The prompt for day 12 of National Health Blog Post Month is to talk about something that is just ridiculous. For some reason I am having difficulty calling BS on something since there are just so many absurd things that I have come across over the past 12 years. One thing in particular that stands out in my mind is the fact that no one seems to write anything down and if they do, it is irrelevant. I was treated at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC which is a teaching hospital. I am constantly met with the exact same questions and it is beyond annoying. Every time I entered the hospital, I would have at least six people ask me the following pretty irrelevant questions: 1) How many pillows do I sleep with? 2) Do I have stairs and 3) Do I have any pets and if yes, are they aggressive? I could continue on since I basically have this list memorized but for your sake and mine, I will stop here. These questions do have some merit. The pillow question doesn’t really but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they ask to make sure I am comfortable in my room. The question about whether or not I live in a place that will require me to use the stairs is a valid question but something that my surgeon and I can discuss when I am discharged. The pets…well, one can assume that if I DID have a vicious animal in my home that I would take the necessary precautions prior to entering the hospital.

I know medical personnel need to collect a wide range of information on a patient when they enter the hospital for surgery or otherwise. I do know that, really. But what I don’t understand is why I have to answer the same list of questions over and over again. Most people who are in the hospital or need to be hospitalized aren’t feeling very well. Many are weak and just need to lie down as soon as possible. Whenever I was there, I was scared and sick. I am fine to answer questions. I know that comes with the territory. But, has anyone ever heard of a “save” button?? Why do I need to answer the exact same laundry list of questions to so many people? When I went to the hospital to have surgery, I always had to go to a specific floor. From that floor, they took me into a room where they took my vitals and did the standard pregnancy test. There was a nurse in that room who always asked me these questions. Following that, they would take me up into the pre-op room where I am with a lot of patients waiting to undergo some type of operation. While I am there, I have to go through my entire medical history (and believe me that is not short) with the staff doctors, the anesthesiologists’ resident, the nurse who was taking care of me, the actual anesthesiologist and some other residents who graced me with their presence.

So, like I said…I know going into the hospital requires them to ask you a million things about your health and personal history. I do know that and I commend them for wanting to be as thorough as possible. But it is absolutely ridiculous that a patient needs to keep rehashing the same thing over and over again when they are already in a scary place. They are already dealing with so much. I have had to share my entire medical history with every medical personnel I come across. That is complete and total BS! One, I have PTSD so why they would continue to make me go through it is beyond me but two, hasn’t anyone heard of a save button? Or, ummm communicating? I have been treated at the same hospital for the past 12 years. It is completely ridiculous that I have to rehash my entire medical history to numerous people each time I set foot in the door.