In Feb. I was operated on by a dr. when my appendix ruptured. I was in the hospital for a few months. The dr. who operated on me was very nice, we got along splendidly.

On the way out of the hospital, the rehab floor had me walk downstairs instead of wheeling me (I had a huge scar on my thigh from where the infection had spread), and I had been learning how to walk, etc. all over again. By the time I made it to the car, my bad leg gave out and I fell - of course, on my bad leg, and injured my knee. My knee is still swollen and painful two months later.

Now the operating dr. has nothing to do with the injury. He had wanted me to make an appt to see him to make sure everything was going okay.

Now the weird thing: ever since I left the hospital, his office has gone out of their way to avoid letting me make an appt. I am just not GETTING this at all. I called again today, she put me on hold (again), and said, "we aren't taking any new patients." I said, how can I bet a new patient if the guy operated on me and saw me every day for two months? She said she had ASKED THE DR., and he said, no new patients!

So what am I missing here? He obviously doesn't want me to make an appt (and I guess even though I'm a "new patient," my name is in their computer, and it sounds like it's flagged.)

Any ideas about what this could be? I should just find another dr., but I have to admit, this just strikes me as completely unprofessional and idiotic, esp. since it's so obviously a lie.

Any ideas would be gratefully appreciated.

I am guessing that although you were a patient of his in the hospital that you were maybe not considered an office patient of his. Doctors need to make rounds in hospitals and take care of all there, but then they also have their own office patients too. I really have no clue to this, only totally speculating. I just had a doctor tell me to make an appointment to come back in a month, when I called to set it up the earliest opening they had was 3 months. I wasn't sure what to do. Sometimes I don't think the left hand knows what the right is doing.

Can the nurse give you a better explaination or at least direct you somewhere? I would continue to call and ask to speak to the doctor directly or find out his exchange number and call then. Ask the nurse to tell you who you should contact if the infection seems to start acting up or is creating any problems for you. If he can not/will not be your doctor, can he at least refer you? If something went wrong and the infection was not clear, you'd be in big trouble... I would bet someone needs to follow up with you.

Have you considered calling the hospital and speaking to someone there about who you should follow up with? Don't mention the accident, just who to follow up with for the infection and operation.

Your discharge was not part of proper and accepted protocol in being made to walk out of the hospital instead of being wheeled out in a wheelchair.
Do to the hospital error, you where and still are injured and I hope that you have or will seek medical attention for that knee.

2 months post falling, you should not have a swollen and painful knee. It sounds like you may have done some serious injury to you knee.

That being said, an incident report had to have been filled out and reported to the hospital and that will land in the offices of quality assurance and very likely the state board of review that governs hospitals in your state.

You make no mention of having contacted an attorney, which is very much what you should do. The hospital is no doubt waiting to see what you will do next and what action, if any, you will take. What kind of injury you sustained and how serious it is/was.

In the mean time, it is quite possible that they hospital has instructed the surgeon to not see you because of what happened when you where discharged.
It's not ethical, and I no it is not legal in the state I live in, but it may be legal in some states. I just don't know that.

I'm also assuming that while you where still in the hospital and rehab, this surgeon continued to check on you about the infection, and that would make him still part of your medical team till you where discharged and therefore, could be seen and held as responsible for what happened to you when you fell.

As for the office saying you are a new patient. No way. He operated on you, he followed you through infection, etc. while an inpatient in the hospital. You are not a new patient, as you are being told, but rather a follow up patient, post op, post infection.

The first thing I would do is report this problem with the surgeon to your state board of registration in medicine and loge a formal, written complaint.
This treatment now can be considered mapractice.
You need to be followed by someone for this infection to be sure that it is all cleared up and doesn't return. that can happen.
I would also ask the board if they can advise you and/or give you the name of a surgeon that you could follow up with about this infection.

You also need to see an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in knees ASAP and determine what is going on with your injured knee. that is serious since it has gone on for so long now.

You also need to contact a malpractice attorney ASAP as well. You are being denied medical care that the "so called surgeon" who operated on you, instructed you to do. He is refusing to see you and you need follow up care. You where also seriously injured because of the negligence of the hospital when you where discharged.

The fact that you are being denied medical care now from the doctor who told you to make an appointment to see him, is very dangerous to your health.

Don't delay any longer in taking pro-active action for your own health and safety. You have to be your own patient advocate and not expect the system to do it for you.

Good luck

Fran

It sounds like maybe this doctor in question told you to follow up many months ago and had since filled up. Did other doctors take over follow up and/or could you have been transferred to someone else? I think if this doctor was paranoid of you, he would have consulted an attorney, and would not be doing what he is doing and making you even madder. And, I highly doubt he'd be responsible for hospital rehab nurses... thay aren't his office nurses; he's just too far removed.

Have you talked to someone about your knee? You probably should.

Again, check your release form papers for follow up info... and try calling the hospital itself if you have any problems. If they too ignore you or put you off, I'd talk to an attorney and be sure to have a backup doctor from a different hospital check out your leg.