1 /5 Jeremy Coleman: I usually don’t take the time to leave reviews, but in this case, I had to. I’m so disgusted with my recent visit to the ER that I feel compelled to share my experience to prevent anyone else from going through this.
Five weeks ago, I had surgery at a different hospital to correct a 21- and 56-degree curve in my spine. Recently, I started experiencing excruciating pain in my upper back, and I suspected that a screw was coming loose from one of the rods. I went to the ER, explained my situation, and got a CT scan, which confirmed that the screw was indeed coming out.
When I first arrived, they gave me muscle relaxers and pain medication, but neither provided any relief. The nurse checked on me later and asked how I was feeling, to which I responded that I felt exactly the same—I didn’t feel the medication working at all. After the doctor confirmed the issue with the screw, he reassured me by saying that he would prescribe pain medication until I could see my surgeon.
I thought, “Great!”—especially since Hurricane Milton was hitting the next day, and the last thing I wanted was to be stuck without power and in severe pain. Imagine my shock when I found out the prescription was for the exact same medication that had done nothing for me intravenously, now in oral form.
I understand there’s an opioid epidemic, but at some point, doctors need to recognize when its appropriate to prescribe actual pain relief. I feel for people struggling with addiction, but I am not willing to endure the pain of a screw coming loose in my spine because of their poor choices. When doctors are too scared of the consequences of prescribing opioids to the point that they allow patients with legitimate pain to suffer, something needs to change. If a failed screw in my spine isn’t enough to warrant proper pain management, then what is?
If doctors are too afraid to help due to fear of government reprisals, what are we supposed to do? Just lie down and suffer? After this experience, I might return to this hospital for something as minor as a stubbed toe or maybe even a blister, but I wouldn’t trust them to care for anything more serious. I strongly suggest traveling the extra distance to Holmes Regional, no matter how badly youre injured—you won’t receive the help you need here.
The screw that came loose is the top left of the X-ray
UPDATE: the reply they posted asking to speak to me goes to a blocked email address that just returns the email as undeliverable. The reply is a sham to make you think they care.
