Is there a friend who understands medicine that can help me judge? I'm really anxious right now.
My mom hurt the top of her foot today with a falling kitchen knife. The wound is quite deep and bled a lot. The hospital's Western doctor initially diagnosed it as a ruptured blood vessel and said she must undergo surgery as soon as possible; otherwise, it would affect her recovery and could even lead to disability.
But this surgery requires general anesthesia, and my mom often said she felt unwell with her heart. The doctor didn't conduct any physical examinations, only a blood test, and the test results hadn't come out yet. They just asked us to sign for general anesthesia, explaining a lot of risks, such as heart attack, cerebral hemorrhage, and food reflux (because my mom had eaten not long ago). The doctor and nurses kept urging us that the sooner the surgery, the better; the longer we delay, the greater the risk. They kept pushing us to sign for the surgery. However, at this point, even the basic test results from the blood draw hadn't come out, and they directly requested the surgery under general anesthesia. We didn't dare to sign rashly. My mom was also scared.
I also asked a trustworthy old Chinese medicine doctor, and he said as long as the toes can move, it means the tendons in the foot are not injured, and it won't lead to disability; conservative treatment is enough. If the blood vessels are broken, they can recover slowly, and if the heart feels uncomfortable, there's no need to take the risk of general anesthesia.
I wasn't with my mom at the time, so I asked the attending physician some specific questions over the phone. I asked whether my mom had injured a major artery, or if it was the tendons or blood vessels. The doctor couldn't give any clear answers, just vaguely mentioned that the veins and arteries in her instep were ruptured, and the specific imaging wasn't clear. They could only confirm that the artery in the instep was ruptured, and for the rest, they would need to operate to find out. If the tendon was severed, it would be reattached; if not, just properly handle the blood vessels. Seeing that I might be asking a bit more professionally, they said she might recover well at home. They seemed a bit impatient, saying that if the first surgery wasn't done well, a second one would be needed, which would come with risks of sympathy and thrombosis.
I am thinking about why there are so many risks associated with surgery, and yet, in the uncertain case of injuring the tendons in my foot, they initially insisted on us signing to proceed with the surgery.
The ECG was only done at our strong request.
I also mentioned my concerns.
The hospital's attitude changed suddenly~
The doctor said that if I don't have surgery, I can go home, and resting at home can also lead to recovery. They were even unwilling to prescribe medication, saying they couldn't take care of it. I was worried about bleeding again once I returned home, so I requested to stay in the hospital for one more day before going back. Initially, the doctor disagreed and had a very poor attitude. After our strong insistence, they reluctantly agreed to let us stay for observation and prescribed intravenous pain relief and anti-inflammatory medication.
The attitude of the nurses and the hospital towards us was very poor, looking as if they didn't want to care, and their words were very unpleasant.
I am really conflicted right now.
Trust the hospital, afraid that general anesthesia will cause other problems, turning external injuries into internal ones, which could be fatal.
Trust traditional Chinese medicine, but fear missing the best repair opportunity and leaving behind sequelae.
Who should I listen to?
Should this surgery be performed or not?
Is there a medical-related fren who can take a look and give me a judgment or suggestion?
There is an increasing amount of negative news about hospitals now.
I may also be afraid that my ignorance and prejudice will cause me to miss the opportunity for treatment.
I am afraid that a small problem could lead us to bear significant risks just for the hospital's performance.
Ming Ming Hospital is a place for saving lives and healing the injured.
Why do I feel that hospitals are the most terrifying existence now?
