Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center — Attraction in Shenandoah

..* LONG REVIEW..* I was in observation room 4256 from 7-9/7-14. My hospital doctor was a woman, I wish I remembered her name, but I was under her care through this time. I came in on 7-8 around 8pm, sweating, shaking, I could barely talk, and I was in the worst pain imaginable. I have a history of endometreosis that hadn't flared up in many years. I also recently had some issues with ovarian cysts because I just started a new birth control and after stopping the birth control for one month due to this, I was waiting for my next cycle to start so I could begin my NEW birth control. On 7-7 I started sweating and I felt generally awful with cramps and my entire body was in pain. I tried waiting it out. The next day, on 7-8, I traveled with my family to schulingburg day for lunch and upon arrival I had bled so much that I ruined my clothes (something I haven't done before) so I knew something was wrong because my usual cycles weren't that heavy. Painful yes, but not that heavy. I again waited it out and when we got home around 4, I then started shaking and sweating profusely and I was beginning to become confused and I started seeing tracers in my vision and at this time I knew something was very very wrong. I was also losing feeling in my legs and was cold. I came to the ER and I had explained to them the best I could what was happening and I told them about my recent ovarian cysts and I had been diagnosed with endo 10 years ago but I had a D&C and ablation at that time. I could hardly walk and I was shaking so bad just to keep my head up and when I went to triage, the ER doctor saw me there briefly. He started fluids immediately and he thought I might have had a kidney stone just from how I looked upon arrival. I stayed in the waiting room a few hours, maybe a little less than two hours, and during this time I had an ultrasound and CT scan done. I remember my ultrasound technician asked me a FEW times if I would be okay with the test because I hadn't had anything for pain yet and I was still sweating like I ran a marathon and I told her yes, I came this far, I can get through this test. During the test I remember holding my hands over my face and biting my teeth but we got through it. She talked to me through the test and although she couldn't be gentle for the test because my ovaries weren't "cooperating", she was extremely gentle with me before and after. That meant a lot to me, the kindness I experienced at this hospital began THERE. She took me back to the waiting room, then I waited maybe another half hour before I was finally called to the back in my room. The doctor tried a few different medicines ranging from Toridol, dilaudid, Demerol, morphine, and fentanyl along with fluids still. A few hours went by and I had my CT scan done, again, my technician was a woman but she was so nice and kind to me, she explained everything she was doing before she did it, and was very gentle with me. After the CT scan, it was really just a waiting game to see what was going wrong. I was STILL sweating so much and my entire body was shaking even after all the medicine I had been given. My nurse came in and I remember crying to her and told her how scared I was because I truly felt like I was going to die. I believe I was given a Valium at that time to calm my nerves and heart rate down. The Dr finally came in and said there was no kidney stone, no appendicitis, nothing wrong that he could SEE. We had a brief conversation and he pretty much said he was going to keep me since I wasn't stable and my bloodwork showed some signs of infection somewhere and I was still pouring sweat and in so much pain. So, that was my ER experience. I waited a while and then got sent to my room, 4256 observation. I had a blood bank bracelet just in case I needed a transfusion. I can't remember all of my nurses names, but I specifically remember Kalei, Ericka, Coli?, and two more I can't remember. If you worked during my stay and you cared for me, please let me thank you all SO much for everything. These nurses were amazing, and so...

