OTHER HORROR STORIES
1. Lester Murray
Lester wrote: "My father was chained up 24/7 for being a wanderer. My Mum and I
worked two eight hour shifts and he was chained up while we were absent. At the
same time, former NDP MPP Frances Lankin found her mother chained up in Toronto.
While I was threatening to go to the media--if my father was a dog the SPCA
would arrest the CMH staff, if my father was a child Children's Aid would arrest
the CMH staff, if my father wasn't so old there isn't enough staff to chain him
up--Lankin researched what other jurisdictions do and found that Ontario was by
far the worst in elderly abuse."
Date submitted to me: July 3/12
2.
Jessica Barnett
3. Marnie Hunt Brown
9:10pm Jul 7
I had my tubes tied at 23. Too young I know. It was done with plastic and
titanium filshie clips and one had come off and had migrated and was digging
into my ovary. (Sorry for graphics.) My periods were loads of very large black
blood clots and was extremely painful. I went to a GP and told him my symptoms.
He said "You are constipated" I said " Of course Im constipated, Im living on
Panadine Forte!" He said "you need to see a bowel surgeon" I said " I need a
gyneocologist" He referred me to the bowel surgeon. I went and saw her and said
"These are my symptoms and I need a Gyno" She referred me. I went to the
Gyneocologist and he said "Youre constipated" I said "Of course Im constipated,
Im living on Panadine Forte" He said "You need a colonoscopy" No one is
listening to me???????
I go back to the bowel surgeon. She says "Everyone should have a colonoscopy
after 40 and have one every 5 years after that" She convinced my partner Bill
that it was "a walk in the park" Her words. I eventually agreed she could take a
look but NO BIOPSIES!!! Bill backed me up and reiterated to her NO BIOPSIES!!!
She put a camera down my throat as well but never at any time did she tell me
she was going to do this, and took a total of 16 biopsies which she sent to a
pathologist in Tamworth! Why Tamworth? I live in Grafton. He must be her mate!!!
I woke up from the operation in extreme pain. They sent me home anyway and as
the bitch (what I call her) had conviced Bill "it was a walk in the park" he
thought I was a big whinger so he dropped me home and went to the pub. I went to
bed. When I woke up I was in excrutiating pain. I ran to the loo and then was
stuck there in too much pain to move. I called out to Bill to bring me a bucket
which he did and I proceeded to throw up half a large horse food bucket with
fresh blood and blood clots. Bill rushed me back to hospital with half of the
blood contents in a large olive jar. No one wanted to look at it!!! No one did
pathology on it!!! I got an Indian doctor who could NOT speak English and he
tried to tell us I had Giardia which is a water borne parasite that DOES NOT
MAKE YOU VOMIT BLOOD!!! We told him Id just had a colonoscopy/ gastroscopy 12
hours ago, but he was adament it was Giardia. Of course he took a pathology test
for Giardia which came back negative..Daaaa. The (bitch) bowel surgeon arrived.
Not for me, she was just passing through but Bill grabbed her. She said "You are
just different to everyone else" - Her professional opinion! I asked her "why am
I vomiting blood?" She said " I dont know, Im really busy, I have to go" That
was the last time I ever saw her. She did not arrange a follow up appointment.
The doctors then put me on Tramadol at the hospital as I was still in the same
original pain, as well as a new pain, and Tramadol does not affect the lining of
the gut like Panadine Forte. I went back to the gyno and said I still have the
pain and despite 16 biopsies that the bitch did they found nothing wrong with my
stomach/ bowel DAAAAA. He finally opened me up and found the filshie clip HAD
come off my fallopian tube - what do they think I dumb and dont know my own
body???? It had burrowed and made a great big hole in my ovary. As if I didnt
already know that. THEN they gave me Tramadol to take home for the pain after
the operation, but it was 6 x the dose for my weight. I didnt know - they are
the doctors, so I took the pills and then 2 days later wasnt hurting so bad so I
stopped. No one told me not to! So I started vomiting, every hour on the hour. I
couldnt take another pill if I wanted to. I handled 1 day then Bill took me to
the hospital where they injected me with Tramadol and Maxalon. How lucky am I
not to have had a stroke!!! Why dont doctors know about this??? All I did was
Google Tramadol and read it in the Tramadol Fact Sheet that Tramadol and Maxalon
combined can cause a 90% chance of stroke!!! 16 days 16 different doctors. I
told all of them I was taking Tramadol and then stopped. No one got it! Why do
they care - its not their body! Most of them cant even speak English!!!! On the
16th day of vomitting non stop, Bill Googled Tramadol Withdrawal and hey presto.
