Monthly Archives: August 2013

Albany VA Medical Center – part 16

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Testimony of a nurse and veteran

Dear Marie

I can relate to what you are saying, see I am a nurse and I am also a veteran, Lord let me tell you a true story that happened about 6 months ago.
Because I am a veteran I go to the VA, well one morning I woke up and I could just ramble, I go all hyped up, then when the ambulance got there I was no longer able to talk.  Understood everything just could not talk, made sounds of the first letter of words but not words came out.
When they got me to the hospital ER they told my husband that my thoughts were disorganized, I motioned for him to find me a pen and paper they told me they only had one pen and I could not use it long. I wrote and told him I understood everything.
The doctor came and spoke to me like I was a 2 year old.  I looked at him like he was stupid.  He made remarks like “Say hi to these nice ladies they are going to take some blood from you it will not hurt”. He ordered some Ativan for me then put a name band on me and it was not my name, they gave me a shot but I could not tell my husband in time that they scan bands before they give meds and did they give me the right thing.
I want you to know that I know the problems in a hospital I work at one of the biggest ones in (I removed the state to not give “C” problems) and nothing surprises me.
I will keep you in my prayers.
C

Albany VA Medical Center – part 15

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I forgot to mention in this “tourism experience” the 2 guys operating the ambulance from this Village of the Albany VA Medical Center didn’t know exactly where they were going so they turned around Albany, New York for a while, while my husband was having an excruciating pain. Ash was talking to them but they weren’t hearing him because he was “just a patient” vs they were the “professionals”. Ash told them the Map Quest is not the most reliable source even though it is a good one for cases such as this one. I mean….I don’t think when you are in an ambulance it is time for you to have a tourism experience, a tour of the town.
I thought the problem was that we were living in a village. Not exactly. Problem was a little more complicated with the VA hospital system. Most of them are not very much competent they are there to learn, I mean when you are between life and death, I do not believe it is a good timing for them to get experience on you, and use you as their guinea pig.

 

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Albany VA Medical Center – part 14

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October 24
I just called my husband and the doctor/physician said it may be the pills which may cause this VERY high level of ammonia. I do not know if it came from his diet or the pills for now (I will surely later) – the thing is Ash almost died according to his own words and I believe Albany VA hospital……is an hospital, right? And the doctor/physician saying that MIGHT be the pills causing this very high level of ammonia… You can not make guesses with patients/clients because you may cause their death even if it’s not what you are looking for !!!!
I have all the reasons to be stressed because my husband almost died THREE times since Oct. 16th, 2006. I think it is more likely to die in a VA hospital than to die on the road according to the statistics. (well to my knowledge, there are no statistics comparing the deaths VA hospitals vs the road) If you can avoid the hospitals, please do and if you can not, then just go there for what is really necessary.

 

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Albany VA Medical Center – part 13

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October 24
I just called my husband at 5:30 p.m. for few minutes because he was extremely tired. He was extremely tired also about 11:30 a.m. this morning. The nurse offered me to talk to his physician. I am not stupid, I know exactly what happened.
Ash told me he had the impression he missed by a hair’s breadth to die yesterday because the ammonia level was at a VERY toxic level.
I needed to hit the road by bike even if it was raining (7 miles) because I was not only sad, angry but I needed to express this stress somewhere. Doing some exercises is therapeutic.
I hope somebody will have a heart to give me a ride to see my husband but I am realistic. The reason why I am posting what’s going on since October 16th, 2006 is because my husband almost died twice – he suffocated twice at the Massena hospital and they weren’t enough careful about the food they were giving to him because Ash needs a specific diet because of his bad liver and according to my late husband’s words, he almost died and according to the nurse’s words, he was in danger so something definitively bad happened.

Marie Buchanan

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Albany VA Medical Center – part 12

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October 24

Toxic levels of ammonia may accumulate

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What are Amino Acids and What Do They Do?

