A 19 year old cystic fibrosis patient who came down with swine flu in November has lodged a complaint against Upstate University Hospital about his treatment.
Michael Sellars has suffered from cystic fibrosis since he was a little boy. He was the subject of an award winning series of reports by Jim Kenyon in 1997. Sellars says when he came down with swine flu, he knew he was in trouble. "I honestly thought I wasn't going to last." he told CNY Central.
On the advise of his personal Doctor, Monica Jones, Sellars went to the emergency room at Upstate University Hospital accompanied by his mother, Shannon Brewer. Brewer claims doctors at Upstate did not recognize the deadly danger he was in. "We're talking about a child with CF...anything he gets is going to his lungs. This is killing people."
Sellars claims he was not given proper medications or treatment. "I went 6 hours and 10 hours at a time without any medication and I couldn't breathe, it got worse."
Shannon Brewer says it got to the point where Michael's personal doctor, Monica Jones, suggested she get him out of Upstate and rush him to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, where doctors know him as a cystic fibrosis patient. Brewer says they saved his life by giving him a medication that helped him breathe. Brewer is angry with the way her son was treated at Upstate.
They obtained a letter from Doctor Monica Jones. It read in part, "Michael's exacerbation was worsened...the care he received at Upstate was not in my opinion...appropriate.". The State Health Department is reviewing Sellars' complaint against Upstate University Hospital and two doctors.
A spokesperson for Upstate told CNY Central Monday morning, "Due to patient privacy laws, Upstate University Hospital is unable to comment on this matter. Discussions regarding a patient’s care, including conversations with physicians and other hospital departments are considered part of a patient’s medical record and are subject to privacy laws that restrict disclosure of this information."
