auntie
<font color=darkorchid>It's a really lovely way to
- Joined
- Jan 7, 2003
Get a call from my sister at 6 am that my dad who is the hospital (congestive heart failure) "fell" out of bed. He has been moved to another area of the hospital.. telemetry. Mind you..my dad had a stroke a number of years ago and is paralyzed on his right side, and aphasiac(great difficulty communicating his thoughts from his brain to his voice)..So communication is always a challenge. Although..if you are patient..you can understand him. In a hospital situation where he is left on his own in a room on a floor...well, it's a disaster waiting to happen. We have dealt with this many times over the years. Honestly..his meds were being adjusted, and his dr. felt he'd probably be home by Friday. I left him yesterday afternoon, and I tell ya..he looked great. 
Good color..(no blue lips/nails. Back to lookin' like the rosie colored Irishman that he is). Energy was good. Felt like things were looking up. Maybe Thanksgiving won't be spent in the hospital. (It's happened before)
Turns out the guy who was in the room with him, at some point got a hold of a FIRE EXTINGISHER...and either started spraying it around....or swinging it around. We don't know which. At some point..my dad apparently hit the ground. Mind you we only got the call from the hospital "after" he was moved to another part of the unit..but on the same the floor. That nurses station claims they were notifying us..but since it didn't happen on their floor they have little information, except that dad went for X-rays..and a CT scan. Did the guy hit him in the head with a fire extinguisher..did he fall on his head?
...We're not getting answers..and of course...my father isn't telling us much at this point. They told us rest assured he wasn't moved for any medical reason, and will likely be back to the old room later today. (that's if he hasn't broken a hip or has a concussion
)Mind you... they initally just told us he "fell" out of bed...and was moved due to "maintaince issues". My sister right away asked.."there were maintenance issues in the middle of the night, and you needed to move a paralyzed, aphasica man to perform them?..knowing this explanation wasn't passing the smell test. That's when it came out that someone had caused the maintenance issue. I tell ya..we are getting such a run around. I don't care..as long as my dad is alright, but could they just be honest and tell us what's happened. When my sister asked the new nurses station exactly what happened they didn't even want to put a floor nurse on the phone. They said they were very busy..just to "call" my dad directly. She told them.."gee, since he can't SPEAK or MOVE ...I thought I'd call YOU. They were unaware, that the new patient on their part of the floor was aphasiac.
My mom..who looks awful and has a terrible cold..is hacking up a lung all over the place. She is a heavy smoker..so I gotta wonder how much of this is a cold or if there is something else going on. Lord knows, she has her own medical issues. So instead of going to the ER in the hospital..she takes a cab home. Her Dr. can't see her for two days. So, my sister (on her way back from a job interview) is going to pick her up and taker her back to the hospital emergency room. Why she couldn't go to the ER while she was AT the hospital..is beyond me. Well, no it's not. It's because that's just the way she is..and she needs to have someone with her. I can even understand it.
Anyway I have a meeting with the nursing supervisor at 1:00.
I tell ya, I feel like we're living life in a Three Stooges Episode lately.
Add to this I have two other siblings who like to add their two cents..but do nothing to help. I'm so done. Only...I can't be. I tell ya..you can't "make" this stuff up.
Okay guys..thanks for letting me vent. Had to get that out!....and, oh...I'm sorry if I offended anyone who works in a hospital.
Good color..(no blue lips/nails. Back to lookin' like the rosie colored Irishman that he is). Energy was good. Felt like things were looking up. Maybe Thanksgiving won't be spent in the hospital. (It's happened before)Turns out the guy who was in the room with him, at some point got a hold of a FIRE EXTINGISHER...and either started spraying it around....or swinging it around. We don't know which. At some point..my dad apparently hit the ground. Mind you we only got the call from the hospital "after" he was moved to another part of the unit..but on the same the floor. That nurses station claims they were notifying us..but since it didn't happen on their floor they have little information, except that dad went for X-rays..and a CT scan. Did the guy hit him in the head with a fire extinguisher..did he fall on his head?
