Search all of the Society for Participatory Medicine website:Search

When Benn Rosales had a heart attack in December, his wife Lani, a very active member of the Twitterati, tweeted throughout the experience. Afterward she thought to compile those tweets as a record of Benn’s e-patient experience: “this hospital is understaffed and we’re being sh*t on because of it. if my husband dies i’m going to go [eff]ing ballistic.” Here’s the story, told in tweets, largely unedited…

http://twitter.com/LaniAR/status/6752311191
dear ER, oh.em.gee.you.are.sooo.slow. please be less slow. love, lani.
9:10 PM Dec 16th, 2009 from web

@jburslem @K2daV @matthew_parente thanks. you guys are wonderful :) hopefully we can go home tonight in time for jimmy fallon :)
9:19 PM Dec 16th, 2009 from TweetDeck

RT @BennRosales: if i keel over tonight @laniar gets everything signed me will by tweet. [I’m putting TEN Realtor logos on ur grave!]
9:49 PM Dec 16th, 2009 from TweetDeck

okay, finally in triage, @bennrosales being questioned.
9:50 PM Dec 16th, 2009 from TweetDeck

oh jesus, it’s blood test and ct scan time. we should take bets on diagnosis so we can pay this damn ER bill…. who’s in? ;)
10:29 PM Dec 16th, 2009 from TweetDeck

@jacksonj not sure yet. not neurological, that’s good. may be heart, ekg good, ct and blood up next
10:52 PM Dec 16th, 2009 from TweetDeck in reply to jacksonj

nurse in here she’s super nice. looking like this might be an overnight stay.
10:55 PM Dec 16th, 2009 from TweetDeck

OMFG @bennrosales just told the nurse “i’m a squirter” (it was in reference to blood and getting a drip but OMFG out of context it’s GOLD!)
10:59 PM Dec 16th, 2009 from TweetDeck

benn wouldn’t let me tell the nurse dirty jokes. chest and arm pain not getting better, this effing ER is SO slow. ct scan next.
11:31 PM Dec 16th, 2009 from TweetDeck

doctors don’t like when they’re being serious & you’re on your laptop googling them and poking fun of where they went to med school. lol.
11:43 PM Dec 16th, 2009 from TweetDeck

OMFG JESUS EFFING CHRIST, it doesn’t take 30 EFFING MINUTES to respond to the emergency button in this ER room.
12:37 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from TweetDeck

would they notice if benn coded? probably not, they didn’t notice for 30 minutes his monitor was off
12:38 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from TweetDeck

>>>http://twitter.com/mexicanfrommars/status/6757201416
@LaniAR that’s about the time i run out in to the nurse station and start screaming.
12:53 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from web in reply to LaniAR

@mexicanfrommars did that. “they’ll be right there” yes i threw a fit. we’re not popular here.
1:07 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from TweetDeck in reply to mexicanfrommars

okay, in the next 238023890 hours, @bennrosales will be admitted. feeling less humorous now, they don’t know what’s wrong. ct, blood clear.
1:08 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from TweetDeck

scared.
1:19 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from TweetDeck

this hospital is understaffed and we’re being sh*t on because of it. if my husband dies i’m going to go [eff]ing ballistic.
1:33 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from TweetDeck

>>>http://twitter.com/jasoncrouch/status/6757919371
@LaniAR Which hospital? Sincerely praying – I know that has to be truly scary.
1:37 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from TweetDeck in reply to LaniAR

@jasoncrouch [says which hospital]. never come here.
1:38 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from TweetDeck in reply to jasoncrouch

still in er triage still not in a private room. Hour [eff]ing 10.
5:04 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from txt

Update on benn: after being in ER since 8pm, now finally into cardiologist, they said he’s been having a heart attack, angiogram now.
6:48 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from Tweed

thanks for all of the well wishes, i’ll respond (and do so for benn) after the angiogram.
7:06 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from mobile web

@bennrosales’ stint succeeded thank god. Now he has to lay flat for hours.
11:10 AM Dec 17th, 2009 from txt

hey guys, thank you so much for your support- fingers crossed we can get @bennrosales out of the ICU today and into a room!
11:28 AM Dec 18th, 2009 from TweetDeck

>>>http://twitter.com/mexicanfrommars/status/6775473995

@mexicanfrommars you were there at the same time? benn was the one having a heart attack over and over in the ER.
12:18 PM Dec 18th, 2009 from TweetDeck in reply to mexicanfrommars

okay GOOD NEWS everyone, @bennrosales just got transferred OUT of ICU and into a private room! YAAAY! :)
6:02 PM Dec 18th, 2009 from TweetDeck

today @bennrosales looks pretty good, still waiting to learn how much heart tissue was damaged. thanks for words of support, all :)
10:22 AM Dec 19th, 2009 from TweetDeck

YAAY! Looks like I get to take @bennrosales home today!!!!!! Finally learned it was a clot that caused the heart attacks!
2:41 PM Dec 19th, 2009 from txt

 

Please consider supporting the Society by joining us today! Thank you.

Donate