Methodist Medical Center — Local services in Oak Ridge

I developed dysphagia (a swelling of the throat) due to severe coughing with Bronchitis in Dec. I also was on several anticholinergic drugs for weeks and they had a BAD effect on my nervous system. Due to this and not eating for nearly 3 weeks, I was totally dehydrated AND I became addicted to Dr. prescribed Xanax in about 8 weeks. I had a TOTAL meltdown at 11:00 at night last Wed. No amount of Xanax helped. My dear husband has a very bad heart and was scared to death for me. I went to Methodist Emergency Room (I've never been to an emergency room) but I thought they would recognize my mental duress and give me SOMETHING to calm me and some nutrition and re-hydrate me intravenously. My blood pressure was 140/83 when it's normally a low 90/60. I sat in a hallway for 2 hours. I sat in a room till 3:30AM with NO help except my dear, stressed out husband. I kept being told by the DOCTOR that a "panic attack is not emergency room" worthy. ALSO... the Doctor just about laughed at us when we mentioned the anticholinergic drugs I'd been on. Two of them I just got off of 2 days before. He said, "You spend too much time Googling medical issues online." SURE I've looked into why I'm having a nervous breakdown! And medical research has a LOT to say about the OTC drugs I had been on.

They had another woman there that night that they finally had to lock up, call the police...and she SCREAMED the whole time. I couldn't handle it.... in my condition..and the DOCTOR kept repeating..."Well, there's nothing we can do about it." Basically, just pooh-poohing my breakdown. It was his ATTITUDE that blew me away while I sat their crying. By 5AM, after suffering all night long, all they had done for me was given me two sleeping pills and one bag of saline. They ran blood work which they said was "normal" (never told me what they ran) so they couldn't keep me. WHY COULDN'T THEY HAVE SENT ME TO A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE COMPASSION OR THE KNOWLEDGE TO DEAL WITH WHAT I WAS GOING THROUGH?? We have good insurance...so that wasn't the issue. I think the Doctors there are so used too seeing bullet wounds or bleeding heads, that they don't have the training to deal with a problem like mine. We got home at 6AM. This is Monday..this all happened last Wed. We have still not recovered from being up all night and I'm worried the stress will literally kill my husband. We got into a new Dr. last Friday and I am being sent (probably) this week to some sort of facility to help me get off this terrible Xanax. We are in our 60's and dehydration, malnutrition, stress and Xanax are life-threatening conditions when all combined. Had I KNOWN how bad Methodist Emergency Room is.... and was told by many friends later about it.... we would have driven all the way to Parkwest where they at least recognize a mental disorder when...

I was checked in with paperwork around 7:30pm for a laceration in my finger that needed stitching the injury occured at 7pm. We sat in the far side of the lobby with about 30 other people. We sat there for 4 hours without being seen. I understand the ER is hectic and I know there is long wait times. We spoke to the receptionist to see the status of my being seen. We realized every person there upon my arrival had already come and gone. My name had been completely taken off the waiting board, without my knowledge. They attempted to fix this by putting my name back on the board, about an hour passes, Im called back for a basics check, my vitals, why are you here, etc. They apologized for the wait and said they called my name out three times. That may be true, but we did not hear them (the lobby was full and we were on the far side) There was ZERO attempt to make sure we were still present, no lap around the lobby. What if a patient was hard of hearing? Myself and visitor were present and very patiently waiting for care (with my occasional potty break). We thought at one point possibly they may have called my name but the other patients even reassured me that it was a different name after saying my own.

So I finish my 5 minute health rundown, and I'm sent back into the lobby being told I will be seen shortly. At this point I feel relieved, I can get my OPEN LACERATION cared for at stitched up soon. Three more hours pass and I have not been seen. Ive been waiting for seven hours without seeing a physician. We go to the receptionist again, she is also frustrated that I havent been seen and have not been prioritized. My wound needs to be cleaned, I need a tetanus shot, and I need stitching. She informed up that MAYBE the earliest transfer to another ER would be 10am. With that wait my finger could no longer be sutured after 12 hours. It was a lose /lose situation because they've dropped the ball on my care. We contacted other ER'S in the area all with no beds available and other patients who have waited seven+ hours and ambulances keep coming in. We informed the receptionist we would be leaving to seek quicker care somewhere else. She was very kind and understanding all things considered. I took my check-in paper work and went to Urgent Health care at 8am (which was earlier than any ER would have been able to see me) and recieved phenomenal care. Upon evalution it was explained to me I have nerve damage, and I was unable to recieve the sutures I need because of neglect to recieve care in a timely fashion at the previous facility and the other factors considered. If you can squeeze it, go literally anywhere else. This is not the first time myself or others have had experiences like this here. While they are "polite", polite does not mean efficient or...

ER Physician diagnosed me with sepsis, is plausible even probable. But after being admitted, they switch doctors ever few hours,

1st didn't follow up on treatment,

2nd denied diagnoses, saying the myriad of symptoms was all covered by the symptom high BP (absurd),

3rd doc Rahman, disagreed with them all with absolutely nothing corroborating his non-diagnoses or his prescription that other reasonable and true other doctors, including my Primary were all wrong, wanted all treatment of everything stopped even though he was showed my severe chronic HM in Mn poisoning moments before, and discharged my while I was unstable with no way to follow their IV BP suppressants.

I'm atypical, afebrile with infection, but each increasing absurd so subtracting 1 star for each and one for the discharge without stabilizing. Which leaves a 1-star.

Still not the worst hospital, having started somewhere with an ER diagnosis which most in NE Tennessee fail even that, but a fail really is a fail. Discharged hours ago, after nearly three days.

Food service wasn't bad, but employees say that's not always true, some nurses would stick me 3-5 times before giving up. No one likes hospitals, but unstable discharge is unlawful by something called EMTALA.

I know checking BP which has to be stopped, but they prescribed what those they had used and already knew would dramatically fail leaving a BP of 190's-200's/120's consistently, only one night of IV antibiotics which goes against the #1 rule, don't only use one dose, follow up with treatment for at least 3 days. Incompetence is hostile to patients, I think there were even nurses trying to find out how I was tricking the BP machines while believing in magic while data was consistent and most 'doctors' no better, like they were under the influence of bad psyche.

Got prescriptions, took them, made it home, but without the one intravenous, already 175/109. Likely a infection driven BP.

The hospital wouldn't even carry out their own ER's orders, and showed absolutely no insight whatsoever why not, pretty sure they don't even look at what the ER said of any patients they admit or follow up on reasons of diagnosis, very very subpar... even idiot doctors. The last black ball opinion was I was taking too many vitamins, when they had been giving me potassium and what not because mine were low. Idiots really.

ER ok, Covenant.... trucking with the devil.

Oh, and the discharging physician in the folder included a handout on sepsis, which I have every symptom of, like they go through life as a dangerous absurd punchline. Then then also some of the worse blood taken, they’d mess it up, blowing two of my veins. Then I had to tape my iv myself. Staff...