Re: Hospital story/OTHER EXPERIENCES -DEPENDANCE,ECT.

May 10, 2002

DEBORAH,

FIRST - I HOPE U STAY MOBILE. SECONDLY, I HOPE ROBERT GETS THE JOB HE

WANTS.

THE KIND OF CRAP YOU WROTE ABOUT BELOW HAPPENS. I CAN'T WRITE HERE HOW

IT MAKES ME FEELS. I GO THRU THIS ALL THE TIMES WITH THE AIDES THAT I

FIRE. I HAVE EVEN CALLED THE STATE. I VIEW CARE AS NOT DEMANDING , BUT

DOING IT CORRECTLY. WHEN A DOCTOR MAKES A MISTAKE THE LAWYERS THRIVE ON

IT, BUT A AIDE OR A RN THEN THEY ARE EXCUSED. I THINK THAT IS TOTALLY

WRONG! I AM TIRED OF (SOME NOT ALL) AIDES THINKING THEY ARE REGISTERED

NURSES OR PHYSICIANS. I HAVE AIDES (WHO DO THE JOB CORRECTLY) COME IN

WITH ME TO THE PHYSICIANS EXAM ROOM WITH ME, SO THEY CAN ASK 1 OR 2

SHORT QUESTIONS ABOUT ME NOT THEMSELVES (YES I HAVE HAD THAT HAPPEN!)

PRESENTLY, 2 AIDES ALTERNATE DAYS FOR MY CARE, AND ABSENTEEISM IS

ALMOST NULL! THEY CAN DO DOCTOR APPTS. ON THEIR OFF DAYS AND STILL BE

WITH THEIR LITTLE ONES TOO.

I HAVE HAD AN AIDE ASK ME IF SHE COULD WATCH 'HER STORIES' WHILE DOING A

BED BATH ON ME IN THE HOSPITAL. I SAID NO, NOT DURING BATHING BUT DURING

CHANGING THE BED, ECT. FINE. NOT DURING DIRECT CARE. I DON'T MIND 5

MINS. , BIT I HATE SOAP OPERAS!

I MAKE IT A POINT TO GET THE AIDES NAMES AND TRY FOR ALL THE RN'S (BUT

SOMETIMES CAN'T) NOTE WHAT THEY DID WELL. YES, I DO NOTE PHYSICIANS

ALSO, BUT THERE ARE TOO MANY AND I CAN'T REMEMBER ALL THEIR NAMES THIS

LAST TIME I WAS AT THE HOSPITAL IN JANUARY. I THEN CALL THE OBUSMAN

OFFICE WHEN I GET HOME AND TELL THEM MY COMPLIMENTS AND COMPLAINTS.

ALSO, THE RESIDENTS KNOWLEDGE AND BEDSIDE MANNERS HAS IMPROVED

DRAMATICALLY. THE PHYSICIANS WERE ALWAYS TOP NOTCH AT BOTH HOSPITALS

WHERE I LIVE. THE FELLOWS ARE VERY METICULOUS WITH PATIENT CARE. THE

HOSPITAL FLOOR ASSIGNED RN'S THAT I HAVE ARE GENERALLY EXCELLENT. THE

SECRETARIES THAT RESPOND TO THE PATIENT'S RINGING OF THE BELL NEEDS

IMPROVEMENT IN TIME RESPONSE WHEN REQUESTING A AIDE TO GO TO THE

PATIENTS ROOM DURING A TIME WHEN PATIENTS ARE NOT RINGING ALL AT ONCE:)

OVERALL, THE FLOOR RN'S ARE GREAT. I REQUEST A RN TO ADMINSTER MEDS

BECAUSE SHE/HE GENERALLY HAS A BETTER BACKGROUND IN THE MEDS I TAKE. I

DON'T ACCEPT THE 30 MINS. WINDOW OF ADMINISTERING MY PARKIE OR BP/HR

MEDS.

THE SINEMET-- EVEN IF U BRING UR OWN AND GIVE THEM TO URSELF, THE RN IS

SUPPOSE TO MAKE SURE U GET UR MEDS. THAT IS WHY U WILL SEE ON UR BILL A

CHARGE FOR SELF ADMINISTERING DRUGS ( CHEAP COST).

