Perspective
After my optimism over the cheeseburger and sneaking a smoke outside (yes, she did), Mom's condition appears worse than I thought. I fully expected her discharge from hospital today - it turns out her cat scan has revealed something in her brain that needs investigation and she'll be staying awhile. She knows something's wrong - says she "feels" something different in her head. And she's pretty bang on with that stuff. Her left foot (the paralyzed one, that she always had feeling in) was dragging under her wheelchair on the pavement yesterday - I thought it was her blanket caught in the wheel that was causing the reisistance.
In '86, when she had her aneurysm/stroke, she stayed over 3 months in hospital and it wasn't always pretty. They left her alone once in the bathroom (bad idea) and she fell off the toilet and was unable to get up or summon for help. This hospital stay has been a fucking fiasco - floods, fires, police, beat up hookers...anything but comforting or therapeutic.
I am appalled at the state of our healthcare system. Mom has been hospitalized with life threatening bouts several times over the past couple of years - we've never received any answers. We've deducted that they've been the result of a severe allergic reaction to (we think - no one's helping much with this) sesame products and msg. This trip to emerg was the same as all the others, check temperature, blood pressure, and all other vitals, then wait all night to be told "you can go now". No answers, suggestions, recommendations, NOTHING. But this bout was different than the others. Mom knew it and so did I.
When she originally went to ER, we stayed for several hours in the wee hours, then she was sent home. The next morning, when she had another episode, I took her back and had to fight, tooth and nail to have her admitted. Actually I threatened. As the doctor stood telling me she was ok at home and that she "could always call an ambulance", I informed him that he'd be accepting responsibility for that decision should something go terribly wrong. He quickly found her a bed and admitted her. It was the best thing. We need to know what the hell is causing her seizures (that cause her tongue to swell, nearly suffocating her. She vomits. She sometimes loses consciousness. She falls. Her blood pressure drops substantially). She CAN'T get to a phone at that point, let alone DIAL one. This doctor also said "what about you, can't you stay with her?". He had a point. And I do, most of the time. But I'm also a mom and the breadwinner of the family. Geez, I guess some people don't know what any of that is like. He obviously didn't. WE NEED FUCKING HELP. Dad's a ticking time bomb with his "bulging" aneurysm. He goes Oct. 11 (my birthday) to take care of that. Until then, he's supposed to stay "calm" and not raise his BP.....sending her home would probably be the end of both of them. I was told, flat out by doctors, there's not a bed to be had in the hospital. So let's keep building fucking condo worlds on every corner here - we need a trillion more people, don't we? If it's this bad now, what's going to happen? I am shocked that we can't access a hospital bed when one is so desperately needed. Maybe we could buy one? That, in essence, is what's happening here. Those with money can get what they need.
Note to my Government: DON'T LET PEOPLE KEEP COMING WITHOUT THE RESOURCES FOR THEM (US)...it's that fucking simple. Keep piling them in and then what? We die out on the street?
I don't get it. What's it all coming to? The place was a fucking dive - the bathroom's garbage was overflowing to the floor. There were people's urine/sample containers on the counter. Pee on the seat. The final straw is probably the bedpan full of stool that was placed on a footrest with one of those disposable little blue/white mattress pads thrown over it. It sat all day, in mom's room (it wasn't hers). Dried blood on the walls and curtains. I can't take it....I'm fearful that she'll get sicker in there than she was when she arrived.
Something's gotta' give. People who get sick deserve better. This fucking government owes seniors more dignity and compassion than this. And, in all honesty, I think some (not all) people get into nursing/health care for the wrong reasons - there is no bedside manner present in some of them at all. Like the lazy, yawning fatass nurse who "stole" someone's specifically planned meal from the food cart. "Whose is this, I'm hungry?" "Mrs. So & So" (reply). "Well I'm gonna' take it 'cause I'm hungry". "But what about her?". "Oh, they'll order another one up for her". Is that appropriate? I could go on and on, but I won't (today). Tomorrow I'll write installment number two of why you should care about the people you're nursing. (One nurse's solution to getting mom up out of bed was to pull her by her paralyzed arm, like a winch. "What are you doing?" I shrieked, from the other side of mom. "I think we can pull her up by her arms" said Nurszilla. "No, I think that's a bad idea and you'll hurt her as you pull them out of the sockets. She's paralyzed, not dead". God, give me strength.)
Suddenly, my stolen camera seems so unimportant.
In '86, when she had her aneurysm/stroke, she stayed over 3 months in hospital and it wasn't always pretty. They left her alone once in the bathroom (bad idea) and she fell off the toilet and was unable to get up or summon for help. This hospital stay has been a fucking fiasco - floods, fires, police, beat up hookers...anything but comforting or therapeutic.
I am appalled at the state of our healthcare system. Mom has been hospitalized with life threatening bouts several times over the past couple of years - we've never received any answers. We've deducted that they've been the result of a severe allergic reaction to (we think - no one's helping much with this) sesame products and msg. This trip to emerg was the same as all the others, check temperature, blood pressure, and all other vitals, then wait all night to be told "you can go now". No answers, suggestions, recommendations, NOTHING. But this bout was different than the others. Mom knew it and so did I.
