Sue's Nightmare
Dean Roberts
Outskirts Press, Inc.
IISBN: 978-1-4327-2331-6
132 pages (including front and back matter)
In writing the review of Sue’s Nightmare by
Dean Roberts, I did so through tears; they were tears of sadness and
tears of joy. I also found myself getting angry that this couple had to
go through a medical nightmare because of many incompetent health
professionals who indiscriminately prescribed drugs without doing the
proper research on the medical history of their patient.
Sue and Dean had gone to the local American Legion
for dinner when Sue’s left knee collapsed, and she fell on her right
side, hitting her head on a display case. When she arrived at the
hospital, a phlebotomist ran a blood alcohol test which resulted in her
being misdiagnosed and treated for alcoholism; she was given
elephant-size doses of a drug that should not have been prescribed. Sue
was not an alcoholic. This was just the beginning of a series of medical
mishaps that caused unnecessary suffering for this couple. Although
Dean Roberts was not the patient, because of the close, intimate
relationship that he and his wife had shared for over fifty years, he
lived the nightmare with her. The two had married on May 16, 1953, and
Sue died on February 15, 2008. Near the end of her life, Sue expresses
to her husband how much she loves him and says that theirs had been “one
heck of a ride.” Dean repeats this at the end of the book; however, he
says the ride was too short.
In writing this book, the author did his homework,
furnishing readers with lists of drugs that were administered to his
wife. As a retired medical sales representative, he had more knowledge
about drugs and their proper administration than the average person.
When he saw the billing drug lists, he rightfully questioned the dosages
and wondered if the doctors had bothered to check for any
contraindications before writing the prescriptions. I won’t go into
detail about the particular questions Mr. Roberts had in regard to this,
but I find myself wondering how many other patients have been put at
risk through the actions of careless health professionals.
Drugs were not the only contributing factors to
this nightmare. There was the necessity of repeat surgery “due to
missing the bone with one screw in the first surgery.” There were health
professionals who didn’t appear to accept facts as being facts. Even
though Sue had lost 12 ½ inches of her colon in two different surgeries,
they considered her history of diverticulitis to be “questionable.” They
also were determined to treat her for hypertension which she didn’t
have. There were problems with the hospital rehabilitation that could
have been avoided if some staff members had only shown Sue some
compassion and understanding—if they had talked with her about her pain
and other health issues. However, as the nightmare played itself out,
there were some positive experiences—one such experience was with an
extended care facility that greatly helped Sue.
In my opinion, there are two important messages
that the author wants and needs to make clear in this book. One comes
in the form of a warning in which Sue tells people to think carefully
before voting on questions that require opening the Federal or State
Constitutions to change the law. In the first chapter of the book, the
author mentions that three lawyers informed him that the state of Nevada
had voted twice for a question on the ballot that promised more doctors
and improved medical care. It became law in 2002 but the ballot
question reduced the maximum medical malpractice award to such a low
level that there was no way it could help in Sue’s case. The second
important message that I took away from this book was that I should
request a copy of all my medical records. The law makes it very clear
that patients have the right to access such records and, in many cases,
the information can be life-saving. Mr. Roberts learned that his wife
had lung cancer when he read a radiology report that he had ordered from
the Medical Records Office. Unless she had been told when drugged with
medication, not a word had been said to them about the cancer. I found
this to be totally irresponsible and feel someone should be held
accountable for such a transgression.
In finalizing this review, I want to get to what I
consider the “heart and soul” of the story. I am talking about the
wonderful relationship this couple shared and how, even the threat of
Sue’s impending death, did not destroy their last days together. Dean
catered to Sue’s every need, giving her as much independence as possible
for as long as possible. As her conditioned worsened, his schedule
changed to meet her every need. He did household chores such as cooking
but, more importantly, supported her emotionally. He gave her long back
rubs, spent every moment possible with her, and did everything he could
think of to make her life more comfortable. Most of all, he loved her
with all his heart, and she was aware of this right up until the time
she drew her last breath. I highly recommend this book and consider it a
“must read.”
Bettie Corbin
Tucker
For Independent Professional Book Reviewers
www.bookreviewers.org
December 7, 2009