AS FOR THE CHECKING ON ME. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A BREAK, BUT I

UNDERSTAND IT IS FOR MY OWN HEALTH. HOWEVER, WE ARE TAKING A 2 DAY TRIP

TO TORONTO AND THE HOTEL IS CONNECTED TO THE MALL AND IT HAS A

EXERCISE ROOM. I TELL THE DESK AND THEY USUALLY KEEP AN EYE FOR ME. THEY

KNOW WHERE MY HUSBAND IN THE HOTEL. NO BIG ISSUE. GOOD BACK UP.

IF I AM 'OFF' THERE IS NO WAY THEY CAN TAKE MY TEMP OR BP. MY JAW

CLENCHES OR TREMORS AS DOES THE REST OF MY BODY.

NANCY M.

Deborah Setzer wrote:

>

> Belinda,

>

> Hang in there. It is not fun being so darn dependent on everyone. Every

> time I tell I will be just fine if he leaves for a little while,

> something always happens. It did while in the hospital.

>

> had had a very long week worrying about me in the hospital so I

> told him it would be fine for him to go home and get a good nights rest. He

> did, at least for a while.

>

> I had to get to get the times for what happened off of my chart

> because they were elusive to me. About 10 PM, the aid came in to take my bp

> and temp. I was asleep and they woke me. Problem is that I woke having a

> freezing spell. I could not move, talk or open my eyes but I heard

> everything that was being said. They asked me about what was wrong, told me

> that they had to take my vitals and then asked if I wanted them to call my

> husband. I could not respond. They left the room.

>

> About 15 minutes later, I heard 2 voices in the room. They were back with

> their bp and temp thingy. Again, I still could not respond. They talked to

> me and then pulled my arm out from under the covers and shoved the

> thermometer in my mouth. Did their thing and then left the room. My arm

> was frozen in the position that they had left it in. I had forgotten to

> take my Sinemet at 8 pm and think that I may have also forgotten to take it

> at 4 pm.

>

> I was getting very uncomfortable at this point. I tried and tried to move

> to no avail. I did work up to being able to use my voice a little and

> started calling out to them. They did not come. Somehow, I managed to get

> two fingers on my left hand to work and pulled my body on its side and

> somehow got my legs off of the side of the bed so that I could stay in that

> position to try to open the drawer next to the bed which held my

> short-acting Sinemet and get close to the phone.

>

> My grasp for the phone was unsuccessful and it fell to the floor. Still I

> cried out, my voice getting a little stronger by now but no one came. I

> clawed at the drawer for what seemed to be an eternity. I guess over an

> hour had passed before I got the drawer open. When I tried to get my

> Sinemet, it too fell to the floor. Somehow, I knew I had to get to the

> pills and the phone. I managed to maneuver my non-compliant body over the

> edge of the bed and fell to the floor. I took the phone and tried calling

> 911 (which could not be done at this hospital). I continued to cry out for

> help. I even yelled fire. No one came.

>

> With only 2 fingers working, I pulled the phone under my head and called

> my husband who realized that I was indeed in trouble. He says that the call

> to him came around Midnight. He did not get to the hospital until 1:20 AM

> where he found me on the floor, covers wrapped around my ankles and pills

> scattered all around me. I had managed to get the bottle open using my chin

> and had to lick 2 pills up off the floor to get them into my mouth.

>

> The horror of it all was that somewhere between my reaching and his

> arrival, the nurses did indeed hear my cry's. I could hear them laughing

> and saying " Now she wants us...ha ha ha. "

>

> They never once responded to me, nor did they come to the room to check on

> me. They were having a grand time telling everyone what a non-compliant,

> b**** of a patient that I was.

>

> got there and saw me on the floor with the pills all me. He yelled

> for the nurses who came in the room. says that they were more

> interested in covering my bare ass than they were in getting me back into

> bed. I was dehydrated by that time and terrified. I can understand

> ignorance but cruelty is a different story.

>

> The charge nurse came in the next morning and a full report was filed. I

> never saw the nurse who did this to me again and hope that she lost her job.

>

> Moral to the story. If you go into the hospital, make sure that they know

> that if the person with the disease does not respond, it is because of the

> disease, not because they are being difficult. I wound up with bruises on

> my elbow from the fall and yet another nightmare experience to tell of

> hospitalizations.

>

> After talking to my PCP the next morning. Orders on my chart were changed

> where I had to be checked on at least every 2 hours and exactly what I was

> doing when they checked on me documented. 2 am, lying on left side, 4 am,

> lying on right side, etc. I received very good care before and after this

> incident. But folks, it only takes one ignorant person to mess everything

> up and leave you in harms way.

>

> Deborah aka Tenacity

>

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May 10, 2002