There are a couple of things that bother me about Gracie's experience. The first is that a surgeon nicked her lung (reported by GG to be a rare occurrence), and the second that she had to wait several hours to get into a critical care section. I am obviously very glad that she is okay, but a week stay in the hospital seems like it could have been avoided by better surgical care. And having to wait for a critical care bed with a punctured lung, well... I just don't know.

I'm not a doctor. Maybe db or GE have an answer to my concerns.

:agree:

GG spent a long time in hospital!

NO NO NO. I came in with a very slow heartbeat not a punctured lung. They gave me two doses of atropine in the ambulance and my heart rate kept dropping. I was in a small room in emergency, just like a hospital room but smaller, NOT an alcove with curtains but a room and I had all vital signs monitored and constant supervision. I was given a huge room in about six hours and 48 hours later after they (several cardiologists from the group I use) had carefully confirmed the exact problem with the electricity of my heart a pacemaker was inserted into my chest and the surgeon used a port in my front chest wall that had been there for chemo for the cancer I had ten years ago. He used it to access my heart and attach the electrodes. I am curved all wrong in my back and chest area because of my increasing scoliosis and he removed scar tissue from my port, an expected occurance as the chemo burns the tissue.. Two things most people don't have when they have a pacemaker inserted. The pneumo thorax occurred a few hours after the pacemaker was inserted and a BOARD CERTIFIED pulmonologist was called and he inserted a chest tube to release the air and allow my lung to reinflate. I was observed then for several days to be sure my lung was stable and my vital signs were no longer dangerous.

I was cared for and had the pacemaker implanted by BOARD CERTIFIED CARDIOLOGISTS that are ON CALL to the hospital, not part of their staff, actually they are those I have seen before I was admitted as my cardiologists and by our BOARD CERTIFIED primary care physician and by amazing nurses, most with quite a history working at the hospital. They were excellent and treated me as if I were a family member.

There are actually people on this forum who defend going to a doctor who is not board certified. Those are the ones you should be second guessing.

I was questioning the fact that your lung got nicked. Glad you are okay.

Thank you. I am sure that the surgeon didn't want it to happen. I certainly didn't want it to happen. I did have the healed port opening in my front chest close to where the Pacemaker was inserted and I also have scoliosis and I cannot lie flat. Those are things I think. Not excuses given by the doctor. The pulmonary physician came in and inserted the chest tube on Christmas day.

I had the Director of Nursing as my Critical Care nurse on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Her name is Ree, she made me a milkshake and gave me cookies that were not on my "diet" but I wasn't eating. A nurse named Kathy who has been at The Hospital since it opened (16 years) is one of the finest human beings I have ever met. I have met some super heros and heroines. I am very lucky and blessed.

I'm sorry that the surgeon "nicked" the lung Gracie. I think folks think that surgeries go truly smoothly all of the time. BUT think of it folks, we sign those papers for a reason. There are risks with ALL surgeries and I believe Gracie said early in this dialogue that this was one that she was made aware of and she knew it. I concur with her that the care in TVRH is excellent....been there, done that on a few levels. UNLESS people are truly "in the know" with how medical procedures go then don't be an "armchair coach" please. My recent surgery was potentionally a life-threatening one (or at least what it was addressing was) but I'm quite sure my surgeon, the nurses and ALL the folks who are following up on me have been very good in what they do and I'm "just" a lay-person/patient. You'd think by reading many of the comments on social media that the medical folks here are all hacks. Read their credentials, their training, the schools they went to...I always do my due diligence with my care-providers.

Wow! I had no idea you had such critical health issues, so so glad that you are back to normal. You are a very very special lady that we all love. :bigbow:

Funny, when your real estate agent goes on and on, about the wonderful first class healthcare facilities minutes away away from your new home...Never have to relocate to a hospital many hours away, it's all right here in The Villages!!

The thing is one needs to deal with a medical emergency no matter where one finds oneself when it occurs.

A woman of my acquaintance was an international flight attendant. Her need for GBM brain surgery arose while she was overnighting in China. Airline people look after their own. Another airline flew her to Australia for assistance ASAP. She then was flown back to the USA for her successful surgery, radiation and chemo treatments at a world class facility. She has survived over five years now which is amazing since median life expectancy is about 16 months. GBM is what killed Ted Kennedy and Joe Biden's son. John McCain is dealing with it now.

I developed a terrible sinus/ear infection in Greece on a cruise. The doctor on the boat gave me just what I needed for about 30 euros: an antibiotic and an antihistamine which saw me through. I was able to fly on to Italy for the next two weeks of my trip although I experienced the most painful earache of my life during landing in Rome.

No person selling homes here has to embroider anything. We have had four homes go up for sale in our Village of 54 homes in the last three weeks. Three are pending.

When we bought our first home here, we waited a half an hour too long. Poof. Gone.

:bigbow:

It appears that houses in The Villages sell much quicker than medical appointments can be made.

I sure hope that the building of new medical care facilities and finding and relocating professional medical personnel can keep up with the pace of homebuilding.

First class healthcare was not something we were thinking about when we decided to move to The Villages and in hindsight we still would have moved. That might have been different if we were older or less healthy but the lifestyle was what was and is most important to us.

I remember about the time we were planning a move here...or maybe "just" before that---we had a conversation with a friend who was in health-care. She had been a liason between doctor/hospitals and insurance as an RN. Her comment was that FL and AZ were two of the states that weren't considered to be ones with "state of the art" (my words) health-care. Back then (around 2008 or so) she said it was tough to find ins. that would cover etc. We knew when we moved here that it "might" be tough to find a good provider (we were fortunate and did, thank God). We're also quite happy with our insurance coverage as well. I guess we were looking more at the good weather and the life-style we'd be moving towards and we haven't regretted it.

I was in the emergency room the other day and was taken back to a hallway, as all rooms were taken. That didn’t stop them from taking blood and vitals and I was admitted within a couple of hours. The emergency staff was able to diagnose correctly, where my PCP failed and they ended up saving my life. I had an excellent experience.
I am so sorry for your loss.

There is nothing any of us or the Morses can do about that. The Morses can build buildings. Medical personnel have got to want to move here. I am more concerned about the quality of medical personnel who decide to move to Florida and HOW they are accredited or licensed. What constitutes the criteria.

There was a doctor who moved here from the Carolina's who had been in trouble there for substance abuse. She is practicing here now after an arrest on 466A with a LOT of pills in her car.

I know NOTHING about how Florida accredits physicians, but I would like to know more and get behind some legislation to update and improve the quality of physicians allowed to practice here. This is not researched...just a general feeling by an old woman whose child has had stellar medical care for many things in the North for over fifty years. In fact we just returned from Cincinnati for one of her medical check ups.