Friday August 22/2014

Got here a little late today.  Around 12:30 pm.  Had to run to the pharmacy for myself and pick up my prescriptions because they aren't open on the weekend.  Also posted the flyers for my seniors group, got the laundry ready for my homemaker and priced the produce for the seniors program so tomorrow I can put in the order.  I need to do other things and it helps keep my mind occupied on something else briefly.  Also met Susan to give her the money for the food she's cooking for my seniors too next week.  Got a lot of things done in the morning and played with the dogs too for a bit who are desperately missing my mom.  I keep catching Six sitting at the side of my mom's bed looking up at it searching for her. Ligia is sleeping under her bed all night, every night.  SoCute is lost without her and so is Bubba.  Poor things are lonely when I'm gone all day and they can't find Nanna.  Our good friend Ravinder is going in and out all the time to be with them and to feed them at night if I'm unable to make it on time.  Thank goodness for her.  I don't know what we would do without her.  She will also take over my seniors program next week as well for the most part.

I called earlier today around 10 am to speak to my mom's nurse but they said she was busy.  I heard nothing from Lilibeth during the night so I am pretty sure all went ok.  They know they can call any time.  When I got here her nurse was helping the lady in the next bed and my mom was in a lot of pain.  I reminded her she had some blood in her tummy and that was the cause of the pain but all she wants is for it to go away.  I asked her if she took her pills this morning and the nurse piped in and said yes.  Whew...  mornings aren't good with her and she hasn't done that until now. 

When the nurse was finished I asked her if she could have something for pain and she told me she already had her codeine.  I asked what time and she was talking about the morning one.  I told her she could have hydromorphone as breakthrough.  Seems she didn't know that!!!  Then she tried to put my mom on her other side and my mom fought against it.  It's really painful for my mom to lay on that side due to a serious curve in her spine.  Seems the nurse didn't know this information either.  When I told her she would just move  back and why, she said "oh, that's good to know, I didn't know that".  for crying out loud, didn't she read her chart at all???

So... so far today it's proving interesting again.  I wish she had of got a nurse she knows.  I'm actually pretty sure she's had this one before but she has an attitude like she couldn't care less.  I'm hoping this isn't going to be a long day with the nurse. 

I also asked the nurse if my mom's Dr had seen her yet and the reply I got was this: "I don't know, I don't know anything.  I don't get to know the Dr's here because in no time they are gone."   (Dr's here go on rotation, it's a learning hospital - albeit it's usually at the expense of the patients).  So, so much for asking that.

I actually made myself a sandwich to bring with me today.  Don't think I could eat any more yukky fries or overcooked chicken fingers from here any more. The hamburgers would probably kill someone if you threw it at them.   I'll go downstairs soon and try to get some vegetarian Asian noodles, they were good. 

On the way to the fridge I actually had the luck to run into one of the Dr's on her team.  He told me Peter was her Dr today but I've yet to see him.  He was kind enough to give me some information though.  Her blood tests came up ok this morning so no transfusions yet.  The tummy pain will be around for a few days at least and it just has to take care of itself.  Her bp is ok as well.  Pleasant young man, always helpful.  More than I can say for some of them.

 I had a complaint the other day when talking to Vicky.  Vicky When is her case manager.  She has been my mom's case manager pretty much every time she's been in here.  She's amazing at her job.  I was talking to her last night before she left because I was having some issues with her care and I was telling her that the majority of the Dr's in this place need a course on bedside manner.  They see an elderly person and it's almost like they are disposable.  I get a lot of "well you know, she's old"..   really?  And is this how you want someone to think of you when you're older and have a health issue?  It's like they think they are not productive parts of society any more so they should just let them go and not do anything really to save their lives.  This is bullshit.  As the owner/operator of a non-profit for seniors I can tell you I have 90 year olds that are actively involved in their community and families and such.  I wonder if this is how they feel about their grandparents?

Oddly enough she is having hallucinations again.  They had cleared up when the infection got under control.  She told me there was a pigeon walking around this morning.  Then she said it was in the livingroom.  I reminded her she was in the hospital.  So..  with that said, I'm not sure if it's an hallucination or a dream because about a month ago a damn pigeon flew into our apt and landed on the windowsill in our livingroom.  Dream about an event that happened... or hallucination?  She just woke up again and told me "I didn't put anything in there".  Not sure what the hell that was about but she pretty much repeated it word for word then fell back asleep.

Damn.. it is so noisy in here.  Enough to wake the dead.  She's near the nurses station and man they yak it up out there.  And it's not medical business either.  It's personal stuff, joking around, laughing very loudly, yelling across the place to each other.  I guess they don't know this is a hospital and should be a quiet zone.  I remember once when I was on cardiology I was near the nurses station, got very little sleep due to the noise and every time I got up and closed my door, I'd just get to seep and they would re-opened it.