Amino acids are the chemical units or “building blocks,” as they are popularly called, that make up proteins. They also are the end products of protein digestion, or hydrolysis. Amino acids contain about 16 percent nitrogen. Chemically, this is what distinguishes them from the other two basic nutrients, sugars and fatty acids, which do not contain nitrogen.
To understand how vital amino acids are, you must understand how essential proteins are to life. It is protein that provides the structure for all living things. Every living organism, from the largest animal to the tiniest microbe, is composed of protein. And in its various forms, protein participates in the vital chemical processes that sustain life.
Proteins are a necessary part of every living cell in the body. Next to water, protein makes up the greatest portion of our body weight. In the human body, protein substances make up the muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs, glands, nails, hair, and many vital body fluids, and are essential for the growth of bones. The enzymes and hormones that catalyze and regulate all bodily processes are proteins. Proteins help to regulate the body’s water balance and maintain the proper internal pH. They assist in the exchange of nutrients between the intercellular fluids and the tissues, blood, and lymph. A deficiency of protein can upset the body’s fluid balance, causing edema. Proteins form the structural basis of chromosomes, through which genetic information is passed from parents to offspring. The genetic “code” contained in each cell’s DNA is actually information for how to make that cell’s proteins.
Proteins are chains of amino acids linked together by what are called peptide bonds. Each individual type of protein is composed of a specific group of amino acids in a specific chemical arrangement. It is the particular amino acids present and the way in which they are linked together in sequence that gives the proteins that make up the various tissues their unique functions and characters. Each protein in the body is tailored for a specific need; proteins are not interchangeable.
The proteins that make up the human body are not obtained directly from the diet. Rather, dietary protein is broken down into its constituent amino acids, which the body then uses to build the specific proteins it needs. Thus, it is the amino acids rather than protein that are the essential nutrients.
In addition to those that combine to form the body’s proteins, there are other amino acids that are important in metabolic functions. Some, such as citrulline, glutathione, ornithine, and taurine, can be similar to (or byproducts of) the protein-building amino acids. Some act as neurotransmitters or as precursors of neurotransmitters, the chemicals that carry information from one nerve cell to another. Certain amino acids are thus necessary for the brain to receive and send messages. Unlike many other substances, neurotransmitters are able to pass through the blood-brain barrier. This is a kind of defensive shield designed to protect the brain from toxins and foreign invaders that may be circulating in the bloodstream. The endothelial cells that make up the walls of the capillaries in the brain are much more tightly meshed together than are those of capillaries elsewhere in the body. This prevents many substances, especially water-based substances, from diffusing through the capillary walls into brain tissue. Because certain amino acids can pass through this barrier, they can be used by the brain to communicate with nerve cells elsewhere in the body.
Amino acids also enable vitamins and minerals to perform their jobs properly. Even if vitamins and minerals are absorbed and assimilated by the body, they cannot be effective unless the necessary amino acids are present. For example, low levels of the amino acid tyrosine may lead to iron deficiency. Deficiency and /or impaired metabolism of the amino acids methionine and taurine has been linked to allergies and autoimmune disorders. Many elderly people suffer from depression or neurological problems that may be associated with deficiencies of the amino acids tyrosine, tryptophan, phenylalanine, and histidine, and also of the branched-chain amino acids—valine, isoleucine, and leucine. These are amino acids that can be used to provide energy directly to muscle tissue. High doses of branched-chain amino acids have been used in hospitals to treat people suffering from trauma and infection. Some people are born with an inability to metabolize the branched-chain amino acids. This potentially life-threatening condition, branched-chain ketoaciduria (often referred to as maple syrup urine disease because keto acids released into the urine cause it to smell like maple syrup) can result in neurological damage and necessitates a special diet, including a synthetic infant formula that does not contain leucine, isoleucine, or valine.