When she originally went to ER, we stayed for several hours in the wee hours, then she was sent home. The next morning, when she had another episode, I took her back and had to fight, tooth and nail to have her admitted. Actually I threatened. As the doctor stood telling me she was ok at home and that she "could always call an ambulance", I informed him that he'd be accepting responsibility for that decision should something go terribly wrong. He quickly found her a bed and admitted her. It was the best thing. We need to know what the hell is causing her seizures (that cause her tongue to swell, nearly suffocating her. She vomits. She sometimes loses consciousness. She falls. Her blood pressure drops substantially). She CAN'T get to a phone at that point, let alone DIAL one. This doctor also said "what about you, can't you stay with her?". He had a point. And I do, most of the time. But I'm also a mom and the breadwinner of the family. Geez, I guess some people don't know what any of that is like. He obviously didn't. WE NEED FUCKING HELP. Dad's a ticking time bomb with his "bulging" aneurysm. He goes Oct. 11 (my birthday) to take care of that. Until then, he's supposed to stay "calm" and not raise his BP.....sending her home would probably be the end of both of them. I was told, flat out by doctors, there's not a bed to be had in the hospital. So let's keep building fucking condo worlds on every corner here - we need a trillion more people, don't we? If it's this bad now, what's going to happen? I am shocked that we can't access a hospital bed when one is so desperately needed. Maybe we could buy one? That, in essence, is what's happening here. Those with money can get what they need.
Note to my Government: DON'T LET PEOPLE KEEP COMING WITHOUT THE RESOURCES FOR THEM (US)...it's that fucking simple. Keep piling them in and then what? We die out on the street?
I don't get it. What's it all coming to? The place was a fucking dive - the bathroom's garbage was overflowing to the floor. There were people's urine/sample containers on the counter. Pee on the seat. The final straw is probably the bedpan full of stool that was placed on a footrest with one of those disposable little blue/white mattress pads thrown over it. It sat all day, in mom's room (it wasn't hers). Dried blood on the walls and curtains. I can't take it....I'm fearful that she'll get sicker in there than she was when she arrived.
Something's gotta' give. People who get sick deserve better. This fucking government owes seniors more dignity and compassion than this. And, in all honesty, I think some (not all) people get into nursing/health care for the wrong reasons - there is no bedside manner present in some of them at all. Like the lazy, yawning fatass nurse who "stole" someone's specifically planned meal from the food cart. "Whose is this, I'm hungry?" "Mrs. So & So" (reply). "Well I'm gonna' take it 'cause I'm hungry". "But what about her?". "Oh, they'll order another one up for her". Is that appropriate? I could go on and on, but I won't (today). Tomorrow I'll write installment number two of why you should care about the people you're nursing. (One nurse's solution to getting mom up out of bed was to pull her by her paralyzed arm, like a winch. "What are you doing?" I shrieked, from the other side of mom. "I think we can pull her up by her arms" said Nurszilla. "No, I think that's a bad idea and you'll hurt her as you pull them out of the sockets. She's paralyzed, not dead". God, give me strength.)
Suddenly, my stolen camera seems so unimportant.
posted by Deb at 11:18 AM
7 Comments:
OH dear God! I'm having stomache pains after reading this. How horrible! Which hospital is your mom in Deb?
How horrible! My mom has been in and out of hospital over the last few years, and is now in a nursing home, and although there have been a few issues, there has been nothing like the terrible conditions like where your mom is. Mind you, she is in a small city, where presumably they don't have the labour shortages. Lack of state of the art technology, perhaps, but at least they have people working in the system.
On a happier note, your birthday is the day after mine!
Richmond General. It's like a bad dream that you can't wake up from. We've known for awhile it's really bad in there. We generally try and avoid going anywhere near the hospital, but this instance left us no choice. I've only scratched the surface, there's more in the horror story, but I think I have to move on and have a positive attitude, in order to survive here. The more I whirl around in the thought of all of this, the worse it seems to get.
Barbara...I'll be thinking of you on the 10th. No wonder you're so great (Libra!).
To all my "friends" (yes, that's what you are to me) - I thank you for enduring my endless rant lately. I'm normally a very nutty, cheery, happy gal. I seem to be in a funk and won't let it defeat me - I'm going to focus on some positives (when I can find them) and take it from there. I hate all this negativity and my next post will be about lollipops and moon beams, ok?
I do appreciate the kind words and I know that things will get better. You guys are just making it happen that much sooner for me...thank you all.
That's what we are here for, Deb. I felt a little bad as well for the neverending Office Depot saga, but you guys have all been so suportive that it's given me strength carry on and mine is just a measly couple hundred bucks. You have real issues and the lives and comfort of loved ones to worry about. Never apologise for needing to talk about it.
Thanks Barbara...you're really helping through this (I find your site so entertaining and it actually manages to put a smile on my face when I feel like pulling my hair out)
Thanks for visiting my blog earlier. Sorry I don't check it as often as I should.
I'm an American currently living in Canada (and will be for awhile!). All I hear about in the States is how great Canada's health care system is, and since I've been here I have some atrocities that I had never witnessed in the States. The wait to even get MRIs in Alberta are over a year in some cases. People die during that time. It truly is sickening.
While more people are 'covered' up here, they aren't getting truly good service.
I'm so sorry that you are getting such bad treatment, your mum deserves better.
Hi nerudite. It's really gone downhill fairly quickly. There were "little" things before, but this is absolutely atrocious. It's cleaner in the local service station bathrooms and these are real health hazards we're talking about...not just being "nit picky".
It's a pretty sad state of affairs. My Dad actually DID come out sicker than when he'd been admitted when he was a patient - they sent him home with a superbug. Scary.
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