• Brazil - Health - Photos

    One Year Ago in São Paulo

    I’ve answered the question and told the story so many times. What happened in São Paulo? I finally broke down and decided to write a photo blog of perhaps one of the strangest adventures of my life. It all started with my bachelor party, which in Portuguese, translates to Goodbye to Singleness. After 46 years of being single, I sure went out with a bang. I was really touched by all the people that visited me in the hospital.

    It is certainly a story I've had tell many times - How I Ended Up In A Hospital in São Paulo. So here goes.

    I was to be married to Solange in August 2006, and so I setup my bachelor party in São Paulo with a few friends in July 2006. The partners in crime were Key (Kyung Sun), Austin Young, Augusto, and Thomas, my doctor friend from Las Vegas.

    I took a long run around Lagoa the night before because I knew that I would not be getting much exercise during my 3 day bachelor party. The next day, Solange was scheduled to go travel to her mother's place in Goânia, but she had some problems with her plane reservations. Long story short, I spent most of the following morning, running around Rio straightening her plane reservations. I barely had time to catch my flight to São Paulo.

    When I finally got to São Paulo, I ran to a final conference call, and then we were off the races going to many of the favorite night spots in São Paulo. Note: by this time, I had not eaten for more than 24 hours. I was wired, and I decided to drink water.

    It all hit at once, and I went into convulsions. My ailment is called hyponatremia. Since I had a doctor with me, they took me to the hospital, and treated me for a lack of sodium in my system. My friends went home, and thought I would be fine.

    The next day they came to find me in a far worse situation. I was in a coma. Two days later , when I finally snapped out of it, I had a broken arm, amnesia, pneumonia, and I could not talk. Worse yet, no one knew what had happened. There was nothing in the hospital records nothing. Still to this day, I still don't know what happened.

    My friends freaked and took me to another much more expensive hospital. It is there where they gave me two blood transfusions, and they mended my arm with five screws and two plates. Then my friends finally called Solange who had become a non stop crying machine.

    My brother and my mother came down to see me in São Paulo. Then my friend William Wang came down on business and also visited me at the hospital. He is the one that snapped this photo.

    All's well that ends well. I went back briefly to the US and soon returned to Brazil to marry Solange. She then became pregnant, and as of this writing, we are very happily married.

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  • Health - Teddy - Videos

    Having My Baby! (Video)


    I made this video in celebration of Solange being pregnant. In Brazil (unlike the United States), sonograms are the standard of care. They take multiple photos of the fetus and place it all in a nice folder along with all the crucial measurements of the fetus. More importantly, you have an option to get a DVD of the sonogram. The entire procedure costs about $10, and the DVD costs another $10.

    I then ripped the DVD and put it into Windows Movie Maker along with scans from her prior sonograms. Then put it to Paul Anka’s Having My Baby. I think it turned out great!

    One comment on “Having My Baby! (Video)

    1. Congratulations on beautiful wife and exceptional baby! I got this site along with your PCPitstop Blog on Gateway’s demise and infamous CEO’s. I have to say you were right on and it is making it’s way through Gateway employee’s at record speed! I still miss you and the old “Gateway’ which has been gone along time. Take care of your beautiful family!

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  • Health - Politics

    The Women’s Wellness Clinic and How I Wound Up in Jail

    handcuffs

    As much as we had already been through with the Woman’s Wellness Clinic, the story just kept getting weirder. Solange had one more visit with the Woman’s Wellness Clinic for her post natal examination. The date was set shortly after we left the hospital. A week before the scheduled date, we received a phone call to delay the examination for one week. Then, another call to cancel the examination all together. I asked to reschedule and they informed me that someone else would be calling to reschedule. A couple of weeks go by, and no one called, and Solange was getting a little upset.

    I took matters in my own hands, and called the clinic. The clinic had two offices. I called the first office, and the line was disconnected. The second office had a message that they were out to lunch. That was strange, because it was 4 pm. I called the next day, many times, and same result. They were out to lunch.

    At this point, I was a little miffed with them. This clinic had been paid in full. Blue Cross Blue Shield informed me that they paid over $2000 for the birth of our baby BEFORE the baby was born. Additionally, I paid close to $600 before the first examination was performed. I paid numerous copays for office visits which I later learned should have never been charged. And now, I can’t even schedule an appointment for Solange’s last postpartum exam.

