Transcript
On September of 2014, I was sent to Dillwyn Correctional Center in Dillwyn, VA. Soon after getting there I put in a request to see the Medical Department for abdominal pain. I was seen by a nurse and told I would have lab work done. When the results came back I was told I was okay and everything was looking good. Yet the pain continued off and on. From 2014 to 2018 I complained of abdominal pain. I saw medical staff multiple times. I had lab work, an EKG, and an ultrasound done. I was diagnosed with kidney stones and then with a hernia. When the doctor diagnosed me with a hernia, he said he felt the hernia and it was small. The doctor told me if I took it easy my hernia would heal up by itself. So, I took it easy, but the pain continued to come and go. Each time I spoke with medical staff they told me you did something to your hernia and there's nothing we can do. On July 22, 2018, I began having extreme pain in my abdomen. At 1:11 A.M. on July 23, 2018, I filed an emergency grievance to see medical staff. At 4:00 A.M., a nurse, who never checked me or spoke with me, replied I was not having an emergency. I was then told, by staff, to sign up for sick call. I signed up for sick call at 6:30 A.M., but no sick call was done that day. On July 24, 2018, I was in extreme pain. I hadn't eaten in two days. I had not had a bowel movement in three days. It hurt so bad to lie down that I was sleeping while sitting in a plastic chair. My skin turned yellow and my urine became dark red. At 5:48 A.M., I put in a second emergency grievance to see medical staff. At 9:53 A.M., another nurse who never checked me or spoke with me, advised I was not having an emergency and I would be seen at sick call. At about 7:30 P.M., I was finally checked by a nurse. She checked my vitals, asked some questions, and took a urine sample. The nurse said she had seen much worse looking urine. I told the nurse I thought I was having a gall bladder issue. She laughed at me and said men rarely have gall bladder problems. Then the nurse told me she would sign me up to see the doctor. On July 25, 2018, my condition was much the same, except my urine was darker and my eyes looked yellow. That afternoon I was checked by the doctor. He said I had no blood or infection in my urine. He advised my urine was discolored because of what I was eating. (I had just told him I wasn't eating.) After checking me, the doctor said I might have Pancreatitis, but most likely needed to have a bowel movement to feel better. He said my skin color looked good and put me on medication to help me have a bowel movement. In addition he ordered I have lab work done. At 7:00 P.M., I had a bowel movement, but my pain got worse. On July 26, 2018, my condition was about the same. I am getting no rest trying to sleep in my chair. Mentally, emotionally, and physically exhausted I put in an emergency grievance to see a person from Mental Health. At this point I feel like I am going to die. I filed the grievance at 9:51 A.M. At 10:20 A.M., I was told I did not have an emergency. I was advised to submit a request to see a psychologist and they would put me on the schedule. On July 27, 2018, at 5:30 A.M. I had lab work done. When the nurse saw my urine, she asked why the doctor hadn't done anything for me? I had no answer. Then, just after 10:00 A.M., I was called to Medical. I saw a different staff member. As soon as she saw me, she advised I was being sent to the hospital. At the hospital I was advised I had a gall bladder issue and a problem with my liver. I spent nine days in the hospital. I had to have a gallstone removed from the bile duct to my liver and have my gall bladder removed. In addition to this, from September 2018 to March of 2019, I had to have four endoscopic procedures done. These were done to add and remove multiple stints and gallstones from my body. One year later I am feeling better and stronger. However, I am very frustrated. Trying to find a lawyer as an inmate is horrible. I believe the staff at Dillwyn should be held accountable for all the pain and suffering I had to endure, but it seems the law protects them from that. My question is, if I have to pay for my wrongdoing, why doesn't the Virginia Department of Corrections have to pay for their wrongdoing?
