Who Counted The Sponges?

My descent down into Hell has begun. The doctor has taken my estrogen away from me because it has caused a pre-cancerous condition in my uterus. The hot flashes have returned.

For an entire year, I was good. I slept well and felt fine. Now, the burning, tingling, adrenalin-like flashes are back, alternated with the I'm-so-cold-I'm-going-to die sensations. It's going to be at least three months until I can have estrogen again and there is a possibility I will never be allowed it again. It almost makes me want to buy a gun and hold up a pharmacy. No jury in the world would convict me, assuming they were all menopausal women.

At least I'm not going through what one of my patients experienced. She had a laprascopic hysterectomy. All she had after the surgery were three tiny, band aide-sized incisions. There was just one problem. The sponge count was off.

The doctor decided to x-ray the patient while she was still on the table. An image consistent with a sponge showed up on the x-ray, so the doctor cut an incision from hip bone to hip bone. The doctor searched every nook and cranny, but no sponge was to be found. The patient was stapled close.

The patient had to be told something, so she was just told that although they tried to do the procedure by the minimally invasive procedure, they were forced to open her up. She has no idea that she was opened up for a wild goose chase. Her recovery will be slower and more painful as a result. Should someone have told her the truth?