I had every single symptom. 16 days. Not one doctor worked it out!!!!! I would
like to note that despite going to Grafton Base Hospital 14 times, they only
have a record of me being admitted 5 times. Whats with that??? Ive tried to get
justice for the lack of care at Grafton Base Hospital especially by the bitch,
but both the Director Jean Collie and HCCC have done their best to cover it up,
and I am yet to receive an apology from anyone!!!
I went to a second bowel surgeon for another opinion. He assured me that the
bitch had definately cut me on the inside with the camera and I am very lucky to
be alive. I asked him how old he was. He replied "65" I asked how many
colonoscopies he had had. The answer? "NONE" So much for "needing one every 5
years after 40"
I will never trust a doctor again. At least I can trust Google!!!
4. FAMILY SEEKS ANSWERS AND ACTION
Monday, January 12th was a first anniversary. It was not marked with a
celebration or cake as it was the anniversary of the death of our brother, Donald Joseph Driscoll. On January 12th, as we stood at his grave, we felt an
overwhelming sense of loss. We were reminded of the suffering Don
endured. We were reminded, too, of the extent to which the medical
community failed Donnie. Donnie died of pancreatic cancer. He was only 48
years old. Donnie suffered from abdominal pain for 10 years. From the first
time he sought help from his doctor, he was tagged with the label of
depression. Tests that may have saved or prolonged his life were never
ordered. He was told time and again about the cycle of depression and pain
- that it was depression, not some underlying medical condition, that was
responsible for his pain. When Donnie was finally referred in March 2007 to a
specialist in Moncton, he weighed 136lbs and suffered debilitating pain on a
daily basis. Once again, Don was told that his pain was “emotional”, caused
by a benign condition the doctor referred to as “enhanced pain perception
syndrome”. He was told to go home and work on his “personal issues”. He
was also told (in no particular order of importance) to stop chewing gum; to
watch out for “fatty foods”; and to perhaps try some acupuncture. Donnie
left that appointment broken and beaten. He fought on for the next six months,
telling himself that if it was “all in his head”, then surely he could, “will” himself better - even though he
could not walk properly and was becoming weaker by the day. We do not know how Don hung on for as long as he
did; he was an incredibly strong man. We wonder if those involved in Don’s care would have been able to
endure what Don was forced to. We wonder if the quality of care provided to Don would be acceptable
to them if the life of their loved one was on the line.
The past year has been marked by an intense, and discouraging, search for
answers. No one involved in
Don’s treatment will concede that, when it came to Don’s medical care, the
proverbial ball was dropped. We
do not understand how Donnie’s doctors could simply watch him wither away. It is
true that pancreatic
cancer is difficult to diagnose; most patients do not present with symptoms
until the cancer is advanced.
Don, however, had a very rare, slow growing form of pancreatic cancer and he had
been complaining an d
looking for help for many years. If caught early enough, there is the
possibility of survival with Don’s
particular type of tumor. We will never know if Don could have beaten this
cancer: by the time he was finally
diagnosed, on October 4, 2007, the cancer had progressed to stage 4. A mere six
months after being t old he
was “depressed”, the cancer had spread to his liver, lungs, gall bladder, lymph
nodes and pelvic bones. That
not only one, but several, doctors missed this is something we will never
understand. His was not a fast-
growing cancer that appeared “out of nowhere”; it was a cancer characterized by
pain, suffering and weight
loss over a number of years.
The one bright spot for Don during his final months was provided by the
Palliative Care Unit at the Prince
Edward Home in Charlottetown. Here, Don finally found the personal respect he
had so long been denied.