    I wasn’t sure what to do, so I decided to bring Solange to my doctor. She said the best person to perform the post natal would be the on-call obgyn that performed the birth at the hospital – Dr. Forbes. More weirdness. My doctor was unable to contact Dr. Forbes, and I tried also. I left a message and after a week, he still had not called back. Some more research showed that before working at the hospital, Dr. Forbes worked where? At the Women’s Wellness Clinic, of course.

    So my doctor’s office decided to schedule us with a different OBGYN, but we needed to get Solange’s records from Women’s Wellness Clinic. They also informed me that there wasn’t much time, because the clinic was about to close its doors for good in four days. After hanging up the phone, I jumped in the car, and drove straight there. The office was closed at 2pm in the afternoon. I go back, and my doctor’s office explained that it was best to try and get them in the morning. So the next day, I drove there again, and they were indeed open. Unfortunately, they would not give me Solange’s records because Solange wasn’t present. I was miffed but I relented. If we can just get the records, then we can just put these shady doctors behind us.

    The next day (one day before the clinic closes), Solange, Teddy, and I go to the clinic. I was very happy to find that the clinic was still open and we entered. We talk to the doctor, and she refused to give us a copy of the records. These “doctors” did not show up for the birth, did not do the postpartum, did not do the proper tests, were paid in full, and padded my bill. I felt the least they could do was give us a copy of Solange’s medical records. Unfortunately, the doctor disagreed. Plus, there was only one day left until the office closed.

    I was carrying Teddy, and I slowly gave Teddy to Solange, and as quickly as I could, I tried to grab the records from her hand. Damn! It was a complete whiff. She’s a doctor with quick reflexes. She was holding the documents in air almost taunting me with them. But I did nothing more. She ran to her office, threw the documents in her office, locked the door, and ran out of the clinic.

    We were both pretty shaken, but we both left the clinic, and we saw over the balcony that the doctor and her assistant were downstairs calling the police. “Good idea!”, I thought. The police would come, and I would explain everything, and they would help me get copies of my wife’s documents. In fact, when the police had arrived, I was actually on the line with 911 myself.

    But of course, I was wrong. Three police cars come screaming to the clinic, lights blinking, and sirens blazing. 6 policemen came running in. At least, they did not have their guns drawn. They approached and hand cuffed me. So much for my little fantasy. They talked to the building security and the doctor and then took me away.

    I spent 26 hours in the county jail, and I certainly have learned a lot about life and our justice system. 24 hours into my visit, I talked to the arraignment judge. I finally found someone who would listen. I was out in less than an hour without bail. On September 12, I must defend myself on the charges of trespassing, disorderly conduct, and assault and battery. I have also learned that the Woman’s Wellness Clinic has permanently closed their doors, probably right at the time I was leaving the prison.

    3 Comments on “The Women’s Wellness Clinic and How I Wound Up in Jail

    1. I’m truly sorry for that ordeal. They are your records so I don’t understand why you would not be able to have a copy of them. I have no love of the medical community here in the US. There is, however, no excuse for being out maneuvered my an MD. Always faint with the left, then grab with the right.

      Give my best to Teddy and Solange.

    2. Can relate…I used that practice back in 2004…everything seemed fine until delivery. Dr. Niles abandoned me during labor…hours later my blood presure dropped and the baby’s heart rate dropped. Dr. Niles flies through my door while people are prepping me for surgury, never explained anything except that she couln’t leave me alone for two mins. and now she has to opperate. As she pulled my daughter from me, she said, “I just saved this baby from the hands of death”!!!I’ve told everyone I could that Conway isn’t fit to deliver puppies. Now almost six years later I’m expecting my second baby and I try to look up the practice to get my records, and no one has a clue how or where I can get them. The hospital has the labor and delivery records, and all they would tell me is the she’s not a participating physician anymore. A person like that should never work in medicine again!!!+

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  • Brazil - Health

    Healthcare in the US and Brazil

    Having lived in both Brazil and the US, it truly gives an interesting perspective in the differences between two country’s health systems. Here are some of my observations. I am going to assume that the people reading this article are familiar with the American health care system, so I will just point out the differences.

    Test Results. In Brazil, you go to a separate lab to have all of your tests done. Personally, I have had blood work, urine exams, X Rays, and ultra sounds all done in Brazil. The key point is that it is a separate entity. More importantly, they give YOU the test results, and it is up to YOU to get them to the doctor, if you wish. They also put all of your test results on the internet, and you can give your doctor your password to access your records. Over a period of time, you get used to reading your own test results and spotting key indices.

