VA Dr would not help me up grrrr

[Buck52]

I was setting on the table with the whit paper on it in the Dr clinic office for my regular health check up and getting up my hand slip on that paper and my right knee gave out about the time I slip  I fell onto the floor and needed help getting up , I am obese,

anyway I ask the Dr to give me a hand  she would not do it  she called for help and by the time help arrived I had pulled my self back up  Dr ask if I was ok? I said yeah I think so  and I ask if I was free to leave  she said yeah...make an appointment out front to come back in May of next year, So I did.

This probably would not have bothered me if the Dr was disabled but she is not she is in good health  and why she would not help me up is just crazy  or at least try  or call the nurse in  she got on the freaking phone asking for help.

This is just one of my reasons  don't like using the VAMC

[broncovet]

This is the policy, Buck, and its a good one.  Here is why:

MANY health care workers are injured lifting patients.  MANY.  Some people are heavy.  When I worked as a nurse assistant we were forbidden to lift patients that the records show are "2 person" lift only.  

If you are obese, its likely that you are a "2 person" lift only.  So, the procedure is for the person who witnesses the fall to call for help..not to even try to lift the person who fell...because there is a risk of injury to both the patient and the health care worker.  

The doctor obviously knew about this policy and complied.  You see, if the doctor did not comply and either you were injured or the person helping you was injured, the doctor would be in trouble either way.  

Yes, I know it looks bad.  But the policy is to prevent injuries to the person who fell as well as preventing injuries to the person helping them.  She needed to wait for help.  

     They did the same thing for me.  When I got my knee surgury, I reasoned. "Gee the bathroom is only about 4 steps away, and I can make it on my own".  I was wrong.  I was woozy from the meds from the surgery and took one step and fell.  I hollered for help, but no one could hear.  

      My wife came into the room and saw me on the floor, first.  She immediately called the nurse, who called others to help lift me.  MY OWN WIFE did not "even try" to help me up, becasue she is a retired nurse and knows the long standing policy of not trying to help someone up who is obese alone.  

      I rested on the floor until 2 able bodied people helped me up.  I could have "easily" been injured if one person tried to lift me, as I had a brand new knee (brand new within hours).  Instead, I rested comfortably, was given a pillow and offered water until 2 able bodied helpers carefully helped me up so I did not reinjure my knee.  I was glad it happend this way.  I did not want to go back to surgury to repair a knee that was broken or damaged because someone tried to help me up, when 2 people could have done so easily.  

      Its a good plan, and has been in place in both private and VA hospitals for years.  There is a procedure when (a hospital worker) finds someone who has fallen, and it ALWAYS involves getting additional helpers to help up the person who fell.  They never help you alone.  Its too risky regardless if they are a doctor, nurse, nurses aid, laundry worker, or candy stiper.  It risks injury to BOTH the person who fell and the person trying to help them up.  

       Imagine that doctor trying to lift your weight.  I weigh about 260 so, I would not ask anyone to lift 260 pounds alone, unless, maybe they were an NFL linebacker who bench presses 400 pounds 30 repititions, as daily training.  

[broncovet]

Its for YOUR protection, too.  Again, you dont want to be injured by someone trying to lift you alone.  The procedure is to immediately get others to help lift, then to return to the patient, and offer assistance (but dont try to lift them) until help arrives.  They offered me blankets, a pillow, water, or what ever I wanted until help arrived to help me up.  

These falls have to be DOCUMENTED.  And, you want multiple people to sign off on what happened.   Was it a slippery floor?  Was the paitent alone while he fell?  Does the paitent need assistance, that is, is the patient in need of walking assistance in the future?   What needs to happen so this patient does not fall again.  All these things have to be documented and decided by medical personel in charge.  My wife was often the "charge nurse" and she made those decisions when doctors were not around.  She could decide, for example, the patient had to be restrained because he was a risk to himself.  (This happens when a patient gets up, who should not be walking for medical reasons.)   

[Buck52]

Well I am not that obese  I am 70lbs over my correct weight limit...most of my weight is in my stomach and sides.  my arms legs are normal.

The point is she never offered me a hand to get up.  she didn't have to pick me up I never would have expected her to do that  obviously I know picking up heavy people is dangerous if your not careful  but just a hand to help me stable myself would have been nice.

Well I am just glad I didn't break anything....nothing in the floor caused me to slip  I just slipped on that white paper they pull across those tables we sit on while they examine us...my slip and my knee gave out at the same time I was unable to catch myself  it happen so fast  before I knew it I was on the floor on my arse.

[Oceanbound]

What Bronco said is true. One of my previous jobs the manager as well as the first aid/CPR person said in the training session is if someone is falling don't try to break the fall, it's for your own safety and legal protection. Because why risk breaking your "back" for someone and ruin your career and life. 

It has nothing to subjective but objective, it wasn't personal that "he/she" didn't help you. 

From G.I. Jane movie  - [quoting "Self-Pity" by D.H. Lawrence] I never saw a wild thing feeling sorry for itself. A bird will fall frozen dead from a bough without ever having felt sorry for itself.

[paulstrgn]

Buck I understand your aggravation, but I can see why she did not assist. First keep in mind she may look healthy but she may have problems with her shoulders, back, legs, or even have a heart condition. As we all know you can't tell just by looking at someone and tell if they have medical issues. 

But she should have said she was not able to and would need to call for some help. If she had then then at least you would understand.

Hopefully you did not hurt yourself.