The palliative care staff saw Don as someone who was valued - as someone
deserving of compassion and
care. They saw Don’s pain, and they knew how real it was. It was a relief to Don
to be in a place where he was
finally accepted, without judgment or doubt. This meant everything to him. And
while family efforts to
monitor Donnie’s condition must surely have tested the patience and good will of
the nurses, they remained
unfailingly gracious. We cannot thank them enough for all that they did - for us
and for Don. We will never
forget their kindness. Thanks to them, Don’s last days were spent in a place
like “home”, surrounded by the
comfort of wonderful family, friends, staff and volunteers.
To the many people out there who have serious medical problems and are
struggling to be heard, do no t
let Don’s story become yours. Be your own advocate. Fight for yourself. When
mistakes are made do no t let
them go unheard or unaccounted for. Stand up for yourself or your loved one.
Things must change, things
have to change, patients have rights and need to be reminded of this. It is our
tax dollars - yours and mine -
that operate the hospitals and pay the salaries of medical personnel. Continue
to ask questions, see k
accountability and demand action. Recognize that the system is weighted against
the ordinary citizen . When
medical negligence occurs, the cost of legal action precludes all but the very
wealthy from seeking redress in
the courts, so make sure that you complain to the College of Physicians and
Surgeons. It is through this
regulating body that the ordinary person can go to look for answers and
accountability regarding their
health care concerns. Filing a lawsuit is not an option that is available to
most people; certainly it is not a
viable option for us. In our case, we have laid formal complaints with the
College of Physicians and Surgeons
in PEI and in New Brunswick. It will be up to these groups to decide what should
happen to those involved in
Don’s lack of an appropriate standard of care. The facts will speak for
themselves. We wait to see what, if
anything will happen. All our hope for accountability rests now with them. This
won’t bring Donnie back, but
it may bring some measure of justice. We owe him this. As we gathered on the
first anniversary of Donnie’s
death, we remembered him, we love him, and we pray that he rests in peace.
For people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, there is help and support. Contact
Craig’s Cause Pancreatic
Cancer Society at www.craigscause.ca.
Lynn Butler
Joanne Driscoll
5. Must read this by Arnold Kilby
No accountability or
Transparency in Ontario
6.
Amanda Clarke’s
story
·
Late last year I went to the doc
complaining about heart palpitations, he told me I’m too young to have heart
problems and sent me home, 2mnths ago I woke up one morning feeling sick, that
afternoon my husband rushed me to the hospital with heart cramps, once again
they sent me home saying I’m too young, I’m 36yrs old. We came home and it got
worse, an hour later I had the first of 3 heart attacks, all in 2hrs. I am now
very weak and very angry. Why couldn’t they do tests?Mary-Lou, I live in a small town, I was
transferred with the ambulance to a town 120km from here, my heart stopped in
the ambulance, I wasn’t even stabilized at the hospital before. I asked for my
file, they won’t give it, they say it’s their property.
7. Email from Cathy
Hi There:
First and foremost, my heart aches along with you:( I can't imagine your loss.
I have recently experienced the pompous arrogance of a hospital myself ( Guelph
) when a procedure I was having resulted in their negligence, please know that
I'm not equating it whatsoever with your loss and experience. However, they have
verbally admitted fault and now since I and my own Family Dr. think I should be
compensated (nominally) they are now trying to dig dirt on my health back ground
so as to exonerate them from wrong doing, a 'very dirty game' they like to play!
So after using a half hour from a lawyer referral service ( free) I am now in
the process of taking them to small claims court! I was told that I can take
them to court for up to 25 thousand. And thus the fight continues. . .
Please know, that I am sooo very impressed by your burning tenacity and
willingness to share the real dirty story behind Hospitals ( whilst their
Hospital Heads are being paid unjustifiably criminal salaries)at a very painful
time.