How terrifying that these women are professional nurses...licensed to treat patients. I went in last night with extreme abdominal pain, vomiting, diaphoresis and immobility. I had no idea what was wrong. I was terrified and writhing in pain. When I was triaged, I told the nurse that I needed to vomit, she told me to wait. I grabbed the trash can under the desk and the nurse yelled, "Don't you dare throw up in my trash can!" . Then she got up and sighed as she grabbed me an emesis bag. She then told me to go back to the waiting room. I told her that I couldn't walk, to which she responded, "Didn't you walk over here?" I asked that she please get me a wheel chair because the pain and nausea were far too intense. After sitting in the waiting room for nearly 3 hours, the pain upon vomiting became so agonizing that I began to cry. It was embarrassing enough that I could no longer control my pain, I couldn't help but to scream for help. I stood up to alert the nurses, collapsed, then vomited on the floor. The nurses came out and told me, "We can't have you out here yelling and crying. You need to calm down, be quiet and wait your turn!" I apologized and tried to explain that I couldn't help it, that something was very wrong and to please help me. She said, "Oh my God, Did you throw up on the floor? We can't have that. You need to go to use the bag we gave you!" (which was full...even if it weren't I couldn't have controlled it anyway) I noticed that my vomit was bright yellow with traces of blood in it, so I asked the nurse if she noticed that. She interrupted to shame me (I guess to stop vomiting?) "Yea, and it's all over the floor." At this point, I had had enough of the bottom rate of which I was being treated...or not treated I should say. I yelled at the nurse, "I can't help it! Why are you being so awful to me?!" She said that I was bothering other patients and they were treating patients that were more critical than me. I asked, "How do you know if I am critical or not? You have only interacted with me enough to basically tell me to not be sick." Then security came over! Security? Really?! He told me that I had to not be on the floor, I explained that I fell, vomited and was in too much pain to get up. I had found a position on my knees and leaning over the seat that helped relieve some of the abdominal pressure and nausea. He said that was not permitted. He told me that if I continued my behavior that I would not be treated. He then began to interrogate me as if I were a psychotic drug addict committing a crime. How inconceivable that maybe I was indeed a sick person, in need of medical attention. I was treated like I was the scum of the earth, bothering them or exaggerating my condition to the point that I should be arrested. It turns out that I had a massive infection caused by my IUD that was causing fluid build up and pressure that could have caused a rupture of my uterus. Once my tests came back conclusive that I wasn't on drugs, one of the nurses began to treat me with at least some dignity...by asking, "How you feeling now, crazy lady?!" I feel mistreated, ashamed, embarrassed, victimized and disgusted. I honestly don't understand why these women get in the business of caring for people when they couldn't care less. In fact, its as if they hate their patients... I feel like, even if there were patients who were drug addicts or psychotic...they are still sick people and deserve to be treated as such. I was made to feel sub-human...and I'm being completely honest when I say that. How terrifying that I was lying on the floor, vomiting, sweating and screaming and these medical professionals just stood around me, yelling at me to stop it. Ugh...I am so upset, I can't...

I learned the hard way not to go somewhere for medical testing just because the place is close to work. :-( Visited Memorial Herman Breast Care Center in The Woodlands on 1-27-14 for my routine mammogram. Had to wait nearly 45 minutes for the exam. Didn't hear anything about it til my primary care Dr office called me on 2/14/14 @ 3:30pm to get the name of the imaging center because she forgot it so that they could fax my order(that's a whole other story). Told her I didn't know what she is talking about and she said the Breast Center had requested an order for further testing because something wasn't right on my mammogram. She also said "no one called you" and "I'm sorry I was just calling about the fax #". Well I was very concerned about this and after we hung up I called the Breast Care Center and left a message on the directors phone to call me so I can find out what is going on. When I finally talked to her on 2/18/14 she said they haven't received the order from the Dr office and she would call them. When I explained to her that I am concerned because I don't know what the problem is she had nothing to say about it besides she will contact the Dr office. Never heard anything else till 2-20-14 when I got a recorded message that the Center had received an order and I was transferred to Scheduling to make an appt. The scheduler told me the procedure was going to be a diagnostic mammogram with ultrasound and I made the appt for 2/25/14 @ 10:00am. So now I think everything is good to go and we're going to find out what the deal is. WRONG! About 4:50pm on 2/24/14 the scheduler called me back to say that the Center had received another order for a Diagnostic mammogram with 3D imaging. So now I couldn't have my appt on 2/25/14 because there was no appt available for 3D imaging. She said that she was working with the Tech to see if I could be worked in or I would have to wait til March. By now I am pretty ticked off and I told her I am not waiting til March. She said she would call back when she had info on an appt. She calls back on 2/25/14 around 11:30 am saying that she was still working on the appt and that she wanted me to know she hadn't forgot me. I asked her who the order was from and she looked it up and said my Primary Care Dr sent it. So I called them to see what the deal was. Why were they sending 2 orders? After about 15 minutes of me being loud and asking what is going on, that no one has been letting me know anything and aren't telling me why things have changed a woman told me that the radiologist at the Breast Care Center asked for the change. I should also mention that on 2/17/14 I went to my Gyno office and explained the situation to them and they requested my report & images from the Breast Care Center and still have not received them. Monday will be 2 weeks since they were requested. Needless to say I am not impressed at all and will not be going back to M Herman in The Woodlands for anything and won't be returning to my Primary Care either. I will wait for my Gyno to get my report and if that doesn't happen fairly quickly I will make other arrangements...