I’m not Catholic, but is there an organization of Catholic attorneys who take on these kinds of cases? I know how helpless you feel — have been there. Will pray for her and you.
I read at wiki that there are 3 Catholic hospitals in the Syracuse diocese, one (St Joseph’s) in Syracuse itself tho one google entry didn’t speak well of that hospital’s ER. You might ask your priest if a transfer to a RC hospital where she’d receive better care would be feasible. Or a nursing home run by the diocese, or even one he’d recommend.