I'm gonna try to type this up as calmly as possible, because just thinking about it really really upsets me.

Yesterday I was at lunch near where my mom was working out on her lunch hour. She left early and told me to come with her because grandpa had called her from a hospital in the Med Center and he needed to be picked up because he couldn't get ahold of his cousin who lives with him. All he told us about the hospital was that he had been life-flighted (helicopter transported) and had stitches. My mom isn't good around hospitals any more. She used to be, but then her mom and little sister both died in one and she's just sick of it all. So I get to go in the hospital to hunt down my grandpa by myself. Yipee.
So I'm following these signs to the ER and I don't know how far I am away from where my mom was and my cell phone doesn't have a signal, but I make it to the desk there. I ask the guy about my grandpa. He tells me to call the hospital operator and look up where he is. She says grandpa's in the ER. I tell the guy. The guy says that he's not in the system. I started to freak out so I called my mom on the courtesy phone to see if she knew anything else about him there. She tells me the number grandpa called from (which she called back but no one ever answered) and it turned out to be the phone I was calling her from. I told the guy at the desk he had come in on the helicopter and he's like "Oh thats something entirely different" and he starts checking a notebook (NOTEBOOK!) with the ID numbers of those patients. Apparently the latest patients on that lovely little system had come in on the 17th.
I was pissed. The hospital pretty much lost my grandpa. I asked around to see where the exits where, thinking he might have gone out for a smoke. Guess what I find? My grandpa sitting in a wheelchair unattended, barefoot, with dried blood still on his legs. No phone, no money. Just left there. At first I was just relieved to have found him. I called my mom, told her where we were, helped him into the car, returned the wheelchair and sat quiet during the ride to his house. Inside my head I was livid. How could a hospital just leave a patient like that? How could they discharge him in that condition?
Later we found out what had happened. He tripped over something in his house and landed on the TV (which his cousin threw out the car by WalMart) and got about a 4-6 inch gash on his side. He didn't remember a thing about it. Just that he fell. He tends to have coughing fits so bad he passes out from lack of oxygen, but every now and then he just blacks out for no reason which is how he landed in the hospital 6 months ago. Might have something to do with all the pills they have him on. We're not sure. Mom says he'll be lucky to make it to 70 (he's about 65 of so) Okay I had to just get that all out. If someone could tell me that this was a once in a lifetime thing with the hospital and they've never had or heard of just neglect I'd appreciate it. I'd hate to think other people would have to suffer through that.

Actually, I had to go through something similar. My grandfather was in the hospital for quite some time and my parents had to tend to him because the nurses had several other patients to deal with. We had aunts and uncles from nearby cities come and help him. He was nothing without them. And then he died.

So I know how you feel, but not to sound rude or anything, but it's a big hospital and nurses don't consider your grandfather special. They have several patients to take care of and maybe they had just left him there for a small period of time before sending someone else to take care of him. You can't jump to conclusions and be cynical about the situation. Don't get mad over something that might be entirely false. They might've forgotten everyone because there was a mishap in the system.

thats terrible. you should sue.

hopsitals have run low on nurses... i think more and more people want to be doctors instead of a nurse.

Maybe that's the causes of the death of your mom's mom and sister. i hope you'll find a better hospital and contact to the main hospital that's in charge of all the hospital.

I totally agree!!...

the american medical system fcuking blows

my dad almost lost his finger while slicing some office papers---and it was SQUIRTING with blood and it was almost off...

but they made him SIT in the 'EMERGENCY ROOM' for 3 hours... in that condition, before they even SPOKE to him.

"do you have insurance?"

"sir... don't get your blood on the paper"

this country is worse than most at some parts. in taiwan, (where i'm from) they treat you immediately at hospitals and worry about insurance AFTERWARDS.

stupidass american medical system. sorry about your grandpa.

damn that is wrong. i'd seriously sue, although im against that. i mean thats just wrong.

Actually no. More people are becoming nurses, and some universities are even giving out degrees for being a dr.nurse... not a doctor-doctor... but a doctor on nursing... sounds confusing...

thats horrible. i have nothing left to say but geez. its like "ok your going home now got a rde? no? oh well ok. bye then!" how ignorant can people get