October 30, 2006
Jeff mentioned my mom's situation to a friend of his family, who happens to be a nurse that works in the same organization as the hospital where Jeff works. She told Jeff about a doctor who might be good for my mom. This doctor specializes in geriatrics and she said that maybe we ought to give this doctor a try.
October 31, 2006
Jeff e-mailed the doctor that his family's friend had told him about, and explained my mom's situation. SHE called ME and also e-mailed Jeff back, and unfortunately I was sleeping so deeply that I didn't hear the phone ring, so she left a message. But SHE called ME? The DOCTOR HERSELF called ME!!! Can you believe that? She even told Jeff in her email to him that she reviewed my mom's charts. Since she works in a different branch than my mom's PCP, the only charts she could review were my mom's endocrinologist and her ear, nose, and throat doctor's charts. So I gave her a call back and left my home and cell numbers, as I was gong to go see my mom.
THEN there was a stupid mix-up with the stupid people who work with my mom's stupid doctor so I had to call back the next day. His first name is the same as the new doctor's last name. I guess when I called, they called her current PCP thinking I was returning a call from him. I got home and had a message on my answering machine from my mom's PCP's nurse saying that her doctor did not call me but if I needed to get in touch with him to please call. Idiots.
Since this new doctor called me directly, I think they called over to my mom's current doctor and didn't realize that I wasn't calling for my mom, I was the NEW calling for ME to DISCUSS my mom. UGH. Same thing pretty much happened the next day until I was able to get through to my mom's doctor what was going on when they AGAIN called me and told me that the doctor was not trying to get in touch with me. His nurse said she'd call the potential doctor back and let them know what was going on, and I called them back as well. I finally got to talk to the potential doctor and she was really awesome. I mean first of all, for a doctor to talk to a potential patient's daughter? And then she starts asking me if my mom had tried a bunch of different things that her PCP has never mentioned. I was so excited to see her…she had so many good ideas! I SO wanted her to be my mom's new doctor!
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
When my dad and I went in to see my mom, she was in agony. One of the nurses came in and gave her a pill, but after close to an hour or so it wasn't kicking in…not even a little. The nurse asked my mom if she wanted to go to the ER and my mom said yes. I tried to convince her otherwise because it would just be for pain management, and then my mom would just be brought back again. I told the nurse that my mom was supposed to get this pain med every 3 hours. The nurse went and looked at my mom's chart and saw that the doctor hadn't approved this yet so she gave him a call. The order was put THE DAY BEFORE and it hadn't been approved yet? It finally was sometime that night, but what good would that do? So this is why she was hurting so much. She was supposed to be getting the med around the clock and she wasn't because the doctor never approved the order.
So she was taken to the ER and had to wait a bit for something for her pain. In the meantime, an x-ray tech came in to take a back x-ray, but because my mom had not had any pain meds yet, he said he'd come back and so the x-ray after she got something for the pain. About 5 minutes after being given some morphine, the stupid-ass x-ray tech came back in. I told him that she'd only gotten her morphine 5 minutes prior and it hadn't kicked in yet, and he said it was doctor's orders. Why didn't I try harder? It sounded like he was torturing her in there. Why didn't I kick in him the ass when he came out? Why was I nice instead? So after the x-ray and blood test results came back, the doctor said everything came back the same, and he gave her yet another prescription, called Neurontin, which is for controlling nerve pain. Now she has a nice hefty list of meds to take:
Actonace, to prevent, slow, and treat bone loss
Lasix, which rids the body of excess water and lowers blood pressure
Norco, which relieves mild to moderate pain
Neurontin, to control nerve pain
Protonix, to decrease stomach acid
Sensipar, to reduce parathyroid hormones and calcium levels
Vicodin, (as needed) to relieve mild to moderate pain.
A walking pharmacy she is.
Friday, November 3, 2006
My mom was doing well on Friday. Now that she was getting her pain med regularly, she had just slight pain. I called her insurance company to see if we could change primary care physicians. We were able to do so, but the down side is that it won't take effect until DECEMBER FIRST!!! What a letdown. I mean this is great, but at the same time, what a letdown.
My dad also called and said that he got a call from the doctor's office to remind my mom that she had an appointment on Tuesday. Uh-oh. With all that was going on, we forgot that my mom had a bone density test, which was to be done a week before she saw her endocrinologist, who we had to wait to months to see (she FINALLY sees him on the 14th).
Saturday, November 4, 2006
My dad and I went to see my mom and she wasn't doing too well. She wasn't as bad as usual, but for some reason the meds just weren't kicking in as much. Right when we got there, the nurse was giving her one, and said he would give her another one in 2 hours. We stayed until she started feeling better. She also got a new roommate; I think her old one left on Thursday. But the day was pretty much okay.
Monday, November 6, 2006
So I called the center on Monday to find out how it works if my mom has an appointment outside the facility. The person I talked to said he didn't see an appointment scheduled. I told him that the appt. was scheduled WAY before she was hospitalized. In the meantime, I wanted to find out if the appt. (and some lab tests) was necessary, so I called her endo. He was on his last day of vacation, so his secretary was to call me back the next day. The guy I had called at the facility called her PCP to find out. He did not hear from the PCP so he called over again and of course still heard nothing.
Election Day! Did ya'll vote?
Guess what? My mom's doctor called and okay'd my mom's leaving the facility for appointments? WROOOOOOOOOONG!!! The male nurse or whatever he is that I'm working (who has been awesome to work with by the way) faxed him TWO MORE TIMES today and heard NOTHING. If he's like…on vacation or something, shouldn't someone be on call for him? So if I hear nothing by Thurs, I'm taking her to get her labs done anyway, and esp. to her endo. on the 14th, b/c she HAS to see him after waiting two months. Even though she is taking the Sensipar (see above), I want to get his opinion on that. Oh, speaking of that, the endo's nurse DID call, said it was okay if my mom didn't have the bone density test today, but that the endo really waned her to get the labs done. I am just worried about my mom's ability to sit up for a considerable period of time…she can barely get up for long periods of time, but this has to be done.
I am also SERIOUSLY considering calling my mom's insurance company and BEGGING them to move up the time that my mom's new doctor takes over. This is such BULLSHIT that he's been doing. And for him to say, "That's all I can do for her," and "there's nothing else I can do for her," and not getting back to us, while this other doctor spits out a plethora of ideas? She actually told me to bring these up with him but when would he put them in place? I don't trust him. And as far as the parathyroid removal…I think I mentioned that a few entries ago…how her ENT pretty much said the risks outweighed the benefits and her calcium levels weren't high enough to warrant it, and it was charted as us rejecting the surgery. This new doctor said she could get us a second opinion and it would be covered. I don't know what to do in terms of having it removed now. I hate putting my mom through all of this agony until December, but I HAVE NO FAITH in this guy…look at how long and how little he's done???
My poor mom seemed so depressed today though. I am still trying to get her an easy to use cell phone and a cheap plan so I can call her. I know she is lonely and feels like she will never be able to be self-sufficient again. It will be three weeks tomorrow (Wed. the 8th) since she hasn't been home. One of her doctors keeps hinting about her going home, asking her if she has someone to take care of her at home. WTF? Aren't you supposed to be BETTER when you leave a REHABILITATION CENTER??? I just don't get it. I still need to talk to her physical therapist. There's a lot I still need to do, or that I should have done already really. I just don't do enough. She is the most important person to me; why don't I ever do enough for her? I just hate seeing that sad, defeated look on her face.
Okay I should stop now. G'day all. Oh, if you live in the USA…I have voted. Have you? It looks like Arnie Will Be Back.
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