"Be Aggressive"

My brother is the only member of my original family who is still alive, besides me. There were only two of us children in my family along with my mother and father. My mother died when I was fourteen and my father died about six years ago. So now it is just me and my brother who remember the Clinton days growing up.

Since it is just he and I, I want him to hang around as long as possible. But lately his health has not been so good. He had to have knee replacement surgery about three months ago and it has been a nightmare. I had known people who had both knees done in a matter of months and they bounced right back. My brother only had one knee done and he hasn't bounced back yet.

The problem in my opinion is he belongs to an HMO. I just don't care for that concept and I feel like he hasn't gotten the best treatment because of it. He swears he has never had any problems in the past and that this time is the exception. I tell him I don't care if it is the exception, he is not getting good medical care.

His knee has been swollen since the surgery. He still can not straighten his leg out completely. He is still in a great deal of pain. Add to that, a couple of weeks ago one of the doctors he sees mentioned that the infection in his leg wasn't serious. Serious! He didn't even know he had an infection.

A week or so later he saw another doctor who told him the clot in his leg wasn't serious. Clot! He didn't even know he had a clot. Are you getting my drift here? The next thing I know they will be telling him the gangrene isn't serious. Infection or clot, to my mind these are serious issues. They haven't put him on a blood thinner or an antibiotic.

I keep telling him he has to get aggressive with his doctors but he is of the old school that thinks doctors can do no wrong. Me, I'm skeptical. These guys are human beings and are therefore capable of mistakes. I also think the squeaky wheel gets attention and he ought to be squeaking pretty loudly in order to get their attention.

He finally promised me today that he is going to demand to be seen by his doctor. The last time he saw him he was told to come back in three months. He is going to ask/demand to be seen as soon as possible. I have helped him compile a list of questions to ask and get answered.

I consider this whole business serious. As the voice of doom and gloom I mention he could lose his leg or even lose his life. I know he hates when I call him and begin on stuff like this. I just see him as a possible victim. He is divorced and lives alone. He doesn't have someone advocating for him like my wife does for me, and I do for her. He has got to take care of himself.

The Hippocratic Oath says, "First do no harm." Doesn't it then say something like "do everything necessary to get your patient well"? I want action cause believe me this patient's brother is running out of patience.
 

 

 

 

 

©2008 Jackie K. Cooper

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