Tragic Chemotherapy Experience: A Family's Heartbreaking Journey - Oncology

About cancer chemotherapy?

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On November 2, 2005, my wife was admitted to the Hematology and Oncology Department of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital for chemotherapy due to cancer.
The attending physician was Dr.
Tang Yeh.
My wife passed away on November 21, 2005.
During the chemotherapy process, the absurd medical practices of Dr.
Tang Yeh caused immense pain for our family! It is shocking that a so-called top-tier hospital like Chang Gung has such incompetent attending physicians.
I cannot help but ask: Does Chang Gung Hospital require its physicians to continuously update their knowledge and not rely on medical techniques from ten or twenty years ago to treat cancer patients who are fighting for their lives? I am just an ordinary citizen, without power or influence; Kaohsiung Chang Gung Hospital will not heed my protests or claims for compensation.
I can only state the facts, hoping that this incompetent doctor will not harm anyone else! (I firmly believe that there must have been other patients who died under unclear circumstances before my wife; they just did not voice their experiences!) Below is a detailed account of my wife's medical treatment, and I am sure you will be astonished after reading it!
Dr.
Tang Yeh's absurd medical record: On November 2, my wife was admitted to the trauma ward on the 6th floor of the medical building at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Hospital (as there were no available beds in the Hematology and Oncology Department on the 13th floor) and underwent X-ray and blood tests.
On November 3, she was supposed to receive chemotherapy in the afternoon, but Dr.
Tang did not show up and only informed the nursing station by phone that a trauma physician should administer the chemotherapy.
However, the trauma physician was hesitant to do so, so Dr.
Tang instructed the nursing staff to store the chemotherapy drugs in the refrigerator until he could administer them the next day.

On November 4, Dr.
Tang finally appeared and began administering the chemotherapy drugs around 9 AM.
The chemotherapy medications included 5-FU (3600 mg), Mitomycin (8 mg), and Cisplatin (70 mg).
The infusion of 5-FU consisted of three bags, which would take at least three days (72 hours) to complete.
I noticed that the 5-FU infusion bag was labeled "limited to water," but I did not understand what that meant.

On November 5, the second day of chemotherapy, my wife developed diarrhea and began experiencing incontinence.
In the afternoon, she complained of abdominal pain, so I contacted Dr.
Tang to return to the hospital (it was Saturday, and Dr.
Tang was on leave).
When he arrived, he drained about 600 cc of abdominal fluid from my wife.
After returning to the nursing station, Dr.
Tang shockingly said to the nursing staff, "Damn it! We didn't drain much fluid, and it was such a hassle!" (Dr.
Tang was unaware that someone was standing behind him.) What surprised me the most was that Dr.
Tang drained the fluid by directly inserting a needle into my wife's abdomen without using ultrasound to locate the fluid first, which is the standard procedure.
On November 6, I initially thought the chemotherapy would be completed today, but due to interruptions in the infusion, it continued.
On November 7, around 8:30 PM, we finally finished administering the three bags of 5-FU.
My wife appeared very weak, and I felt heartbroken!
On November 8, after Dr.
Tang's rounds, he prescribed discharge medications for my wife, stating that she could go home to recuperate but needed to return for outpatient follow-up and a second round of chemotherapy on December 1.
Around 1 PM that afternoon, my wife began exhibiting signs of mental disturbance, appearing very dazed and behaving like a little girl.
I quickly notified the nursing station and contacted Dr.
Tang.
When he arrived, he seemed at a loss and merely said my wife was "possessed!" before turning and leaving the room.
I was shocked and helpless! Is this what a so-called top-tier physician at Kaohsiung Chang Gung Hospital is like?!
On November 9, my wife's memory seemed to have vanished; she did not recognize family members and showed no response when spoken to.
My family and I were extremely anxious, as other chemotherapy patients did not exhibit such symptoms.
Dr.
Tang did not take any action, and my wife could only lie in bed while the disease ravaged her.
(According to standard procedures, after chemotherapy, normal saline should be administered to help metabolize the chemotherapy drugs, but Dr.
Tang did not do this!) My family began searching for information on related symptoms to help alleviate my wife's suffering.
Eventually, in the evening, my brother-in-law found information about similar cases and related treatments through a friend at Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital.
The relevant medical journals included: 1.
El Amrani et al, 1998; 2.
Yeo et al, 1999; 3.
Luppi et al, 1996; 4.
Bixenman et al, 1997; 5.
Nichols et al, 1976; 6.
Bergevin et al, 1975; 7.
Boileau et al, 1971; 8.
Gottlieb & Luce, 1971; 9.
Risso et al, 1997; 10.
Pirzada et al, 2000; 11.
Walker et al, 1998; 12.
Hitchins & Thomson, 1988; 13.
Verschraegen et al, 1995; 14.
Mollman, 1990; 15.
Narin & Rierson, 1979; 16.
Mollman et al, 1988; 17.
Walther et al, 1987; 18.
Pace et al, 2003; 19.
Van der Hoop et al, 1990; 20.
Bellin & Selin, 1988; 21.
Ritch, 1988; 22.
Mead et al, 1982.
On November 10, I presented the relevant information to Dr.
Tang.
It was evident that he was completely unaware that a small number of patients could experience such side effects after receiving that type of chemotherapy! In the afternoon, the nursing staff finally came to administer IV fluids, hoping to dilute and metabolize the residual chemotherapy drugs in my wife's body.
My wife had not eaten for several days, but the diarrhea persisted, and she was still experiencing incontinence.