Thank you, my heart is always with you
8 Max's story
Mary I was the victim of negligence and a hospital cover up. Those who did
this have gone to great length to make sure I cannot get any health care where I
live. The warn each other through the computer network. They would not give me a
requisition to get an MRI at a private clinic in Canada and last year I was
refused a requisition to get a bone scan at a private clinic in Montreal. They
will do whatever they can to conceal any damage they have done.
9. John's son (Florida)
Our son lived in florida.he was 26 and lived
with his life partner. He collasped one day while out with friends. . He
was taken to a large - hosptial and was conscience before he went into a
drug induced coma. We were told intialy his head injuries were not
severe and he should wake up. Later medical examier showed a much more
severe injury. He got pneunomia the second day.Our doctor thinks that
was caused by a feeding tube mishap. . We were lead to belive all was
well and it was just a matter of time before he woke up. On the fifth
day we called and was told he was in serious condtion,dialysis was
mentioned.We got there and the doctor questioned us about our son taking
cocaine as a case of his sudden decline.We knew our son and this was not
the case. The doctor finaly bluttered out a drug given him at the
hosptial could be the culprit.He also said he would recommend dialysis
(standard protocol for propofol poising)but it was not his call.A team
of doctors came in later and said he didnt need dialysis right away.
This was a major error according to our doctors report.On the last day
we met a compassionate doctor who said he would care for our son on the
fifth floor(cardiac unit) After he left the doctors finaly prepared our
son for dialysis.He was never actualy given dialysis. Then they moved
him downstairs.He did not go to the cardiac floor ,just a barren room
with no chairs.We learned from our doctors report that vital medication
had been turned down earlier.We were in the room when the nurse said
there was a emergency and we had to leave. There were no alarms going
off at the time. Our doctor disagrees with what happened next according
to the records.We were brought back in the room and were told it was
futal. Our son died in his mothers arms.
Then the medical examier ruled he died from
alcohol and drug abuse had caused excessive bleeding.Blood tests at the
hosptial showed no drugs and the eqvuilant of one light drink. We told
them our son was not a substance abuser and we finaly got them to recind
the report after contacting his primary and got his medical records.It
took six months.We were under the assuption a inquiry would be done but
it never happened. The examier did say later she felt the hosptial
greatly unestimated his injuries.
We would like to say now there were some
nurses there caring for our son who were sincere but knew they could not
control the situation.Some of them did speak up.
We then had a private doctor review his
record and he found a drug had caused his sudden rapid decline.It is
called the propofol infusion syndrome.He found many other system
failures in his care.
We sent a letter to the hosptial asking why
his care was so inept. They answered with a apology of failure by the
staff to communicate properly
We were unable to get a legal rep because of
the tort reform in florida. This tort reform was passed as a votor
referundum .Few knew they were signing away their legal rights.The
biggest complaint we have is that because we couldnt bring a legal case
we cant get his records public so we can freely talk about them.
We would like to get this drug(propofol)on a
blackbox warning so it prevents it from happening to others.
In reading your article we finaly felt we
were not alone .It will take many victims families to come forth and
improve the system.
Thank you so much for being brave enough to
write this article.Like you said because these deaths occur behind a
cloak of secrecy the public is not alarmed.
10. John David’s Story
John David (JD, or John to his friends)
was sweet, idealistic, funny and smart.
As a pre-schooler, he had a nanny from
Grenada. She had a distinctive accent that he mastered so well he could
sometimes fool people on the phone, which he loved to do. As he got older he
became a gifted impersonator.
JD loved magic. When he was three he
went to a birthday party where there was a clown who did magic tricks. From
that day he was fascinated with magic and his favourite treat for years was to
go to the magic store with his Dad and get apparatus for a new illusion.
JD was incapable of pettiness or
jealousy. From the day his brother was born, JD loved him unreservedly and
always defended him.
The love of JD’s life was theatre.
Whenever he got the chance, he took courses at Young People’s Theatre. When he
was 9, he came home and said he was going to audition for the role of the young
Duke of York at Canadian Stage production of Richard 03. Amazingly, although
he had no experience, he auditioned and got the role. Stage fright was a
foreign concept to this kid. He was totally happy and comfortable in front of
600 people.
As he grew he became a gifted actor and
director in high school and university.
