Wednesday, January 28, 2009

One step back...

I'm a firm believer that things happen for a reason. Sometimes we don't understand why right off the bat, and sometimes I guess we never really understand, but nonetheless, that's pretty much how I roll with life. And so it was that my mom fainted last Friday while in her little kitchen making a grilled cheese sandwich. aawww. Apparently she hit the counter on her way down and came to with a bloody nose. She called Jeff who went over there right away and called her doctor who advised her to go to the ER. Bless his heart, he scooped her right up and away they went. By the time I got there they had done an x-ray and CT-scan of her head. Clearly her nose was broken. She looked like she had been in a bar room brawl. Maybe she had and the grilled cheese story was just a cover for her "other life".
While there it was discovered that her potassium level was quite low. Now, here's where the "things happen for a reason" comes in to play. This was Friday...she was scheduled to go to dialysis on Saturday. Her potassium level was so low that if she had gone, there is a HUGE possibility/probability that she would have become either very ill or had serious cardiac issues. So...she's admitted to the hospital for observation and to get her potassium level back to normal. Fine with me, just make her better. Now here's where the "deja vu" crap comes into play. I'm not sure who ordered the Lasix, but she's peeing like it's her job and all the swelling in her ankles and legs disappears! We're so happy. she's feeling like a million bucks, or at the least a buck-fifty and she tells me she hasn't felt this good in months. I'm over the moon with happiness. SO THEN.....the whack-a-doo nephrologist comes in Sunday morning and tells her he doesn't want her dry weight (after dialysis) to go below 60 kilos and then proceeds to tell her that she now weighs 63 kilos. She questions him, how is this possible when I'm peeing enough to replenish Lake Mead and the swelling has gone down completely? He tells her the fluid has shifted to her lungs and around her heart. Look...my mama is no fool. He leaves, she calls me and I ask her a few simple questions.....are you having difficulty breathing? NO. Are you experiencing any chest discomfort? No. So I tell her I'm on my way up there and in the meantime I want her to ring the little buzzer and tell the CHARGE NURSE that she wants to be reweighed. There is a scale built into the bed (aww, technology) and she knows that no one weighed her during the night because she was up peeing like a race horse. (I never understood what that really means) A slight argument ensues and that causes me to have to call her. She's reweighed and only weighs 57 kilos. Big difference between that and the 63 they claimed she weighed. Something like 12 pounds. So now I'm pissed...again...still. I have Scott call the charge nurse again and tell her to get on the horn to the nephrologist to inform him of this new information so he can cancel the dialysis. All the way to the hospital I'm livid and yelling at poor Scott about this stupid doctor. I mean, c'mon you don't have to have a medical degree or even a GED to figure out that the most simple thing he could have done was A. look at your patient. She's not in distress and with that kind of discrepancy in weight she should have been drowning. B. Simply order another weight. Ta-Da....easy, right? Apparently not.
Let's just say there was another Ruth vs. nursing station smack down and I was victorious.
Mom has since gone through two cardiac caths...the first one was unsuccessful and the one yesterday afternoon seemed to be ok. She is in ICU again for the time being and I just want her to be able to come home. I hate this. While I understand that it's no picnic for her, it's just so hard to sit here and know there's nothing I can do to make her feel better or take away the anxiety she must be feeling. More updates as I get them.

2 comments:

Amanda C. said...

oh man! I can't believe how the medical profession has gone down hill. (no offence) Where's the compassion?? no better yet.. where's the common sense? I'm not even in that profession and I could have weighed her right. Duh! I am happy that she is okay though. She must be in so much pain. Ouch!

buttercupbugs said...

Not again...She's lucky she has you watching out for her. I hear about horrible decisions made by doctors often, and it makes my blood boil! I see doctors make poor decisions all the time. I’ll have to tell you about when Mady was born, I swear Megan would have died if I had not started yelling at the doc and told him I was calling my attorney!! He left fast and another doctor (one that had some obstetrics experience) took over. I hope she improves and can go home soon. You’re an angle Ruth….I’ll keep you both in my thoughts and prayers. Xo/Judy