    Compare this to the US. Have you ever noticed that when the nurse takes your blood pressure, she writes it down but does not tell you the result? The assumption is that the doctor will interpret the results and inform you if necessary. It’s upside down.

    Pharmacy Visits. In Brazil, almost all drugs are available over the counter. The only exception are addictive drugs such as Valium and Oxycontin. It’s happened so many times in the US, that I knew that I had an infection, and I just needed to go to the doctor so he could prescribe some anti biotics. I also have found the pharmacists far more knowledgeable. If you have a certain ailment, you can just go straight to the pharmacy, and the pharmacist will recommend a medication (or give you a shot.)

    On top of this, you can get in and out of the pharmacy quickly. Literally in minutes. Compare that the United States. I have no idea what they are doing, but it takes a minimum of 30 minutes to get your medications in the US.

    The Doctors. To be honest, I think that the face of medicine in the United States has changed considerably. The doctors are seem so slammed nowadays. They run, and they barely have time to ask the more relevant questions before they have to run off to the next patient. In Brazil, it is much more like the United States when I was younger. Although you still have to wait a long time in the waiting room, the doctors are always patient, and make sure all of your questions are answered. All of my doctors in Brazil have also given me their personal cell phone numbers. To be honest, the Brazil methodology makes me feel more comfortable. I always try to be well prepared when I go to the doctor, but because the American doctor is always so rushed, I worry that we’ll miss something important.

    Don’t forget that your health is your own. My wife shops doctors a lot. She wants to get several opinions before determining her course of action.

    I have a lot of different thoughts about the root issues, but from a patient’s perspective those are the key differences in health care in the two countries.

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  • Health - Teddy

    All’s Well that Ends Well

    It was truly one crazy day at hospital for the birth of my first son, Teddy Cheng.

    We went into the hospital at 11 pm on 7/2/2007. As soon as we go into the hospital, they assign a doctor to us, and they give us Dr. Forbes. I say “What?” Both Solange and I are surprised because we had been going to a place called the Women’s Wellness Clinic, and had been seeing three different female doctors, with the promise that one of them would be at the hospital during the delivery. The attending nurse goes on to explain that all three of doctors had recently left the state. Wow. Things just keep getting weirder.

    We meet with Dr. Forbes, and he seems like an OK guy but there is an air of strangeness since we were expecting someone else. He then breaks Solange’s water and we are in business. About an hour later, a nurse comes in with a big bag of antibiotics. I say “What?” They proceed to explain that Solange had some blood work for strep, and there is no record that the results came back. So they were going to assume that she had it. But it gets better.

    It is now 6 am and Solange has been pushing for over 2 hours without result. Note: Doctor Forbes was not present during all of this time just the nurse. Solange is getting tired, as am I. Then the door bolts open and one of the doctors from the Woman’s Wellness Center appears quickly putting on a gown. “I’m here!”, she announces. I get a weird sensation because of all the doctors at the clinic, she was by far the worst.

    But stranger yet, the nurses just totally ignore her. They don’t answer the doctor’s questions nor do they respond to her commands. Then the doctor from the clinic disappears. I ask her what was going on. The nurse replies “She is not a doctor.” Now it is totally weird! In the last 4-5 visits to the clinic, it was always the same woman doctor, and now we learn that she was not even a doctor. But my head is reeling.

    All this time, Solange is pushing and pushing and she is getting tired. Then it is shift change for the nurse and she leaves. Then the other woman (who we previously thought was a doctor) left. It was just me and Solange pushing. Now all weird thoughts are going through my head. What if the baby is born now? What would I do? I just hung in there and helped her push and jammed her knees to her chest.

    It is going on 3 hours, and the next shift nurse comes in and says that it is taking too long. She is thinking ceasarean. Now I’m getting mad. Solange nor I wanted a ceasarean. I demanded to see the real doctor. They told me that they could not find him. I told them to go find him.

    After some time, he finally arrived. He said that he had a little vacuum device that would help. It was just a little battery operated thing. Within 10 minutes the baby was out. Tears started streaming uncontrollably down my face. Solange too. After all the weirdness and stupidity, everything turned out fine. God Bless.

    Here is the link of the photos Though it sounds cliche, all’s well that ends well.

    One comment on “All’s Well that Ends Well

    1. Dad,

      One of the greatest words you’ll ever hear. Congratulations Rob from Angie and I. I was fun to find your site and see some of those old pictures.

      Continued success & blessings. Rob

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