John David loved life. He was extremely
sensitive; as a young adult he was a high-strung, anxious perfectionist. When
he was 16 he went to see Dr Ian Graham, a psychiatrist who told JD that he had
ADHD and gave him stimulants for his alleged condition.
JD took
high doses of these drugs
non-stop between mid-2000
and June, 2004. He had no medical need for Ritalin, Adderall or Dexedrine, the
stimulants that Dr Graham prescribed for him. Dr Graham ever warned JD about
the side effects or told him that the drugs are not suitable for long-term
use. He also did not warn JD that these drugs are highly addictive, or that
they negatively affect brain development.
In late summer 2004, JD was preparing to enter his 4th
year at Trinity College, University of Toronto (U of T.), he was working toward
directing Othello at Hart House for the fall season. He decided to quit taking
stimulants and told Dr Graham that this was his plan. Dr Graham did now warn
him to wean himself off gradually to avoid serious withdrawal effects.
On Sept 8, JD quit the drug “cold turkey” and soon started
to have serious problems. On Sept 17, he had a psychotic break and attempted
suicide by slashing his throat. He was taken to North York General Hospital (NYG)
by the police on an involuntary admission. His father and I rushed to the
hospital when we found out but we were not permitted to see or talk to him.
NYG totally failed to discover that JD’s
psychotic episode was a drug withdrawal reaction. This was at least partly
because when they called Dr Graham, at my request, Dr Graham lied and said he
had not seen JD for months. They recommended an antipsychotic drug, Risperdal.
At the time I did not realize that this class of drug is extremely damaging, and
actually causes the problems that people attribute to “schizoaffective
disorders” when taken long term.
He then went to a different psychiatrist
because it was assumed that he had some serious psychiatric problem. So,
instead of getting off drugs, which was what he needed, he was loaded up with
tons of damaging medications (Risperdal, Ativan, Celexa and Immovane). These
drugs created terrible problems for him – he gained 70 lbs, losts most of his
cognitive functioning, was seriously suicidal, unmotivated and he developed a
craving for alcohol. His new psychiatrist, Dr David Dorenbaum, was totally
oblivious to the obvious fact that all these problems and others were directly
related to drugs.
Many psychiatrists attribute all patient
problems to inherent conditions and then prescribe drugs to people who are
suffering from drug side effects. This is what Dr Dorenbaum did to John
David.
Dr Graham kept on prescribing the
stimulants to him, although he should have known that they were the cause of
JD’s problems. In the fall of 2005, I confronted Dr Graham and argued with
him about this, and threatened him that if he did not stop prescribing the drugs
or at least get a second opinion, I would complain to the College of Physicians
and Surgeons (CPSO). I did not realize back then that the CPSO protects
incompetent psychiatrists and will go to great lengths to blame their many
victims for the problems these physicians cause, usually with drugs that do far
more harm than good.
JD managed to get off the drugs for over
a year and improved dramatically. Sadly, like many addicts, he went back to
his stimulants in 2008, prescribed by Dr Dorenbaum, which immediately started a
downward spiral of drinking. In the fall he entered a CAMH drug rehab program
and did well, but by this time so much emotional and physical damage had been
done that he was very fragile emotionally. He killed himself shortly after
leaving rehab, just when we had begun to believe the worst was over.
There is no question that JD was
sometimes sad and anxious as a teenager, despite being talented and popular, and
gifted in a number of subjects and extracurricular activities. There is also
no question that drugs destroyed his life and led to his death. If he had
never met Dr Graham or Dr Dorenbaum and had stayed away from psychiatrists, he
would have had a chance to grow up and have a good life.
13.Wellesley couple seek answers in daughters death
12.
Doctor
appealing judge’s ruling in death of pregnant patient | therecord
13.
http://www.cpso.co/JULIE%20STORY.html
14.
http://www.cpso.co/iatrogenic_insanity.html
15.
http://www.cpso.co/michael.html
16.
http://www.cpso.co/ryan.html
17.
http://www.cpso.co/daniel.html
18.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqFkxT9BUJA
ANNIE
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