Patient-370
No Medical Care and None of His Prescription Medications for 8 days at Sunrise Hospital
Patient-370 went to Sunrise Hospital with an infection in her leg. Horrible experience. Patient says Dr. Alikozal and Dr. Manaj have NO BUSINESS working with chronically ill patients. They ignored her pain and would NOT listen to her regarding her health history nor the advice of her hematologist. Patient says Sunrise Hospital is not a good place for black people. She is going to report this to TV stations and the medical board.
Patient-370 went to Sunrise Hospital with an infection and sickle cell disease.
Dr. Alikozal and Dr. Manaj have no business working with chronically ill patients.
To begin with, Dr Alikozal did not focus on the reason I was admitted here --- for a infection in my leg that triggered my sickle cell crisis.
Dr. Alikozal came to see me and immediately let me know the preconceived notions he gathered from my medical history and allowed those to dictate his plans for the current care I was in need of.
He discredited my hematologist and how she doesn’t like me to get transfusions right away because of my iron overload, and I told him that when my blood drops she would like for me to wait until the next day to see if the blood goes back up.
He said blood never goes back up on its own, so he doubts she told me that.
I listened to my hematologist's advice, and the next day my blood count did naturally increase which meant I no longer needed a transfusion.
Dr. Alikozal told me I am not ever going to be taken serious by him while I’m in his care because I am not sick.
I asked him for his name after such a distasteful talk with him, and he wouldn’t even share his name because he knew I asked for a reason.
I never want to see him again.
He is the reason sickle cell patients decline due to stereotypes and judgment outside of what is truly going on with the patient currently.
I am scared for my life being here at Sunrise Hospital --- between Dr. Alikozal and Dr Manaj dismissing my pain and telling me if he increased my medicine I would die and prolonging how often i get my medicine instead of increasing the dosage or timing for it.
He literally tried to scare me of out of advocating for myself and my pain. Then he went and made the orders harder for me to cope with the pain that I am in.
I have been expressing my concerns to the nurses I have had this week --- like Trinity and Sarah.
I am still dealing with an infection in my leg that is making me have pain on top of a sickle cell crisis, and I am totally being overlooked like they’re more concerned with my leg than also remembering my body is in crisis as well due to the infection I have.
This type of neglect can kill me way before pain meds ever do, and I am completely distraught and stressed which is also worsening my pain.
Sunrise Hospital doesn’t seem like a place for black people in general. They ignore our pain, and these doctors need to be held accountable.
I will be looking into reporting these doctors to every news station and every board involving patients and their treatment because something definitely needs to be done about this.
I am scared for my life while currently being admitted, and I should not feel this way.
Additional comments posted by the sister of Patient-370:
PLEASE NEVER GO TO SUNRISE HOSPITAL IF YOU HAVE SICKLE CELL DISEASE.
I watched my sister beg Dr Manaj for a higher dose of medicine due to a new-found infection and an underlying sickle cell crisis.
Her told my sister, in front of our mother, "If he changed her medicine, she would die."
Why would you ever tell a chronically ill patient that?
He tried to scare her out of advocating for herself.
Then, towards the end of the conversation, he said he would take some time to think about taking her pain into consideration and possibly change her dose. He said he was going to take a day or two.
Then, Dr. Manaj went behind my sister's back and did NOT change anything.
In fact, he stretched her medicine even more and made it every 6 hours, instead of the current timing of every 4 hours.
My sister has cried all night long. She is scared to trust any doctors moving forward and does NOT even want to get the surgery she is supposed to have done.
If a patient is telling you her medicine every 4 hours is NOT helping, why would you change the dose to make her suffer even longer.
Sunrise Hospital needs to be investigated!!!
This has not been the only doctor to treat her like sickle cell disease and her pain isn't real.
Dr. Alikozal also disrespected her and made her feel uncomfortable.
Then he was removed, and Dr. Manaj came in with a cold and devastating attitude which has truly taken a toll on my sister.
I will be reporting both of these doctors to the state medical board.
Is there a role for red blood cell transfusions in a Sickle Cell pain crisis?
There is no role for red cell transfusions in an uncomplicated acute pain crisis. Transfusions can lead to an increased risk of alloimmunization and may increase pain by increasing viscosity of blood leading to vaso-occlusion as well as precipitate acute chest syndrome, and stroke.
While red cell transfusions can be life-saving in the Sickle Cell Disease patients with an Acute Chest Syndrome, for example, they should be avoided in the patient with an uncomplicated pain crisis.
Any decision to transfuse a Sickle Cell patient should ideally be done in consultation with a transfusion specialist or hematologist as there are many nuances involved in decision making around transfusions in this population.
- Most patients with a sickle cell pain crisis will not exhibit vital sign abnormalities! Normal vital signs to do not rule out sickle cell pain crisis and do not rule in malingering.
- Patients with normal serum hemoglobin levels are more likely to be suffering from a pain crisis, have higher rates of vaso-occlusive symptoms such as pain, stroke and acute chest syndrome as apposed to patients with low serum hemoglobin levels who tend to suffer from less pain, but more pulmonary hypertension and skin ulcers.
- In patients presenting with simple pain without other symptoms who are not being admitted, lab tests are generally not necessary. The reticulocyte count is the most useful blood test in those patients who present with complicated pain crises.
- Use NSAIDS sparingly in Sickle Cell Disease! While NSAIDs for acute pain crises have been shown to be effective in reducing pain and decreasing hospital length of stay, many patients with sickle cell disease have progressive chronic renal failure as a result of renal infarcts and their serum creatinine level may appear normal despite this.
Source: Emergency Management of Sickle Cell Disease,
Episode 68.
Patient--370 went to Sunrise Hospital with an infection in her leg. Horrible experience. Patient says Dr. Alikozal and Dr. Manaj have NO BUSINESS working with chronically ill patients. They ignored her pain and would NOT listen to her regarding her health history nor the advice of her hematologist. Patient says Sunrise Hospital is not a good place for black people. She is going to report this to TV stations and the medical board.
Note to readers: Read the story of Patient-149 who also has sickle cell disease and was mistreated and disrespected and received poor medical care at Sunrise Hospital.
Just say NO to Sunrise Hospital
