Woman Complains of Traumatic Experience at Changi General Hospital Where She Almost Died of Heart Attack
People who go get treated at a clinic or hospital expect to recover and come home better. But this was not the case with Charmaine, who recounted her harrowing experience at Changi General Hospital (CGH) on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group yesterday.
According to Charmaine, she was warded at CGH for pancreatitis, an inflammation of the pancreas, which can be deadly if not treated in time. The doctors at CGH advised Charmaine to fast for two to three days, and ordered for her to be put on a drip. Unbeknownst to her, the drip was actually sodium chloride, and not a glucose drip with nutrients.
After three days, the doctors changed her diet to a liquid only diet consisting of soup and jelly, but since Charmaine was in lots of pain, she did not manage to eat much of it. Her discomfort was conveyed to the doctor, who prescribed strong painkillers and even opioids to ease the pain.
However, Charmaine’s condition got worst, and she felt weaker and weaker by the day. She also noticed that her heart rate was as high as 170bpm on the fifth day. Even as she reported her heart palpitations to the nurses, Charmaine was told that it was likely her anxiety and that she was overreacting. The nurses reportedly ignored her cries for help, and even turned off the help button for her bed.
After her doctor’s ordered a blood test, they found out that Charmaine was in starvation mode, and that her blood sugar levels were dangerously low at 4.6 (levels lower than 4.0 would be fatal). That’s when the doctors decided to finally put her on a glucose drip.
On the 6th day, Charmaine got her MRI tests results back, which showed that she did not need any surgery, as it was just an inflamed pancreas. Charmaine then insisted on being discharged, even against medical advice.
Charmaine could not understand how she could have ended up with two conditions, when she was only warded for one (pancreatitis). She now has to deal with dwindling ketone levels, which can lead to serious low blood sugar conditions.
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