Patient-38

A child had brain surgery at Sunrise Hospital. She received minimal care, and her parents were prevented from being with her. She was left alone and scared. She was forced to walk out of the hospital on her own, without a wheelchair and with no prescriptions.

I cannot begin to tell you how horrible our experience was start to finish.

Our daughter had brain surgery.

Due to COVID, they allowed only one adult at a time with our daughter.

We get into recovery and the surgeon said "it went fine" and walked away before I could get a word out.

We go upstairs to the PICU where we start asking questions about the surgery,

What took so long? What they used to close, etc.?

No one had any info. The surgeon said it was the doctors' job, and the doctors said it was the surgeon's job.

Remember, our daughter had BRAIN surgery.

We went to switch out adults and got scolded for doing it in the room despite her not being able to be alone because she could not do ANYTHING for herself (and we rarely saw any nurses).

One of the days we were switching out adults, they gave 24-hour badges along with a PARENT bracelet. Having to turn in your badge regularly before another adult can go up is ABSURD when the kid cannot be left alone.

Our daughter was left alone for OVER AN HOUR AND A HALF....while the other adult was stuck in a security line because they had to get rid of their badge.

She was alone, scared and could not even use the nurses' button because it was broken, and she could not reach it due to the LACK OF ABILITY TO MOVE without the assistance of an adult.

Not to mention, the surgeon did not show up until day 3 to remove the dressing. That is when we found out what actually happened with closure, etc.

Next, we felt pushed out. They said she needed to eat and drink and keep it down. She struggled for 4 days to do it with JUST WATER.... but "ate" once.

She was discharged with NOTHING for pain --- not even anything to hold her over for the horrendous car ride. 

They gave her No prescriptions and told us the pharmacy was closed.

What the heck? She had brain surgery and could barely walk, but they forced her to walk out of the hospital on her own. She was not wheeled out in a wheelchair.

Who was going to be responsible when our daughter (with a fall risk bracelet) fell down trying to walk over 20x the distance she had been doing in the hospital?

In addition, the security staff was extremely rude.

Hands down WORST experience of any hospital stay especially for brain surgery, and my child did nothing but suffer.