Teal

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Teal
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Health & Fitness > Never Home Free
 

Never Home Free


Once Ed got home from his 2nd hospitalization, he stopped eating and drinking, was constantly nauseated, and coughing constantly. The doctor for the hospital told us he didn’t need rehab at a facility, since he was doing so well and eating up a storm. They had taken him off an antibiotic he had been on, hadn’t finished the whole course, because they said they had tested him and there was no infection. Well, they were wrong. At home he not only refused food due to nausea, but started running a recurring fever, around 101.4

I wrote a lsit of my concerns and tried to hand-deliver it to the doctor. That was Thursday. (You can’t get him on the phone.) The clerk at the facility where he has office hours (Specialists in Health Care) wouldn’t take the envelope, said I’d have to talk with a nurse who would have questions, so I sat down to wait for a nurse to see me. An hour later, I suggested to the clerk that it would be a blessing if she could speed up the process, since I hadn’t slept more than three hours in the last 48, and still had to drive a half an hour to get home. She said “Well, you know, they are very busy,” and I said, “I have to leave.” And, yes, I had to keep slapping my face all the way home so I wouldn't nod off at the wheel.

My visit, however, did spark a cover your ass follow-up and his office called and an appointment was made for Friday at noon. Solveiga drove us. It was good they had taken him off oxygen at the hospital, which made everything easier. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic, trusting us that something was seriously wrong. But he was not in favor of a rehab facility saying going there would be risky too, since Ed could get a further infection. The visiting staff from the outfit providing it, was put back into place. Our lawyer came today with papers we needed to deal with, and Ed was up and at the table and alert for that. Meanwhile, he suffers from the fear of abandonment and misinterpreted my talk with the doctor that I was finding it difficult to handle things without sleep and that’s why I hoped he could recover in a rehab until he was stronger.

I am still handling middle of the night requests for help, but if nothing is going on that is life-threatening, I can deal with these. On the nights that involved going to the hospital, I didn’t get any sleep until the following night.

xx, Teal

posted on May 3, 2018 12:40 PM ()

Comments:

drmaus has made excellent suggestions. I know it is hard to ask for help, but you have to stay strong for Ed. Try to understand his issues about being abandoned because he has seen it so often in the Guardian work he has been doing. Being old and ill sucks bigtime!
comment by elderjane on May 4, 2018 3:08 AM ()
I can't not be involved. If he is going to the hospital in the middle of the night, I go too, no question. But I do have Sol and she has been staying overnight this past week. It's possible a bed sore is the root of the infection the hospital couldn't identify. We had a 2:30 today with our internist and he referred us to a doctor to help with that but we can't call him till Monday. The visit took all afternoon (doctor runs late). We didn't get home till 5:30. We were all worn out. But Ed is improving on the antibiotic.
reply by tealstar on May 4, 2018 8:34 PM ()
Two suggestions, ok actually 3. Start asking your friends for much more help, whether it's for dinner or errands or anything at all. Ask your nurse friend to look for a nursing aide who could be hired for overnight duty occasionally. And try very hard to lean on other people so your strength is conserved.
comment by drmaus on May 3, 2018 5:03 PM ()
Sol has been staying with us this past several days. She makes sure he takes his meds, checks BP, blood sugar, keeps a log. Helps him in and out of bed, bullies him into doing some exercises. She's a treasure. Interesting how good deeds can sometimes pay off even when you aren't looking for payback. We tutored her these past several years so she could get her nursing degree and she feels like family now.
reply by tealstar on May 4, 2018 8:18 PM ()
What a mess. It makes me tired to read it. I hope Ed gets better soon - or it's going to kill you.
comment by traveltales on May 3, 2018 4:19 PM ()
The new antibiotic the doctor prescribed is helping a lot. Ed is hanging in, feels encouraged (which is so key to getting well). I had a nap today.
reply by tealstar on May 4, 2018 8:14 PM ()

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