HCA Houston Healthcare Medical Center — Attraction in Houston

I had Day Surgery. My care was very good, friendly, timely, and the Day Surgery room was comfotable.

This facility is under renovated from being a different hospital and it was obvious. The direction of the new design is very nice. Food service for the waiting families was very limited. The obvious clutter due to renovations didn't bother me. They kept the facility orderly and clean.

The surgery before mine ran 3 hours late. This was unavoidable and understandable. But, instead of leaving me comfortable in the Day Surgery room with my family...I was taken to preop to wait... with my family waiting separately and uncomfortable in the waiting room. Being away from them for so long before surgery caused me unnecessary anxiety.

In addition, the hospital did not communicate to my family on what was happening with the delays. Luckily, I kept my cell phone with me and I let my family know whenever I found out new info....at least until I was knocked out before I went into surgery.

What if I didn't have a phone? Or I was unable to communicate while in preop?

When the procedure was done, the doctor came out and communicated with my family how it went. He was friendly and clear. They were pleased with what he shared and felt relieved.

However after the surgery, my family did not receive any communication regarding why I was delayed so long in Recovery.

So, they were in the dark....for almost the entire day... on what was happening with me. This lack of communication caused them unnecessary worry, frustration, and annoyance.

Leading up to my surgery, I went for preadmission testing (PAT) which was very timely and friendly...but, I never talked to or saw the anesthesiologist until the day of surgery. I feel I should have talked to or met the anesthesiologist before the surgery. This caused me unnecessary anxiety.

While in preop, there seemed to be some confusion with the anesthesiologist...she seemed to think "I should have" provided them with an EKG. Wait? What? She finally ordered one. I was fine. This whole incident was completely avoidable, if I had met with the anesthesiologist before the surgery. I don't know why anyone thought I should've brought tests with me to the surgery. It wasn't on my checklist.

The surgery went very well. It took a little longer for me to wake up but Anesthesiology did a great job keeping me from vomiting and waking up with a migraine. This is a known problem for me after Anesthesia, which I communicated with them.

Recovery was very good. I seemed to have a low blood pressure issue. My Recovery nurse was very attentive...at least once I was aware. LOL

Day surgery was closed by the time I was finally ready to leave. They set up an area off to the side in Recovery for me and my family until I finished recovering, could get dressed, and go home. It was not as comfortable but understandable. This nurse was very helpful, attentive, and friendly.

We Valet our car for the Day Surgey. However, since we left the hospital many hours later than expected, Valet moved our car near the exit and left our keys with Security. This was a...

By far the WORST choice for a hospital. My sister went in for Colostomy surgery and she never made it home. After being in the hospital for a week and getting ready to go home. I received a phone call that she passed. I stayed with her for the weekend and while in her room. The thermostat was broken and stuck at 60 degrees! Mind you this was in November 2022. Jemima was a saint. She is too good for this place. Besides her, I had to track down the nurses for pain relief, emptying her bag etc. To the point I just started emptying it myself. I made sure she walked constantly and watched her as she slept. Her breathing was shallow, and the machine alarmed for low oxygen. I got the nurse, and he checked her vitals and told her that her o2 was low so to sit up instead of laying down. The next day she started getting a cough and complaining of pain in her groin/hips. NOT ONE nurse or dr. checked her breathing or listened for abnormalities. The next day her wound care nurse came in and she was the only to listen to my sisters' complaints. She listened to my sisters' lungs and confirmed she heard some wheezing. By the night her back was hurting her so bad, and the cough was pretty persistent. She slept most of the day. I went home the next day. I would be returning Monday morning to pick her up as she was being released to only receive the worst phone call ever! They used her phone to call at 7:30 am to tell us they found her on the floor in the bathroom unresponsive, that they have tried to bring her back 5 times and will try again one more time and then they will have to call it. Another phone call comes through, and they pronounced her dead and said they will have her on life support until we can get there. We get there and she is not on life support. The ICU Dr. told us she passed in her bed. another nurse said on the floor in her room. When I told them that none of their stories are matching, they quit talking. They then denied paying for her autopsy. I went to the floor she was on and demanded answers. Jemima was back from vacation and bless her. She hugged me tightly. I waited 2 hours for someone to come talk to me and explain what happened. Still nothing was clear. After calling and throwing a fit I got the Dr to agree that the hospital will cover her autopsy. My sister passed from Pulmonary thromboembolism. All the signs of something wrong was there but nobody did...

I went to Park Plaza with a cough and chest pains on August 4th. After xrays and a CT scan a mass was showing. The ER doctor suspected lymphoma and admitted me. The oncologist, Dr Mitter, visited the next day. He along with the admitting doctor also suspected lymphoma based on the scans. I was told I'd have a biopsy the next day. Well around 3 in the afternoon I was told the doctor couldn't perform it. The biopsy was done on Tuesday August 7th. Early the next morning I was told the preliminary pathology report was Hodgekin Lymphoma and that I'd have a port put in the next day, August 9th. Friday August 10th, I was told Dr Mitter was coming to see me about my results. He didn't show up until Saturday afternoon around 3:15 and likely after being pressured by a family member. He confirmed the diagnosis. I asked what stage the cancer was. This is when I learned a PET scan is needed for staging and to determine treatment, but Park Plaza doesn't have the equipment. So a hospital can suspect a person has cancer but choose to not fully inform the patient of their option to go to a facility that is fully equipped? I told him I wanted a second opinion and to receive treatment at MD Anderson. He objected. I stood my ground and eventually agreed to provide me with the referral. I was discharged on Monday August 16th. That was another nightmare. I had already requested medical records upon discharge. This seemed to be another problem. Also, if you knew I'd be discharged on that day, why tell me so that I can go to medical records and retrieve them myself? At this point it is 5:05pm and that department closes at 5. The next day, August 14, I contact MD Anderson for an appointment. Considering the urgency of a cancer diagnosis, they request all records and tissue samples STAT, and the referral from Dr Mitter and have me set for an appointment August 20th. Well, today is August 17, and MD Anderson has received NOTHING from Park Plaza or Dr Mitter. We have to reschedule for the following week. In the meantime I'm here wondering if the lymphoma is stagnant or progressing while I wait unnecessarily. Please don't take yourself or loved ones here. No one should have to be so uncertain about their health and life due to the lack of information given by doctors assigned to them in an emergency situation...