tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6996660.post116893579949298004..comments2023-05-24T10:49:19.255+03:00Comments on Antigonos' Annals: NHS BlogDoctorAntigonoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01022875780607194845noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6996660.post-64675202267017339652007-08-12T22:21:00.000+03:002007-08-12T22:21:00.000+03:00quote from your post: "I made home visits (home vi...quote from your post: "I made home visits (home visits!!) to every woman after discharge from the postpartum ward to check her and her baby. American women have no such service at all."<BR/><BR/>Actually, we do. Although most of us will have to pay out of pocket for our midwives. I had 2 home visits from my midwife, one at 2 days pp (went home the day after) and one at 1 week.<BR/><BR/>Then, I went in to their office for my 2, 4 & 6 week pp visits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6996660.post-23302975359195721632007-06-17T04:00:00.000+03:002007-06-17T04:00:00.000+03:00What is wrong with making a "shrine" for your chil...What is wrong with making a "shrine" for your child? Of course they are going to put pictures up of their daughter! You still have not answered my question either. What would you do if somebody blamed YOU for the death of your child? I lost my son two years ago in a hospital. I had regular check ups, I was told he was healthy, I ate the healthiest foods, took great care of myself, and he still died, IN A HOSPITAL, for "unknown" reasons. Is it all MY fault that he died? Is there something I could have done differently to prevent it? please share....Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6996660.post-15176481703455703742007-06-10T12:31:00.000+03:002007-06-10T12:31:00.000+03:00You seem to have missed the point. There ISN'T an...You seem to have missed the point. There ISN'T any "nice" way to tell someone that they deliberately made really bad choices through ego and ignorance. Moreover, in order to try and avoid another tragedy--this time which could be fatal to her, or possibly end her reproductive career, mincing words would actually be a kind of fraud. Erin, who is still milking the situation for all it is worth, three months after the baby's death (she's created a shrine in her home, for heaven's sake, and she defines herself by her baby's non-existence, which is way over the top for normal grieving) likes to portray the baby's death as an act of God. It wasn't. It was an act of Erin. Time to face up, make new and better-informed choices, get on with life.<BR/><BR/>I deal with bereaved mothers frequently. Erin's behavior borders on the pathologic, sorry.Antigonoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01022875780607194845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6996660.post-45034519991956957052007-06-06T11:42:00.000+03:002007-06-06T11:42:00.000+03:00Why did you have to be "harsh"? Why couldn't you j...Why did you have to be "harsh"? Why couldn't you just say what you said but in a better, nicer way? You didn't have to be so rude about it and say she is "more than a little responsible" for her daughter's death, If a child of yours was stillborn and somebody told you it was all your fault, how would that make you feel? huh? I'm just curiousAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6996660.post-15225199575153042232007-06-05T20:51:00.000+03:002007-06-05T20:51:00.000+03:00I was harsh with Erin because I think she is in da...I was harsh with Erin because I think she is in danger of repeating the tragedy, not because I want to lumber her with excess guilt (frankly, I think she knows just how culpable she is). If she tries for a homebirth VBAC with her next baby, she is in real danger of dying herself. A "short, sharp shock", if you will.<BR/><BR/>My feelings about homebirth aren't as strident as Dr. Amy's. I think there is always potential risk in birth, not "inherent" risk, as she claims. But when one is in a situation where (1) one is in the hands of nonprofessional staff, and (2) there is no real backup capable of dealing with every kind of emergency, the risk in homebirth is an unacceptable one. Sure, the vast majority of homebirths will be uneventful--but when the axe falls in obstetrics, it falls VERY fast.<BR/><BR/>I think Amy has a point about "empowerment". Labor is something that the mother is simply not in control of, and as a result, is very frightening. In that sense, it is a kind of "rape" in that, by definition, rape is outside a woman's control. Any technique that promises a return of control over one's physiologically natural processes is very attractive (even if it doesn't work). And hospitals, and doctors, aren't always the nicest places to be. But I don't think that being at home is the answer.<BR/><BR/>Anyone reading these comments will wonder what the heck is going on. I promise, promise, promise, to bring the blog up to date soon!Antigonoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01022875780607194845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6996660.post-90906742165574888802007-06-05T20:07:00.000+03:002007-06-05T20:07:00.000+03:00I was just (trolling) around on blogs, and I saw t...I was just (trolling) around on blogs, and I saw that Erin's website was back up. I then, saw the situation that was going on with Dr. Amy.<BR/><BR/>When I posted the comment to you before, I must admit, that I didn't know all of the facts. Now, I apologize. You certainly had every right to say what you felt- afterall, isn't her blog public?