Can anyone read this and give me feedback Re: cardiac rehab exerience....

[Prairie~Phlox]

I plan to discuss these things with the nurse first and then when I leave give her documentation, I'm not sure if it's even appropriate. Thanks,

Phlox

 

I am documenting this so if I feel I need to take further action, I can. These are the issues that I had on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 during my first day of Cardiac Rehab.

 

First off, I want to say, I am not your typical heart patient, whether you want to believe this or not, that is up to you. I did not have blockage due to plaque or cholesterol, the doctors were baffled and I believe it was just something that happened because of nothing I did. I am a healthy person that does not disguise what I put into my body by exercise. I do not smoke, drink or even regularly eat fast food. I feel you have me put into this little box that everyone else fits into and that is not the case. I also admit that I do not have all of the questions answered that I need answered, I will see the cardiologist on July 2nd and hope to have some clarity in all of this. I also believe that everything happens for a reason and that I am supposed to express my concerns to help you grow as an employee dealing with patients. I believe God has put me in exactly the place that I need to be and the time that I need to be there.

 

I did not know what to expect when I came to rehab, the hospital left me uplifted, I had a wonderful experience there and the staff at IU Health were amazing. I was hopeful for the same feelings when going to rehab. Instead, I felt there were assumptions and doom and gloom in my future. I expected it to be a place to lift me up, not put fear into my mind.

1st issue- Cholesterol When you asked me if I knew what my cholesterol was in the hospital do you really think I’m going to know this or it’s going to be a concern? By asking me if I knew my cholesterol, I felt you were assuming it was high. I believe if you wanted to know what my cholesterol was, you should have asked the doctor, not ask me if I know.

2nd issue- Margarine & Fast Food-before I even filled out my food history you automatically labeled me as in the “generation that grew up on margarine and fast food.†It’s as if you were assuming that’s why I had a heart attack. The last time I ate fast food was at Thanksgiving when we were traveling. I don’t spend my days snacking on french fries, but yet I felt the assumptions were there.

3rd issue-I just got out of the hospital, yet was told that it’s not a matter of If, but When I would have another heart attack. I’m supposed to be coming here to rehabilitate on what I was doing before, yet I’m told something that really my doctor should be discussing with me. I’m here for encouragement and yet I left feeling doom and gloom all over me.

4th issue- This pertains to calling to find out about insurance. I was trying to find out if my insurance would cover my rehab and called early on to get this information. The first time I called, I was told that you did not know what I needed to do to find this out. A few days later, I decided to call St. Elizabeth Rehab to see if they could help me. The lady was very friendly and told me right away that all she had to do was get a referral from the doctor to submit to insurance. Ok, easy enough, she even did this and called me back to schedule an appointment. I decided to call back to IU Health Rehab and this time was told that the referral was all I needed and the doctor had already sent it over when all of my information was sent over. Ok, had I been told this the first time I called, it would have saved me quite a bit of confusion and hassle. I felt the lack of professionalism showed.

 

Overall, my first impression of the IU Health Cardiac Rehab has not been a good one and I hope that this helps future people from being treated the same way that I felt I have been treated. I hope this also helps you reevaluate how you do things and what you say to patients that are coming to you for your services

[Prairie~Phlox]

no one?

[Slipper]

Can you post why you want to write the letter? I read it and it sounds a bit disjointed. I think you should "professionalize" (not sure if that's a word) it a bit. (On such and such a day, I entered your facility, name, due to (whatever happened). I feel like I lost the first part of the story and jumped straight into the middle.

 

From what I gather, you're upset because you felt the staff made assumptions about you and they believe you are on a fast track for another heart attack.

 

Also, I would put how you would want the resolution resolved. Even if you aren't asking for anything, how you would want the staff to have additional training, etc.

 

I know THIS reply is disjointed, but I'm heading out for a few hours and wanted to respond. My best friend had a heart attack a few years ago, completely out of the blue. She recovered but it was scary for a bit. I remember her talking about her rehab experience. :grouphug:

[DianeW88]

I guess I'm not sure what you're complaining about either. :confused: All of the questions they asked would be protocol. I used to work with a peds cardiologist and we would always counsel parents on diet for their children if they had heart disease. These were usually babies and were obviously not consuming margarine or fast food....they were still either nursing or drinking formula.

 

It sounds like you're insulted in some way because they lumped you with *those other* heart attack patients. It doesn't matter WHY you had a heart attack, just that you did. You will be counseled in the same way as all the other patients who come through the door. The staff doesn't have time to individualize their advice and they aren't always priveleged to the all the information in your medical file. And quite honestly...the WHY you had it doesn't matter...you still need the same advice every heart attack patient gets, and they would be remiss in not giving it to you. They don't have your diet log, and I highly doubt your doctor wrote "doesn't eat fast food" in your file. That's just how it is.

 

And, *gently*, I'm also wondering if your doctor counseled you on the emotional impact of having a cardiac arrest. It is HUGE and often some help is needed in processing all of it. If they've given you information about that, you might want to read through it, and if they haven't, you might want to research it a bit. Fifty percent of cardiac arrest patients deal with depression after the incident and it is totally normal. So please don't neglect that part of your recovery as well. Particularly if you thought you were an otherwise healthy person and this hit you out of the blue.

 

Best wishes for success in your continued recovery. You have every reason to expect a bright and healthy future! :)