Penn Presbyterian Medical Center — Attraction in Philadelphia

Transferred to this hospital from St Francis with collapsed lung/chest tube, because previous hospital lacked a thoracic specialist to treat my condition. My four day stay was relatively good, nice Dr’s and Dr assistants, nurses and nurse assistants. They were very friendly and helpful for the most part. There was just one afternoon I was feeling increasing pain due to strong numbing pain meds from surgery the day before wearing off, and new pain meds/doses weren’t helping to control it. It hurt to breathe, even more if I tried taking deep breaths, and it hurt to hiccup, burp, or even laugh. Late afternoon, a nurse brought in a small plastic breathing exercise device I’m to use to help my lung during recovery, but she added I was to start only after the pain was brought under control, where I could use it without intense pain. I got a new nurse that evening during a shift change who asked my pain level, and I told her it was steadily climbing up that afternoon to a strong 7-9 breathing deeply. She didn’t listen to me at all, because she grabbed the device sitting nearby on a table and tried to hand it to me, telling me I had to start doing the deep breathing exercises with it. I declined, saying it was painful to breath in deep at the moment, and repeated my pain levels to her. She seemed hesitant to stop pushing the device on me, but then placed it aside, much to my relief. Shortly after that, she had me sit up away from the back of the chair I was sitting in (Dr wants patients like me to not lay in bed all day to help recovery), then started strongly patting/slapping her hand against different areas of my back, even felt close to the side of my collapsed lung and chest tube, and caused some pain and discomfort. When I told her it wasn’t feeling good for me, and asked why she was doing that when the other nurses before hadn’t done that, she told me it was something they were supposed to do to help break up any phlegm and gunk in your chest to prevent pneumonia during lung recovery, which I understand in hindsight and would’ve been fine with, except at that moment I felt it a bit too harsh a therapy to administer considering the pain I was feeling. I felt completely unheard and like she only saw me as just another patient/number she had to get through, while the other nurses had treated me more like a person and with a gentle wait & see approach. Being a sensitive person, I felt overwhelmed and started crying. The nurse backed off the treatment and tried to comfort me a little, but when a nurse assistant came in the room to take my temperature and blood pressure, they started talking, joking, and laughing right beside me as I was in discomfort and tears. It felt cold, callous, and uncaring, entirely lacking in compassion and empathy. I later tried calling for someone to talk to about how awful I felt, like a social worker, therapist, or psych doc at the hospital, but unfortunately no one like that was available at night hours. Instead, a nurse supervisor came to talk to me, listened, and made me feel heard and understood. She switched me to another nurse for the night, which helped a lot, and next night I got one of the nurses from before who treated me like a person and I started feeling a whole lot better, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Next day, pain level was better and more under control, so I was able to start the breathing exercises and start getting up and walking around.

Also a small incident before the one above involving the nurse assistant that laughed/carried on with the nurse while I cried beside them. She had come in earlier for vitals and at one point pushed the wheeled cart she uses across the room till it crashed into the wall, making a loud noise that startled me. I thought to myself that was a weird action, no one else at this hospital or the previous one had treated their equipment that way, which felt off. She also joked next morning with another nurse that she tried to work as little as possible… at least I hope it was a joke. Strange thing to say within earshot...

The Emergency Room was great! Had no problems in there. When I was admitted, my room was filthy. I spent two hours with disinfecting wipes cleaning the room. And the pharmacy took six hours to straighten out an issue with a prescription. I had to supply my own medication and fight to get my supply returned to me. I really think I would have gotten better care at dirty, closing, could not care less about their patients Hahnemann 😡

I have to add to this. I have still been at it with the disinfecting wipes. A panel that is supposed to be on the side of the bed was hanging under the bed and it is beyond filthy. It looks like it has been continuously doused in rancid urine and fecal matter. One of the nurses said it was probably iodine. I added a photograph of the panel if you look Presby up on Google Maps. I also included videos of how I had to use disinfecting wipes to clean the floor. I also had to use the disinfecting wipes to wipe mucus from the wall

Oh...it sadly continues. Environmental left a dirty wash rag and clothes in the bathroom. Whenever I received a new bed, I had to spend an hour removing dirt and brown spots from the seems and panels of the bed. The manager of Environmental told me to contact her and she said she would come down in her suit with a cart and clean things herself. She Is a sweetie pie. But she should not have to do that

Food Services...that is another story. I lost count of how many times there was something wrong on my tray. It was pretty much EVERY MEAL. I hated sending errors back because often the supposedly "corrected" meal would be incorrect too. Once, my order disappeared and the manager had to piece a meal together with what was still available. There were a few times where it took two and half hours to three hours to receive my correct meal (around 830pm or 900pm) from when I ordered the meal (around 600pm). I have received a chicken quesadilla when I clearly ordered a cheese and pepper quesadilla. That time I was faulted for not choosing the vegetarian diet. With the hunnus platter I received sliced red onions to dip in my hummus. I did not send that back, but I dis call the manager. After that, the manager was supposed to check my tray. The manager checking my tray did occur the following day and the manager signed the receipt. That only occurred for one day. And eventually I did receive the sliced red onions again with the managers signature showing that he checked my tray. This was the signature of the manager to whom I spoke after receiving and complaining about receiving the sliced red onions. The picture of the second platter with the sliced red onions...

My fiancée, April Walton, was a patient today at Penn Presbyterian hospital today. She was admitted with Seizures, Heart Disease, Cellulitis (Infection in both legs and both breast), Pulmonary Hypertension, Benzodiazipine Withdrawal, Opiate Withdrawal, Migraines, Acute Agonizing Physical Pain, and other issues that causes her to NOT be able to WALK. Everything was ok AT FIRST, but then after being seen at the hospital's emergency department and getting liquid antibiotics, they NEVER treated her pain or ANYTHING else other than using antibiotics. The hospital staff said they would keep her and get her into a rehab. After being COMPLETELY negligent while she cannot read or write still at 40 with NO PHONE AT ALL and she could barely breathe - the hospital all of the sudden decides April (the patient - my fiancèe) needs to LEAVE with no money, no car, no ability to walk, no understanding how to get home, no knowing how to even survive because she cannot even walk with her Cellulitis leg infection pain and her shallow breathing all the while she was only crying her eyes out about how she could not understand why they were choosing to discharge her. This was an absolutely disgraceful decision on the doctor's part, the nursing staff, the social worker, and the patient advocate part.. They negligently immediately discharged her and THREATENED her with security to get her out of she did not leave with her inability to walk, breathe, read or write, and had no money and THEY GAVE HER NO CAB VOUCHER TO GO HOME. They THREW HER OUT into the street negligently and she is now at risk to dying at this moment. I want to have this hospital SUED and am complaining because I want EVERYONE to know April Walton's (DOB 06/08/1984) story about how Penn Presbyterian put her entire life at risk with this MALPRACTICE, NEGLIGENCE, AND MISUSE OF AUTHORITY to HURT and KILL my fiancée. Penn Presbyterian is a HOSPITAL and this is NOT what a hospital does - they do not rush people at the brink of death out of a hospital with no cab voucher by security when they cannot even walk. This is absolutely DISGRACEFUL and I will be making a documentary on this - congratulations Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; you have put yourself in literally a case with killing my fiancée. I will have your entire place liable for your negligence and...