On November 11, the IV fluids continued, but my wife was vomiting, had diarrhea, and was still incontinent.
She could not speak, and her limbs could not move normally or support her weight, and her gaze remained vacant.
On November 12, the IV fluids continued, and she still had diarrhea and incontinence.
She could move slightly but very slowly, could hear but still could not speak.
Today, she was able to consume some liquid food.

On November 13, the IV fluids continued, but my wife's condition was worse than the previous day, and she appeared very confused.
On November 14, the IV fluids continued, and the diarrhea and incontinence worsened (at least four times an hour).
Her hands trembled and curled.
I informed Dr.
Tang of this condition, and he said, "The intestines are like a stinky sewer; let them expel the dirty stuff!" Dr.
Tang did not take any measures to stop the diarrhea.

On November 15, the IV fluids continued, and my wife still had diarrhea and incontinence.
Around 2 PM, she experienced muscle spasms.
A physician from the nursing station administered an anti-spasm injection, and my wife's consciousness slightly returned, but her body remained weak.
On November 16, the IV fluids continued, and she still had diarrhea and incontinence.
Her limbs could not move freely or support her weight.
Concerned about my wife's nutritional status, we began adding nutritional IV fluids.

On November 17, the IV fluids continued, and her consciousness slightly improved.
The diarrhea and incontinence were still severe (more than ten times an hour).
At this point, Dr.
Tang still did not take any measures to stop the diarrhea.
On November 18, the IV fluids continued, and she still had diarrhea and incontinence, and her limbs could not exert force, and her mental state remained confused.
Dr.
Tang informed me that my wife was experiencing an electrolyte imbalance due to diarrhea, and the potassium ion concentration in her blood was too low, causing her muscles to be unable to function.
He stated that they would start adding 15% potassium ions to the IV fluids to improve her condition.

On November 19, the IV fluids continued, and she still had diarrhea and incontinence, and her limbs could not exert force.
That evening, my wife's emotions became very agitated, so to avoid disturbing the neighboring patient, she was moved to a private treatment room.
On November 20, the IV fluids continued, and she still had diarrhea and incontinence, and her limbs could not exert force or move freely.
In the morning, when Dr.
Tang came for rounds, I asked him, "After chemotherapy, what is my wife's tumor marker (CEA) level now?" Dr.
Tang and I checked the medical records on the computer, and my wife's tumor marker level had dropped from over 700 to 2.4 (the standard value is 4.0).
I was so happy! The treatment was very effective, and I shared the news with my wife.
After hearing it, she fell asleep deeply, something she hadn't done in a long time.
When my wife woke up that evening, she was fully alert, but the diarrhea, incontinence, and inability to move her limbs persisted.
That night, we returned to her original ward.

On November 21, my wife's condition appeared quite good, although she was still weak.
She was mentally clear and could tell me she needed to use the restroom, which made me very happy! When Dr.
Tang came for rounds, he informed me that once the electrolyte levels in her blood stabilized, she could be discharged to recuperate.
Suddenly, Dr.
Tang noticed that the potassium ion concentration in the IV fluids was only 5%, which explained why my wife's potassium levels had been imbalanced! This IV fluid had been administered for two days (48 hours)!! Although the nurse immediately changed it, everything was too slow.
At around 12:15 PM, my wife suddenly lost consciousness and could not breathe.
Dr.
Tang and the nurses began the first round of emergency resuscitation.
My wife was intubated, and her condition seemed dire! Dr.
Tang suspiciously asked me, "Strange, why is there so much water in your wife's lungs?" I was stunned! Is this guy really an attending physician?! How could he not notice the fluid accumulation in her lungs after daily chest X-rays? Was he negligent or just making up a serious situation to placate the family?! Due to the low potassium levels in my wife's blood, all her muscles could not function normally, and her albumin levels were too low, making her blood pressure nearly undetectable!
At around 3:15 PM, my wife's heart rate stopped again, prompting the second round of emergency resuscitation.
At this point, Dr.
Tang was nowhere to be found, and another physician was called to assist.
After several minutes, the physician's resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful, and my wife passed away...
She was only 38 years old!!!
On November 22, I went to the Hematology and Oncology Department of Kaohsiung Chang Gung Hospital to request a death certificate from Dr.
Tang, but he was on leave that day! Was it a coincidence or a sign of guilt?? The death certificate was issued by another physician.........

PS: I truly cannot agree with the professional competence of Dr.
Tang Yeh from Kaohsiung Chang Gung Hospital!! He does not engage in self-improvement and still dares to treat patients!!! His medical knowledge is lacking, and only after the family sought related symptom information did he know how to proceed with treatment.
This is truly absurd! The nursing staff's professional ethics are non-existent; they even got the IV fluid concentration wrong and were unaware! It is shameful, truly shameful!!

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Laoshi, 40~49 year old female. Ask Date: 2006/01/27