Straight medical neglect stories???

[Tampa survivor]

I was wondering how many other people had serious problems which the program choose to ignore.  I remember an obovious schizophrenic in Atlanta named Todd, and I was misdiagnosed with cat scratch disease(very minor) when I actually had a tumor in my neck which was removed within 2 weeks of getting out of straight.  The specialist here in Tampa was dumbstruck that I had been misdiagnosed and wrongly treated for such a serious issue.  The Dr. I was taken to was a Dr. Beasely, with 2 sons in the program in ATL in 1982.  They started in St Pete, and the dad was a quack.  My surgeon said that ANY DR. should have immediately refered me to a specialist for surgery.  Did anyone else see this quack or any others?
Bill

[ This Message was edited by: tampa survivor on 2002-07-26 20:36 ]

[snowhite]

I am curious. SAFE has a staffer (counselor)named MS Beasley, I saw her at the protest on June 12. Which means she is still on staff.  Wondering if this is the one and same. She was in STARIGHT. She is tall, large frammed lady.

[wayeast]

Mine was not as serious as a tumor, but it indicated the attitude at Straight.  About halfway through my time, I came down with Strep Throat.  My host parents knew I was sick, as did my oldcomers, but I never said anything to staff myself because I knew what would happen.  I lost ten pounds over the next two weeks (I was skinny in the first place).

The thing is, Strep had to be going around the program at the time, because I didn't have it when I went in. And yet they weren't watching for more people to come down with it.  Plus, they apparently ignored the request from my host parent that I see a doctor.

I found out what it was when my father pulled me from the program. He took me to a doctor, who immediately suspected Strep.

It may have been a lucky break for me to get sick, though, because I looked like hell, and that may have sped things up when my parents started to question the program.

[Tampa survivor]

I have no eathly idea if this is the same family.  Its a common name and I can't remember the mom. They were mobile...their sons started in St Pete, then xfered to ATL when it opened. The Dr, oh, I remember..the office equipment right out of the 1950's, the family member receptionist, all to weird for a normal family practice.  My parents dissed the bill from this guy and told him he was lucky we didn't sue him and straight.
Bill

[ClayL]

Doc Beasley was perhaps the worst Dr. I have ever been to in my life.

CL

[kosmonaut]

I had an ongoing lung problem that lasted for several months.  I really don't know what it was, but every day after lunch I would hack up about a 1/4 cup of yellow phlegm.  I had to sort of force it up from my lungs and cough it into my water cup after I'd finished drinking.  Sorry to gross anyone out.  I remember telling the doctor about it and being ignored.  It cleared up after I copped out.

[kpickle39]

Nothing really major happened to me as far as not having proper medical treatment, 'cept one time on 1st phase, I had a fever for some reason and I was told by the kid handing out meds that " . . . when your fever goes over 102, let me know and I'll give you some asprin."   Lucky for me, my foster mom was a nurse and gave me some when I got to my oldcomers house. I remember her mumbling something about stupid program rules.

Oh yeah, I forgot about this . . . in the summer of '79 many of the guys (and I assume girls too) had jock itch really bad.  In St Pete the AC was never turned on so we were always soaking wet w/sweat; never drying off during the long summer days.   Anyway, I had BAD jock itch from just below my belly button to just above my knees.  I saw people that had far worse, covering up much of their stomach.  It was horrible.   I remember skin peeling off in big red smelly strips when I would scratch myself.   My mom got us all medication and corn startch, but when you are wet for 12 - 14 hours per day it doesn't really help that much.   I finally got over it when the weather turned cool in December. And that is all I got to say about that.

[ladyjerrico]

I've had no life threatening serious issues physically that I can recall from my hellish days in Striaight. However, I do remember one time nearly having pnumonia and not being treated for it, I was trying to lay down in the intake room, but the intake rooms were taken by the guys side, a few people were "acting out" in group. I suppose they were considering that more important than my ailment.
Also, I am still sensitive to light from the sun, I need to wear sunglasses most of the time outside, even when it's cloudy.
Since those staff members made the 1st phasers not go outside, and hardly seen any sun for 6 to 7 months, being on 1st phase most of my stay, I became very sensitive.
However, I am thankful I still have 18/20 vision and don't require glasses.

[hedwigfan]

There were quite a few floridly psychotic group members. I remember getting a newcomer who was actively hearing voices and having an ongoing internal monologue--she actually got transferred to a psych hospital after several weeks. There was also a guy who would sit in the back of group and bellow from time to time. It was really creepy and scary to hear. He sat on 1st phase for many months, I think.
  Another girl had rampant impetigo. I think I might have been her newcomer and probably had to wear her underwear. All she needed was some Keflex.
  The worst was the kid who got stabbed in the chest, and I am pretty sure had a collapsed lung. I don't remember there being any kind of resuscitation equipment or a trained medical professional available. That kid ended up coming back to group after his hospital stay.

[ladyjerrico]

I don't understand half of those medical terms.. lol.
However, there was one phaser on the guys side that during my 7 months of my stay at Straight, he was still on 1st, problem was he would always write his MI to Satan and the staff would read it aloud everyday!
Either the staff got a kick out of it, or they enjoyed the group ripping on him, either way, it was quite sad and I don't know if he ever sought the psyciatric attention he needed

[a mc]

once during a confrontation/restraint. I was actaully hit in the back of the head with a chair on the way down. Needless to say it opened a nice size wound and I bled everywhere. They kept me in a restraint until I was too dizzy to do anything (oddly enough, I didn't know I was bleeding at that point) They then took me too the nurse (his name was Angel) and he held a towel on my head until it stopped bleeding and then shaved it, and then put a piece of TAPE on it. whew. i thought i was going to have to get stitches, thank god for tape. that was my first straight scar. Later I got a minor hyrneia that I was allowed to keep for about 6 months until VA straight closed down and I was packed up and shipped to atlanta and finally got medical attention. Some how i was still able to fight regardless of the hyrnia. Straight increases your threshold of pain. Hell I had colds and flues in that place that would keep me in bed a week now and have me at the doctors office.

[ This Message was edited by: silentis on 2002-09-24 07:26 ]

[ladyjerrico]

Tape for a head wound? damn, you could have suffered a concussion or something serious and not even know it. What were these staff members thinking? well, maybe they weren't thinking at all except "get your ass back in group".
Quite sad, but same here with getting ill.. if I think it's serious enough where I don't work, I stay home or go to the doctor.
Straight wouldn't even tell my parents that on 1st phase I had what it felt like pnewmonia, (sp?) but I sat in group and held it together for a week, I just didn't try too hard to motivate, and for the first time ever staff members were actually just a bit sympathetic and I sat out from doing excersizes during that time.
Once during excersize rap the leader of the rap pushed me so hard to do them, that I fainted, I tried to get her attention that I was dizzy and my hearing was going, but she didn't pay attention. I was ok though thankfully, but she felt like crap after I fainted and came to. I'm glad she felt that way because she was a pain in the butt for an oldcomer.