<BR/><BR/>I blog with the thought in the back of my head, that not everyone is going to agree with my comments. My views. My choices. And, when I receive negative comments, I either let them roll off my back, or I try to understand the perspective that the commentor is presenting. <BR/><BR/>Erin, certainly, has my sympathy. My empathy. I have had three miscarriages, but cannot compare that to losing a child at birth. I worked as a Respiratory Therapist for 6 years, before deciding to stay home last year. The majority of full-term babies that came into the NICU were home-births gone wrong. And, those were the babies that actually made it into the NICU. <BR/>I am not disputing that babies die in the hospital. And, I am not attacking Erin. However, sometimes ignorance is bliss. I don't think she wants to accept the fact that this tragic death could have been prevented. That, or maybe she is not ready to accept it. There are five stages of death- maybe she is still in the anger part, and will eventually move into the accepting and understanding. I did not know that she had went into labor on Thursday, and by Saturday, was still laboring. And, refusing to have diabetic testing because "it doesn't run in her family", and then saying that she is adopted? How would you know?? I simply, did not research the blog and see the facts. I understand that Erin wants to use her blog as an outlet for grief. But, by choosing to make it public, she should understand that she is going to receive negative comments. And, not just meanspirited comments, but well-informed views, other than her own. And, I am not saying that your comments were meanspirited. If anything, you proved on Dr. Amy's site that you were actually concerced about Erin. When I saw Erin's entry on the "bitch who made a mean comment" (or something along those lines) I jumped to her defense. Afterall, she is a mother who lost her child. But it comes down to this...if she is going to attack every person who doesn't pat her on the back, and then publish their personal information, then she needs make her blog private.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, sorry for the rambling, I just wanted to apologize for attacking you before, without looking at the facts.<BR/><BR/>AndriaAndriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11555953207285169472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6996660.post-19080251415160096602007-05-10T21:28:00.000+03:002007-05-10T21:28:00.000+03:00Anonymous thinks I look like an overweight drag qu...Anonymous thinks I look like an overweight drag queen. Overweight I definitely am, but how can I be a drag queen if I'm female?<BR/>Andria and co. wonders if I would blame her for her miscarriages. Of course not, there's no comparison, and no intelligent person would make one, unless of course she climbed Mt. Everest after her doctor told her exertion might cause her to lose the baby. The biggest cause of early miscarriage is a defective pregnancy or hormonal problems; later miscarriage (if after 20 weeks it is technically an intrauterine fetal death or stillborn) is due to a variety of factors, such as incompetent cervical os or insufficient amniotic fluid or the placenta not functioning well. Although the cause of some miscarriages is never determined, there are successful treatments and medical regimes for most.Antigonoshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01022875780607194845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6996660.post-4396293722068234022007-05-10T20:48:00.000+03:002007-05-10T20:48:00.000+03:00are you kidding me??? you post on a GRIEVING mothe...are you kidding me??? you post on a GRIEVING mother's website, that her baby's death is her fault?<BR/>what's next? are my three miscarriages in the last year my fault as well? <BR/>shame, shame on you.Andriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11555953207285169472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6996660.post-19274479313623708902007-05-09T22:41:00.000+03:002007-05-09T22:41:00.000+03:00you look like an overweight drag queen.you look like an overweight drag queen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6996660.post-1175895145797543092007-04-07T00:32:00.000+03:002007-04-07T00:32:00.000+03:00Dear Antigonos - I am a fan of Dr Crippen. His po...Dear Antigonos - I am a fan of Dr Crippen. His point, I think, about nurse practioners is a little more complex than feeling threatened by them.<BR/><BR/>The nurse practioners are being used as a political tool. Instead of seeing a gastroenterologist, you see an NP get a flexi-sig and then go back to the GP. The NP may well be more competent than the reg. But they are a lot cheaper to run than a doctor. Money saved, normal investigation done. It just did not go far enough, because the NP does not have the autonomy to go further. The patient is still anaemic with no answer. Then 4 years later the patient dies of their previously occult cancer. This time frame for death coincides with when the previous incumbent health minister/government has left office. Who do you blame for your parent's death? You can't blame the politician who changed the system. You can’t find them and only with sharp hindsight will you spot the error. Perhaps a highly autonomous NP is a doctor without a medical degree? They are cheap to train, cheap to run. It is a political win, less cost, shorter waiting lists and huge political spin. They are expected to do a doctor’s job on a nursing salary. I personally feel that NPs have a role and may have more experience within certain areas than some registrars but they sometimes lack the holisitic physiological overview of a doctor. Certainly, I learn from NPs. I believe in NPs - as part of a team. They should not be the whole team, which is the way things are turning out in the UK.<BR/><BR/>Dr C's other point about NPs is that, instead of being allowed to nurse. Nurses are expected to upskill and become NPs. Nurses do nearly all the care of patients and should be left alone, politically speaking, to do it. Dr C was being facetious when he talked about bottom wiping, it is important, but nurses can’t even perform this basic service because there are not enough of them employed. How can they give the support and care to dying patients/relatives when they are too busy for basic nursing care? We as docs ask for things to be done and then the nurses try to do it. The nurses deliver the actual care, not us. But we exist together as a highly symbiotic creature.<BR/><BR/>Dr SniperAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com