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YEah, the last doc Mom had, who WAS pretty good, we were at a community hospital instead of at a big teaching hospital, communicated to me that the things they had to do to revive her from the cardiac arrest were not very nice and if there was no hope of recovery why put her through it? After the first one I was ready to wait a little more, but after the second one it was time.

The problem with the big university hospitals was you couldn't pin the people down. They were so slick, so evasive that you couldn't find anything to hang on to. They would neglect, they would be careless with medications, they would be abusive... one time we could never figure out who the doctor actually WAS! They wouldn't return calls sometimes, would focus in on problems that weren't primary... they loved to treat her diabetes even though it was COPD that was killing her. They would with hold anti-biotics "because they're prescribed too much." Well, that doesn't apply to lung patients. It is uncontrolled infections that usually kill them so you can't wait to see if it's viral like you can with regular people. And that IS what killed her.

All I know is I did my best and it wasn't good enough sometimes, but I'd get up the next day and try again. I never gave up.

The problem with the big university hospitals was you couldn't pin the people down. They were so slick, so evasive that you couldn't find anything to hang on to. They would neglect, they would be careless with medications, they would be abusive... one time we could never figure out who the doctor actually WAS! They wouldn't return calls sometimes, would focus in on problems that weren't primary... they loved to treat her diabetes even though it was COPD that was killing her. They would with hold anti-biotics "because they're prescribed too much." Well, that doesn't apply to lung patients. It is uncontrolled infections that usually kill them so you can't wait to see if it's viral like you can with regular people. And that IS what killed her.

How odd. The treatment my brother-in-law has had at the U of Wisconsin hospital has been wonderful. He was in the heart transplant unit, though, and that may be the difference.

BTW, he's in year 8 with his new and doing fine.