Feeling Better!
What a difference a day makes!
On Monday, the day after I was desperately awaiting to hear about my husband, I called the correctional facility. I asked to speak with his counselor, when I told her why I was calling, she transferred me to another counselor because "her computer wasn't up" (whatever that means). The second counselor told me that they don't deal with HIPAA forms. She transferred me to the medical admin. The woman who answered the phone didn't seem to understand why I was calling. She announced that she couldn't tell me anything, I felt like I was in the "Groundhog Day" movie and began to explain all over again. The woman finally said, your husband can sign the HIPAA form when he gets back from the hospital. I shook my head and took a deep breath before saying, "I just want to know if he's OK, now! and by the way, no one ever called me to tell me he was taken to the hospital." To which she responded, "so, how did you know he was there?" Note, I had already explained how I came to find out :( Knowing I was getting nowhere, I told her I would be talking to our lawyer again, thanked her and hung up.
Frustrated, I called my husband's lawyer. She quickly and humorously said, "I'm about to ruin that lady's day!" Thank God for her. Within a few minutes she texted me to call the hospital and ask for a certain person. I did as she said and was connected with a man that spoke with a heavy Spanish accent. Before I could say my name or why I was calling he said, "you're calling about your husband? He's doing much better. He has pneumonia and an upper respiratory infection. His white blood count is good. I just came from his room, we were joking around. He knows what you've been through." I thanked him and explained why his kindness meant so much to me. I asked him if he spoke Spanish, he said yes and we finished the conversation in Spanish. He testified about how prisoners and their families are treated but that the hospital staff does their best to treat them as humane as they deserve. I thanked him again.
30 or so minutes later my phone rang, it was the hospital number. A strange voice was on the other end. "What's up?" and I said, who's this? "You don't recognize your own husband?" I wanted to cry. He didn't sound like himself at all! Perhaps it was because of everything he'd been through, or the line was more clear than at the prison. Maybe it was both! I was so happy to talk to him and to know he was feeling better. It was such a relief!
Later that night, I received another call, this time from a familiar number. He was back at the facility. This worried me. I wondered if he was well enough to go back, would he receive everything he needed to continue getting better. I went to bed, happy to have spoken to my husband, grateful that he was ok.
Yesterday, first thing in the morning, I received an e-mail. " I MIGHT NEED YOU TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE DOCTOR AND SEE WHAT MED HE PRESCIBED FOR ME BECAUSE THEY ARE SAYING WHEN I GOT BACK HERE THAT THEY DID'NT RECEIVE ANY PAPERWORK." That meant he wasn't taking any medications! So I called the hospital. I hoped that Mr. Jose would be there to help. I asked to speak with him when a female nurse answered. She said that he was on another line, so I asked if she would take my name and number for him to call me back. When I started to say my name she interrupted me to say, "I know who you are! Your husband isn't here anymore." I told her that I knew but that I had spoken with Jose and he had been kind to me and I was hoping he could help with getting my husband's medications in order. She asked me to hold.
Mr. Jose saved the day once again! He called the facility and when he called me back he said that my husband's prescriptions had been left behind. He was happy that we were able to alert him. When my husband called later on, he told me that he was called to the infirmary. The doctor said to him that he'd gotten a call about him taking his medications, "so are you taking your medications?" he asked him. My husband, confused, told him that he hadn't gotten any. That he NEEDED them since he had just come back from the hospital. The doctor went on to ask him why he'd been there. When my husband said he has pneumonia, the doctor told him, "you don't have pneumonia, who told you that?"
On the phone, my husband sounded tired. Physically and mostly emotionally. He's feeling better, but he's not out of the woods yet. And now he's dealing with people who are denying that he was ever sick at all. He says, "these people are always playing games!" I get it. I only dealt with it for a few days and it was infuriating, I can only imagine how it must feel to be treated this way day in and day out.
On Monday, the day after I was desperately awaiting to hear about my husband, I called the correctional facility. I asked to speak with his counselor, when I told her why I was calling, she transferred me to another counselor because "her computer wasn't up" (whatever that means). The second counselor told me that they don't deal with HIPAA forms. She transferred me to the medical admin. The woman who answered the phone didn't seem to understand why I was calling. She announced that she couldn't tell me anything, I felt like I was in the "Groundhog Day" movie and began to explain all over again. The woman finally said, your husband can sign the HIPAA form when he gets back from the hospital. I shook my head and took a deep breath before saying, "I just want to know if he's OK, now! and by the way, no one ever called me to tell me he was taken to the hospital." To which she responded, "so, how did you know he was there?" Note, I had already explained how I came to find out :( Knowing I was getting nowhere, I told her I would be talking to our lawyer again, thanked her and hung up.
Frustrated, I called my husband's lawyer. She quickly and humorously said, "I'm about to ruin that lady's day!" Thank God for her. Within a few minutes she texted me to call the hospital and ask for a certain person. I did as she said and was connected with a man that spoke with a heavy Spanish accent. Before I could say my name or why I was calling he said, "you're calling about your husband? He's doing much better. He has pneumonia and an upper respiratory infection. His white blood count is good. I just came from his room, we were joking around. He knows what you've been through." I thanked him and explained why his kindness meant so much to me. I asked him if he spoke Spanish, he said yes and we finished the conversation in Spanish. He testified about how prisoners and their families are treated but that the hospital staff does their best to treat them as humane as they deserve. I thanked him again.
30 or so minutes later my phone rang, it was the hospital number. A strange voice was on the other end. "What's up?" and I said, who's this? "You don't recognize your own husband?" I wanted to cry. He didn't sound like himself at all! Perhaps it was because of everything he'd been through, or the line was more clear than at the prison. Maybe it was both! I was so happy to talk to him and to know he was feeling better. It was such a relief!
Later that night, I received another call, this time from a familiar number. He was back at the facility. This worried me. I wondered if he was well enough to go back, would he receive everything he needed to continue getting better. I went to bed, happy to have spoken to my husband, grateful that he was ok.
Yesterday, first thing in the morning, I received an e-mail. " I MIGHT NEED YOU TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE DOCTOR AND SEE WHAT MED HE PRESCIBED FOR ME BECAUSE THEY ARE SAYING WHEN I GOT BACK HERE THAT THEY DID'NT RECEIVE ANY PAPERWORK." That meant he wasn't taking any medications! So I called the hospital. I hoped that Mr. Jose would be there to help. I asked to speak with him when a female nurse answered. She said that he was on another line, so I asked if she would take my name and number for him to call me back. When I started to say my name she interrupted me to say, "I know who you are! Your husband isn't here anymore." I told her that I knew but that I had spoken with Jose and he had been kind to me and I was hoping he could help with getting my husband's medications in order. She asked me to hold.
Mr. Jose saved the day once again! He called the facility and when he called me back he said that my husband's prescriptions had been left behind. He was happy that we were able to alert him. When my husband called later on, he told me that he was called to the infirmary. The doctor said to him that he'd gotten a call about him taking his medications, "so are you taking your medications?" he asked him. My husband, confused, told him that he hadn't gotten any. That he NEEDED them since he had just come back from the hospital. The doctor went on to ask him why he'd been there. When my husband said he has pneumonia, the doctor told him, "you don't have pneumonia, who told you that?"
On the phone, my husband sounded tired. Physically and mostly emotionally. He's feeling better, but he's not out of the woods yet. And now he's dealing with people who are denying that he was ever sick at all. He says, "these people are always playing games!" I get it. I only dealt with it for a few days and it was infuriating, I can only imagine how it must feel to be treated this way day in and day out.
Your writing is so engaging and heartfelt. I'm so sorry for all that you are going through.
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