M had pain all day and the day before also- in her neck and head. She has a cough and has trouble coughing things up. We decided that she needed to be seen. The paramedics came and took her in the ambulance (it was around 11 P.M.) and I grabbed some things, called A's daughter in law to come be with him while we were gone, loaded her electric wheelchair in the van and went to the hospital (germ hell. I hate those places). The paramedics were pretty hunky. At least there's that.
No, cleaner than that....
Well, more clothed... but anyway...
They treated her gently too- VERY IMPORTANT- SHE IS FRAGILE!
At the hospital, they gave her percoset for pain and anti-nausea meds- She wasn't nauseous per se. The sinus drainage causes a little queasiness, but nausea was not one of the complaints. I wonder what they charge for that stuff. I am thrilled for good insurance for her. ANYWAY, the percoset pretty much did nothing.
They x-rayed her lungs and said they were streaky. But the news came from Dr. handsome-
Yeah, no.
More clothes.
How sad.
No-
still more clothes...
Yeah, more like this guy.
20 years ago, I woulda been all ga-ga cow eyed.
So anyway, with that Dr. and the nice looking, muscular paramedics, there was something positive, lol.
We get bored sometimes and contemplate a call for the entertainment factor.
Next they had to get better x-rays (so now she has the radiation deal goin' on- all secret and in the background, right?). The better x-rays showed that she was okay pretty much. None-the-less, she was prescribed antibiotics.
NEXT they FINALLY gave her better pain meds, after the 3rd I.V. they finally got to work- not their fault on the first 2, she is hard to I.V. The chief complaint when we called and had her taken in was the head pain- we had nothing that would help her here- except my pain meds. I was SO TEMPTED to give her some, but then, if she had anything negative happen, it'd by on me, sooooo..... we got her a prescription, but for the percoset that DID NOT help. BUT, I think if we hit it right at the start, it might. This was a 3-day head pain that was started in her neck and it was tight and got a grip and worsened. I personally think a muscle relaxer at the start of "the grip" of the pain would be a real good thing. I have to take them before things get grippy....
So anyway, they released her at about 4:30/5 a.m.- We called her son to come help load her, because by this time she was medicated and was unable to do much to help- just a weak rag doll. She does her best to help on most days. There is little she can do, but it helps that she isn't just all dead weight. Usually she's about 75% dead weight. The lift was home (it is big and heavy and hard to transport). So, with the help of the medical personnel (they were just AWESOME, by the way- KUDOS, YRMC E.R. TEAM!!!) and her son, we got her loaded up. I drove her to the house and her son helped unload her. I COULD NOT HAVE DONE THIS WITHOUT HELP! I can't say enough about having people who will step up when called (we try to not call unless we absolutely MUST). Her son, her daughter in law (not her son's wife), and I got her to the lift, lifted and onto her potty chair, then to her room and from there, I got her to bed.
I had unfinished work to do, so I got to bed at about 8 a.m.
Here is a little run down of what we have to do to get her to bed:
You have to put a sling on her and hook her up to a lift (and there used to be no lift and I am SO THANKFUL for it!!) from her chair to her rolling potty chair and then transport. It is a long, tedious ordeal and the lift is big and heavy and even with wheels, hard to maneuver. I am getting weaker and weaker too.
Then clean her on the pot by jacking her up into the air and then to the bed, sit her on the side, balance her, pull away the lift and try to keep her from sliding off or falling, and then lay her back and push her up into the bed. THIS SHOULD BE A 2 PERSON JOB and I feel that it is DANGEROUS to both parties for one person to do alone. THEN she has to be rolled, diapered, and needs the oxygen. THEN the covers have to be just so-so, THEN the air conditioning has to be set at 60 (window unit), the ceiling fan has to be on and a box fan has to be on. She needs her feet elevated, one foot on a pillow so her heel does not touch the bed, her call button (that I want to break quite often, lol- at 3 a.m. sometimes...), tissues, & a cough drop. The bed gets set to vibrate her body for 30 minutes. Unless otherwise instructed, there can be no openings in the covers for the air to get in (BUT she will get too hot and need to be uncovered in a few hours). Unless she is too hot, IF THERE IS ANY DRAFT AT ALL under the covers, that hits her, she will call (takes her a little while to analyze it) and make you seal it. BUT WE MUST HAVE THE WIND OF A HURRICANE ALL UP IN THERE....
She is mentally sharp and she thinks WAY TOO MUCH and gets obsessive and will work herself into a FRENZY over little things.
She likes to have her head all the way covered too- this alone is difficult. It can't be too loose or too tight and she is really picky about how it is all done. I do my VERY BEST to make sure she is always really CLEAN and really comfy.
Then I put her dentures to soak and clean up. I set A's alarm as needed, based on the day and activity planned and put up signs if he needs to shower. Showering is a dreaded task for him and so is shaving these days. Or changing his pull up and ad. Or even getting up and going to the bathroom (lazy and REBELLIOUS like a child). He will sit right there and piss all over the place. Sometimes he won't wear a pull up and I forget to check because I have enough going on with M.
Then clean her on the pot by jacking her up into the air and then to the bed, sit her on the side, balance her, pull away the lift and try to keep her from sliding off or falling, and then lay her back and push her up into the bed. THIS SHOULD BE A 2 PERSON JOB and I feel that it is DANGEROUS to both parties for one person to do alone. THEN she has to be rolled, diapered, and needs the oxygen. THEN the covers have to be just so-so, THEN the air conditioning has to be set at 60 (window unit), the ceiling fan has to be on and a box fan has to be on. She needs her feet elevated, one foot on a pillow so her heel does not touch the bed, her call button (that I want to break quite often, lol- at 3 a.m. sometimes...), tissues, & a cough drop. The bed gets set to vibrate her body for 30 minutes. Unless otherwise instructed, there can be no openings in the covers for the air to get in (BUT she will get too hot and need to be uncovered in a few hours). Unless she is too hot, IF THERE IS ANY DRAFT AT ALL under the covers, that hits her, she will call (takes her a little while to analyze it) and make you seal it. BUT WE MUST HAVE THE WIND OF A HURRICANE ALL UP IN THERE....
She is mentally sharp and she thinks WAY TOO MUCH and gets obsessive and will work herself into a FRENZY over little things.
She likes to have her head all the way covered too- this alone is difficult. It can't be too loose or too tight and she is really picky about how it is all done. I do my VERY BEST to make sure she is always really CLEAN and really comfy.
Then I put her dentures to soak and clean up. I set A's alarm as needed, based on the day and activity planned and put up signs if he needs to shower. Showering is a dreaded task for him and so is shaving these days. Or changing his pull up and ad. Or even getting up and going to the bathroom (lazy and REBELLIOUS like a child). He will sit right there and piss all over the place. Sometimes he won't wear a pull up and I forget to check because I have enough going on with M.
Getting her up is all that in reverse. But you have to dress her in this process too and do her hair and put in her CLEANED teeth and all that stuff.
Throughout the day there are transfer to chairs and the lift to potty and to eat. I probably transfer her 6 times or more a day.
ANYWAY.... Her son got to see what a lot of that is all about and how hard it is on one person to do. I was glad because it is something no one realizes until the see it. He left before the bed ordeal, but even a snippet gave an idea.
There's so much more to this. SO MUCH MORE. But I am rum-dum today and have a Dr. appointment (a day off half gone because I am the on call person) soooo.....
I can't brain.
I has the dumb.
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