Five Hospitals and a Medical Journey Through Hell: Don’t Think This Couldn’t Happen to You

By Roger E. Gussett

In this memoir, Roger reveals at the age of twenty Terry was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and was not expected to live. Despite her dire prognosis, she survived radiation treatments but was left with side effects that continued to plague her throughout her lifetime. Roger focuses on Terry's medical long-term effects from the early radiation treatments that, over many years, resulted in her deteriorating health. In medicine, he discusses Terry's successes, but also reveals the inexcusable events that ultimately led to her untimely death at the age of sixty-seven. Roger discusses the doctor's and hospital's differences in opinions of how best to address the same medical calamity, "third spacing", which resulted in very different results.

Five Hospitals and a Medical Journey Through Hell is a story of an intestinal obstruction surgical failure in 2013 not revealed for nearly one year. The surgical failure resulted from the medical condition “third spacing”, whereby doctors did not adequately control fluid that entered the pleural and peritoneal cavities. One year later in 2014, re-obstruction corrective surgery was effective at a different hospital, when early intervention of “third spacing” prevented surgical failure. Then in 2016, a spinal abscess surgical procedure was performed at that same hospital as in 2014. An entirely different group of doctors were responsible for the post-surgical after care. Again, failure to adequately control “third spacing”, as had happened in the first intestinal obstruction, resulted in complications eventually leading to Terry’s removal from life support.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jun 26, 2018
• ISBN: 9781480862791

Roger E. Gussett

Roger E Gussett was born in Columbus, Ohio. His parents divorced at an early age, and the family moved to a small 75-acre farm to live with his grandparents. The rural setting resulted in Roger’s interest in Veterinary Medicine. In 1968, Roger graduated from The Ohio State University Veterinary College and then joined the Army Veterinary Corp for two years. Following service, Roger entered private practice to form Airport Animal Hospital, specializing in small animal medicine. He recently retired following 40+ years of service. Roger’s interest in becoming an author was piqued following 3 years of shadowing the human medical field of his companion of 30 years that was placed on life support following unusual circumstances.

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Copyright © 2018 Roger E. Gussett.

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ISBN: 978-1-4808-6278-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-6279-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018905298

Archway Publishing rev. date: 6/22/2018

Contents

Chapter 1 Her youth couldn’t have been worse. Then she became an ovarian cancer survivor at the age twenty

Chapter 2 Terry the entrepreneur

Chapter 3 The effects of radiation damage to her health was gradual over many years involving multiple organ functions, especially her immune, gastrointestinal, and renal systems

Chapter 4 Fat malabsorption resulted in multiple vitamin deficiencies including vitamin A. If left undiagnosed, this condition could lead to permanent blindness

Chapter 5 Peritoneal dialysis in 2004 and a kidney transplant in 2006

Chapter 6 The intestinal obstruction and resection completed in 2013 at Rochester including complications with third spacing.

Chapter 7 Further complications after leaving Rochester with multiple hospital admissions in Naples. Terry’s vacation that never happened

Chapter 8 The return to Toledo to find out what went wrong and an intestinal re-obstruction surgery completed in Cleveland. The only successful third spacing event and out of the hospital in 1 week

Chapter 9 Changes in Obama care result in Terry’s removal from total parenteral nutrition

Chapter 10 The third surgery in three years a successful spinal abscess surgery in Cleveland, but a disastrous aftercare including another third spacing incident and the imposition of a rectal hose eventually leading to her removal of life support.

Chapter 11 My sense of disbelief and my attempt to assemble information needed to understand what went wrong by retrieving Terry’s medical reports

Chapter 12 My complaints issued to Medicare, The Commission, and the State Medical Board who stonewalled me hoping I would just go away

PREFACE

T here are some people in this world that go through life with merely a blemish. Others such as Terry, my companion for over thirty years, endured hardships from the very early years of her life and continued to experience those hardships throughout her lifetime. This is a true story of one of those unfortunate, truly remarkable individuals, that despite all life’s misfortunes, became a successful entrepreneur. Her father, who initially was a successful businessman, due to a business failure committed suicide while Terry was the tender age of nine-years old. Her mother then became an alcoholic, and her grandmother assumed the responsibility to raise her. At the age of twenty, Terry became a victim of ovarian cancer and was not expected to live. Despite her dire prognosis, she survived radiation treatments but was left with life long side effects that plagued her throughout her lifetime. Even still, her entrepreneurialism allowed her to proceed through life to experience the joy of achievements of many occupations. Her biggest achievements were as an interior decorator, which led her to become a builder of homes, and ultimately to become a developer. The main scope of this book centers around her medical long-term effects from radiation treatments that, over many years, resulted in a gradual deterioration in her health. In medicine, it exposes the successes, but it also reveals some of the inexcusable events that led to her death. The book exposes doctor’s and hospital’s differences in opinions of how to address the same medical calamities leading to very different results. In addition, at issue is the indifference by a State Medical Board and various agencies to the dilemma. We together traveled thousands of medical miles hoping for a resolution that never came. My profession was a veterinarian small animal practitioner, owner of my own small animal business for nearly forty years. Prior to that, I had been a member of the United States Army Veterinary Corp serving in multiple capacities, as food inspection, large and small animal disease and treatment, and prevention. Through my medical experience and training, I was able to assist Terry in her many struggles. This story has been presented factually to the best of my ability as to remembering events and timelines, as we together traveled through Five Hospitals and A Medical Journey Through Hell.

Acknowledgment

I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to all of Terry’s friends that maintained contact with Terry or accompanied us through our medical journey spanning thousands of miles. In particular, thanks to Susan who visited Terry soon after Terry’s initial obstruction surgery in the fall of 2013. Then, two months later, Susan made airline arrangement for herself to return to Rochester and assist Terry’s return to Toledo. Finally, I wish to thank Kathy, Terry’s sister-in-law, and Sue for accompanying me to Terry’s final visit, prior to my decision to remove Terry from life support.

CHAPTER I

T his story is about a beautiful woman both inside and out who despite a life of many adverse events was able to