To vent my anger, I started Failure To Listen (FTL). I was angry at Tufts Medical Center for its cruelty and harmful emergency department care after I presented with new-onset hypertension, head injury, and altered mental status. That experience shattered my world, putting me in a downward spiral and eventually in a hole. For five years, I said and did things with little recollection, except for recurrent flashbacks. In 2017, my new neurologist diagnosed traumatic brain injury (TBI). To have a diagnosis and finally understand what was happening to me was bittersweet.
Knowledge is power.
I want to share the different aspects of that experience here.
I want to share how the EMTs treated me, how the nurses at Tufts laughed at me when I tried to communicate with a broken and a dislocated jaw.
I want to share how my medical record was redacted to hide the names of the healthcare providers. I want to share how the MA board of medicine responded.
I want to share the deception of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) and how they protected Tufts Medical Center at my expense.
Sixty days later after I hit my head and presented with new-onset hypertension, I had a stroke. But I was almost committed to a mental institution because of the biases of a physician assistant and a psychiatrist at Southern New Hampshire Medical Center. They threatened me! New Hampshire board of medicine did not care.
I want to share how lawyers did not want to represent me. However, when a white man presented the same story, they were eager to take the case.
Having TBI makes it difficult for me to communicate clearly or write for long periods. Please be patient with my writing. I have a story, and it’s an important one. One that I hope will help doctors and administrators provide healthcare that is safe for all patients.
Please share your healthcare experience in Massachusetts.
I knew you had a TBI, but I wasn’t aware of how poorly the people in the medical field mistreated you. You certainly have my sincerest condolences. How are they all still employed after what they did to you (or what they didn’t do to you to put it in another perspective)? Angela, you deserved far better than this and I’m glad you’ve been opening up about these experiences. The name of your blog makes even more sense now.
Yes, that’s the reason for the failure to listen. Glad you got that! That experience changed my entire life. It was a turning point.
Curtis, you’re right, I deserved much better.
Sure. While it could certainly apply to the other topics you’ve covered, I can see how that moment in your life was the foundation for such a blog as this.
You certainly did, Angela.
I feel like there is a conspiracy to make sure I don’t get justice in Massachusetts.
I don’t blame you for feeling this way. I hope you’re able to fight them and take them to task.
Wow, what a crazy experience and I hope you get better. You were kept on this earth for a Divine Purpose. I live in Georgia and the same crap happens. I saw my own mother being mocked about her shortness of breath. They just talked about her weight in which is not a big issue. Black Afrikans need to stay out of the doctors and hospitals and get back to natural healing.
I’ve been trying to file a malpractice case in Massachusetts without success. You see after the incident I felt discriminated. I didn’t know I had TBI until 2017. There is a three year statue of limitation so it’s unlikely I will find a lawyer willing to step outside the box despite the fact that Black people are dying at an alarming rate from treatable diseases in a state that brags quality healthcare. What I found interesting was when a white male presented with the same history there were attorneys willing to represent him.
I’m not giving up.