There are approximately twenty-eight commonly known amino acids that are combined in various ways to create the hundreds of different types of proteins present in all living things. In the human body, the liver produces about 80 percent of the amino acids needed. The remaining
20 percent must be obtained from the diet. These are called the essential amino acids. The essential amino acids that must enter the body through diet are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. The nonessential amino acids, which can be manufactured in the body from other amino acids obtained from dietary sources, include alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, citrulline, cysteine, cystine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, ornithine, proline, serine, taurine, and tyrosine. The fact that they are termed “nonessential” does not mean that they are not necessary, only that they need not be obtained through the diet because the body can manufacture them as needed. And nonessential amino acids can become “essential” under certain conditions. For instance, the nonessential amino acids cysteine and tyrosine are made from the essential amino acids methionine and phenylalanine. If methionine and phenylalanine are not available in sufficient quantities, cysteine and tyrosine then become essential in the diet.
The processes of assembling amino acids to make proteins, and of breaking down proteins into individual amino acids for the body’s use, are continuous ones. When we need more enzyme proteins, the body produces more enzyme proteins; when we need more cells, the body produces more proteins for cells. These different types of proteins are produced as the need arises. Should the body become depleted of its reserves of any of the essential amino acids, it would not be able to produce the proteins that require those amino acids. An inadequate supply of even one essential amino acid can hinder the synthesis, and reduce body levels, of necessary proteins. This can result in negative nitrogen balance, an unhealthy condition in which the body excretes more nitrogen than it assimilates. Further, all of the essential amino acids must be present simultaneously in the diet in order for the other amino acids to be utilized—otherwise, the body remains in negative nitrogen balance. A lack of vital proteins in the body can cause problems ranging from indigestion to depression to stunted growth.
How could such a situation occur? More easily than you might think. Many factors can contribute to deficiencies of essential amino acids, even if you eat a well-balanced diet that contains enough protein. Impaired absorption, infection, trauma, stress, drug use, age, and imbalances of other nutrients can all affect the availability of essential amino acids in the body. Insufficient intake of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C, can interfere with the absorption of amino acids in the lower part of the small intestines. Vitamin B6 is needed also, for the transport of amino acids in the body.
If your diet is not properly balanced—that is, if it fails to supply adequate amounts of the essential amino acids—sooner or later, this will become apparent as some type of physical disorder. This does not mean, however, that eating a diet containing enormous amounts of protein is the answer. In fact, it is unhealthy. Excess protein puts undue stress on the kidneys and the liver, which are faced with processing the waste products of protein metabolism. Nearly half of the amino acids in dietary protein are transformed into glucose by the liver and utilized to provide needed energy to the cells. This process results in a waste product, ammonia. Ammonia is toxic to the body, so the body protects itself by having the liver turn the ammonia into a much less toxic compound, urea, which is then carried through the bloodstream, filtered out by the kidneys, and excreted.
As long as protein intake is not too great and the liver is working properly, ammonia is neutralized almost as soon as it is produced, so it does no harm. However, if there is too much ammonia for the liver to cope with—as a result of too much protein consumption, poor digestion, and /or a defect in liver function—toxic levels may accumulate. Strenuous exercise also tends to promote the accumulation of excess ammonia. This may put a person at risk for serious health problems, including encephalopathy (brain disease) or hepatic coma. Abnormally high levels of urea can also cause problems, including inflamed kidneys and back pain. Therefore, it is not the quantity but the quality of protein in the diet that is important (see DIET AND NUTRITION in Part One).
It is possible to take supplements containing amino acids, both essential and nonessential. For certain disorders, taking supplements of specific amino acids can be very beneficial. When you take a specific amino acid or amino acid combination, it supports the metabolic pathway involved in your particular illness. Vegetarians, especially vegans, would be wise to take a formula containing all of the essential amino acids to ensure that their protein requirements are met.

