Off The Cuff

The Nightmare Continues

Posted by: From Arkansas in Are You Kidding Me?, Family stuff, Health Topics on Aug 18 2008

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At this time I am safely at home. And that has nothing to do with the way the hospital treated me. I am safe. Praise God for that! To catch you up on things, Sunday was the day that they started me on coumadin, a blood thinner. I was already taking a blood thinner that they were injecting in my stomach twice a day. Thats fun. The med is very expensive, something like $75-$100 per shot and I take two a day. Hmmm. I do have part D so it was not going to inflict serious pain except in my stomach, of course.

I forgot to mention that Saturday, the weekend doc told me he was sending me home the next day. Uh huh. He said nothing at all about the infection I just happened to be carrying at the time. He was going to give me the injections AND the coumadin, a double hit. Very dangerous. If your blood gets too thin and you happen to have a sore, you could actually bleed out before help arrives. Did I mention here that we have very inadequate health care around here? Anyway, I got to thinking about that on Sat. and started to get really upset. REALLY UPSET. The nurse happened in and asked what the problem was. I told her. She said that she would call the doc and see if he meant it since you have the right to protest if you think they are sending you home too early. Too early???? I have a blood clot in my leg, an infection the dimwit doc on the weekend will not touch and assorted problems too numerous to mention. One I did have was that I was unable to stand for more than a few seconds. Uh, hello? Problem?

The nurse came back in and told me that he thought it would be okay for me to stay a bit longer. How nice of him. Growl! On Sunday, doctor dimwit came in and told me that since I was allergic to the med he would prescribe for the infection, he wasnt going to give me anything for it. He would do a culture on it and see what he could do and, oh by the way, goodbye since I won’t see you again. That was actually somewhat comforting. In the meanwhile, I am taking all that blood thinner. And of course the meds were not on schedule again. Not as bad as before but definitely off. And I once again heard that if I did not allow a blood pressure check, they would not give me the meds. Oh well. I had my own supply. I could care less if they did that. But it did not come to that on Sunday.

Monday was a screaming circus. Starting at 4am, the lady came in to draw blood. She was not that good at it and it hurt a whole lot more than it needed to. She, of course, woke me up to do this. I do not mind that. It’s the reason I’m there. At 5am, a guy shows up to take blood. Uh, didn’t we just do this? I showed him my cotton ball and tape. He went away after having woke me up again. At 6am, they came to do vitals including blood pressure. It was low. Guess what they did not want to give me? Gold star! At 7am, a girl comes in to draw blood. Am I in a time warp here? I told her the same story, showed her the cotton ball and tape. She asked me if I was refusing to give the blood draw. Uh yeah. Why give more than they actually need anyway?

The shift changed. Day nurse shows up. We do need to draw your blood. Why? Because the first person to draw it did not get enough. I saw that as her problem, not mine. However, the one test they could not do was the pro-time, the one that tells the doc what my blood level is for the thinner. I desperately needed that! ARGH! So, draw the blood already. At this point, they suddenly were not in such a hurry. Breakfast came. No meds. Of course.

And then the real circus began. After breakfast and finally the meds, there was a lull in the storm. Wait it gets better. A lady comes in and wants to know if I want a bath. Yes, but I cannot do that in the bathroom because I have not stood up for more than it takes to get to the bathroom and sit again for days. Dizzy, light headed. So, she is going to give me a bath right there in the bed. Okay with me. In comes another woman who is going to help her. One starts in one spot, another disrobes me and starts there. I am now totally naked and I can tell you that I do not like that at all. They had closed the curtain most of the way but not all. Another person shows up to chat and oh by the way, help us. Now I have three trying to bathe me and none are doing that great a job. The first lady is trying to wash my hair with a shampoo that does not need to be rinsed out. Two others are getting various portions done as they found them. But I am still quite naked here!

Finally, I get through to one of them who finds a gown and puts it on me. Or tries to. It is about four sizes too small for me. Uh huh. It only fits across the front and I am getting strangled by most of it. Right about then, a guy shows up to draw blood. Perfect! Everyone stops. Thank God! He draws the blood and the circus starts to go forward again. I need to use the bathroom. One of the women says she will try to find a gown that fits me. Uh huh. They depart. I get up to go to the bathroom. Gown falls to my hands. I am using a walker to navigate. Now I am totally naked except for my hands. That’s nice. Bathroom trip accomplished and back to the bed.

I have to say here that my husband, who has been with me through all this, is about to rocket off because of the way they have treated me. I say….lets get out of here first. Then gripe! He agrees. The nurse comes in and sees the ridiculous gown and gets one right away. No one else knows where this gown rich store is? Apparently not. Now I have a gown that fits, a hole in my arm where the guy drew blood again and I was so sleepy due to the lack thereof from the previous night.

In walks the weekly doctor. Uh, I should mention here that the doc that signed me in has never shown up. This was not him either. I have no idea what the original doc even looks like. Spooky, huh?This doc has a brain. FINALLY! Someone who has a clue. I tell him about the need for some type of med for the infection. Sure. No problem. And he decides I can go home with help at home. Okay, that works too. At least that way, I get the meds I need when I need them. In addition, what have we for the winner of this wonderful vacation, Bob? Home health care delivered directly to your door, therapy three times a week and blood draws in the convenience of your home! Since I am actually home bound until things change, that’s a great deal. See? I told you this doc had it going on. He gave me the coumadin but not the injections too.

The thing is, I am now getting better care than I did a lot of the time I was in that hospital. Isn’t that sad? I do not have to go to a doctor’s office either. Home bound means just that. I cannot go anywhere until things change. This is going to get seriously boring. But I’m alive and will be in good condition soon. I thank GOD for that.

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