...We're not getting answers..and of course...my father isn't telling us much at this point. They told us rest assured he wasn't moved for any medical reason, and will likely be back to the old room later today. (that's if he hasn't broken a hip or has a concussion )Mind you... they initally just told us he "fell" out of bed...and was moved due to "maintaince issues". My sister right away asked.."there were maintenance issues in the middle of the night, and you needed to move a paralyzed, aphasica man to perform them?..knowing this explanation wasn't passing the smell test. That's when it came out that someone had caused the maintenance issue. I tell ya..we are getting such a run around. I don't care..as long as my dad is alright, but could they just be honest and tell us what's happened. When my sister asked the new nurses station exactly what happened they didn't even want to put a floor nurse on the phone. They said they were very busy..just to "call" my dad directly. She told them.."gee, since he can't SPEAK or MOVE ...I thought I'd call YOU. They were unaware, that the new patient on their part of the floor was aphasiac. My mom..who looks awful and has a terrible cold..is hacking up a lung all over the place. She is a heavy smoker..so I gotta wonder how much of this is a cold or if there is something else going on. Lord knows, she has her own medical issues. So instead of going to the ER in the hospital..she takes a cab home. Her Dr. can't see her for two days. So, my sister (on her way back from a job interview) is going to pick her up and taker her back to the hospital emergency room. Why she couldn't go to the ER while she was AT the hospital..is beyond me. Well, no it's not. It's because that's just the way she is..and she needs to have someone with her. I can even understand it.
Anyway I have a meeting with the nursing supervisor at 1:00.I tell ya, I feel like we're living life in a Three Stooges Episode lately.
Add to this I have two other siblings who like to add their two cents..but do nothing to help. I'm so done. Only...I can't be. I tell ya..you can't "make" this stuff up.
Okay guys..thanks for letting me vent. Had to get that out!....and, oh...I'm sorry if I offended anyone who works in a hospital.
I went into see dad. Noticed he was "tilted" over as he lay in his the bed. Didn't think too much of it, until I realized it wasn't his paralyzed side, but his "good" side. Spoke with the nurses station. They told my sister and I what had transpired the night before. Pretty scary stuff. First, he was found on the floor at 3 am. I asked about rails..and got something about state law. Only he's been in the hospital A LOT..and never, ever, fallen out of bed. I mean one side of his body is dead weight, and it's a tough transfer, even when he's well, let alone in a weakened condition. Coincidentally the supervisor for the floor he was moved from went home sick. He indicated he had been given an x-ray and CT scan. They said they "asked"..(the aphasiac..paryalyzed man) if he was okay, and he said.."okay". At 5 am...another patient from another part of the floor...who was in the hospital for detox, became irrate. He wasn't restrained and wandered to the part of the floor where my dad was. He then got a hold of a fire extinguisher, and went on a rampage..terrorizing the patients and staff, until he was tackled. The police, fire, and Hazmat departments were called to the hospital. All the patients in my dad's wing were evacutated. That's why they moved him. So this is the night my poor father has. First..he "falls" out of bed. They can't tell us which side of the bed. 
Anyway, my dad is thrilled to see my sister and I. He's giving me the thumbs up..and the "lets' go" hand motions. His Dr. is there, and says he's stable..change in meds are working. He's good to go if we are able to take him. Since both my sister and I are there, we figure better now than tomorrow.(I've got to get my mom to Dr. tomorrow). My sister drives to mom and dad's house, gets my dad's handicap accesible van and motorized chair so we can get him home. We have a full time aid that is getting my dad dressed. At which point I can see he's in some discomfort. Appaears sore, and stiff. Figure..he's been in a bed for three days. Only we are transfering him into his chair, and he's screaming in agony. When he's seated, it's obvious the trunk of his body is leaning and he can't get into a straight position. His "good side" is hanging over the side of his chair. The man doesn't care..just wants to leave. I'm worried. I get his nurse, and it's pretty apparent that he may have been hurt in the earlier fall. Now they're checking the chart. 
Has his Dr. calls in pain med to his pharmacy. As we're leaving.. another supervisor who was fielding questions about the duranged fire extinguisher junkie ran out with flowers for my dad and an apology. My dad had me chuck them in the trash when we got out the door. 