Albany VA Medical Center – part 11

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October 23rd, 2006
They gave too much ammonia in his food – the level of ammonia in his body was too high – and that’s why my husband was feeling so bad. Since that never happened to Ash since 2 years, I was wondering what they were doing to him. I was worrying and being stressed because my husband never felt that bad in 2 years even if his ammonia got high in the past. In other words, it never got that worse.

Quote: ”If your diet is not properly balanced—that is, if it fails to supply adequate amounts of the essential amino acids—sooner or later, this will become apparent as some type of physical disorder. This does not mean, however, that eating a diet containing enormous amounts of protein is the answer. In fact, it is unhealthy. Excess protein puts undue stress on the kidneys and the liver, which are faced with processing the waste products of protein metabolism. Nearly half of the amino acids in dietary protein are transformed into glucose by the liver and utilized to provide needed energy to the cells. This process results in a waste product, ammonia. Ammonia is toxic to the body, so the body protects itself by having the liver turn the ammonia into a much less toxic compound, urea, which is then carried through the bloodstream, filtered out by the kidneys, and excreted.

As long as protein intake is not too great and the liver is working properly, ammonia is neutralized almost as soon as it is produced, so it does no harm. However, if there is too much ammonia for the liver to cope with—as a result of too much protein consumption, poor digestion, and /or a defect in liver function—toxic levels may accumulate. Strenuous exercise also tends to promote the accumulation of excess ammonia. This may put a person at risk for serious health problems, including encephalopathy (brain disease) or hepatic coma. Abnormally high levels of urea can also cause problems, including inflamed kidneys and back pain. Therefore, it is not the quantity but the quality of protein in the diet that is important (see DIET AND NUTRITION in Part One).

Source:
http://web.archive.org/web/20061015230426/http://www.vitamins-source.com/AminoAcids/

 

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Albany VA Medical Center – part 10

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October 23th, 2006
I remember Ash was extremely sleepy about 4:30 p.m. this afternoon but now his condition got worse. Diane, his nurse, told me all he is saying is just a word. I wonder what they are doing to my husband and there’s no way for me to go to Albany…….

 

VAMPIRES IN…

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Albany VA Medical Center – part 9

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October 22nd
I just talked to Ash for about 10 minutes (because he isn’t feeling well) and like he said “I don’t feel my life is in danger yet but I am not feeling very well”. The hose he has inside…I just can not understand and what happened is unbelievable… There is no transport for me even if the Vets have the service of a DAV Van (free transport) and a free hotel usually – we don’t get these services in this village…

 

Albany VA Medical Center – part 8

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October 22nd, 2006
I hate the fact Ash had an excruciating pain because they put a hose about 3/4 inch of diameter to remove the fluid again and I truly hope this pain is not in vain – I truly hope they are very competent in the Albany hospital but we found out otherwise.

Such a stressful situation to have to fight with the hospitals. At least, Ash is out of danger because once they admitted him at the Albany hospital, I “think” he was “ok” but that took two extra days there even if they had a bed and all the necessary equipment for him simply because Ash wasn’t in their territory – he was in the Syracuse territory instead – so I am not very happy about them nor I am happy about the incompetent who did not give the good information to Helena, the social worker in the Massena VA clinic – thank God, I met her, told her exactly what’s going on and she heard me – otherwise there is a big likelihood Ash would be dead by now because he suffocated twice while waiting for this bed to be available at the Syracuse hospital because of a couple of incompetents and while waiting this red tape to be over.

There’s no way for me to visit my husband even if usually they are providing a DAV Van for the spouses of the Veterans – when my husband needs me the most. Ash is a Honorably Discharged Disabled Vietnam Veteran.

 

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Albany VA Medical Center – part 7

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October 20th 2006
Ash needs another surgery first thing tomorrow morning for his lungs (again!!) because they filled back up right after the first surgery. By the way, Chris his nurse didn’t know my husband suffocated twice (he learned that from me) so if he knows enough his profession, then he realized Ash’s life was in danger before his admission at the Albany VA Medical Centre. Again it is because of this red tape with this incompetence for the first 4 days of our journey with the Albany VA Medical Center…. I think (important to take note of this word) they are acting professionally once Ash was admitted to this hospital. Looks like it. We’ll see if I’ll be satisfied with their services. Please join me in prayers.

 

Marie Buchanan

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