Visiting The ER

 I stayed home all day and did endless loads of bed linen. But, the bed is made and I didn't have to drive to Gainesville. 

And that is all I did today besides waiting on The Patient and trying to get him to eat. He ate chicken pot pie tonight. Not all of his portion, but enough for me to get his pills in him. The antibiotics will cause nausea if you take them on an empty stomach. He asked for a burrito for breakfast. One bite and then a couple bites of plain toast. I have offered everything I can think of and he says nothing sounds good.

Waiting in the ER yesterday reminded me why I quit. Burn-out after dealing with humanity, and this before Covid was even a thought. People watching is usually fun, but all I could think about was the germy atmosphere and watch I might be exposing The Patient to. Not to mention me. If I got sick now, I honestly have no idea how I would manage.

After the incident with the drainage bag yesterday, I admonished The Patient and told him that he needed to participate in his own care and not expect me to have to solve every issue. Had he been a bit more protective of the bag ...... water under the bridge.

There was a very angry woman in a wheelchair. Looked like she had been there for awhile and I carefully avoided eye contact. At first she was sitting in the wheelchair with her feet in a chair and covered in a blanket, head and all. She seem to become aware of new people and I watched as she surveyed the room looking for someone to complain to. She landed on a young woman and began to regale her with her woes. 

She stated that she had already been there for 3 hours and it was going to be another 4 before she would be seen. Then she pointed to her inner arm and started crying that they had to "get it out"! She said she was getting mad and she wanted "it" out. I looked as she was gesturing and it looked like an IV set up all taped up.

Twice she marched up to the desk and demanded that they "get it out". They simply told her to sit and wait her turn. She snarled at them, but they simply looked back at her. Then there was the round fat lady who seemed to be coughing her lungs up, and she was just a visitor.


This sign was in the first ER we visited at the beginning of this adventure. I found the sign to be amusing. Remind your healthcare providers to clean their hands before caring for you. What if you are unconscious?


This was my view from the hospital room. The sun was rising after another sleepless night. As beautiful as it was, I was so tired I didn't fully appreciate it.

Comments

  1. Yes, so many different folks in the ER. I didn't think I had to remind my doctor to clean their hands, shouldn't they know that, especially now? :/ Let alone like you said what if I was unconscios. Perhaps time to leave a note in my wallet with emergency contacts and a reminder to clean your hands before you touch me (if I am alive that is!)

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    1. In the field it would be "gloves before yo touch me!"

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  2. I know, you would expect doctors to have a healthy habit of washing their hands after every patient. Especially since the pandemic. I once worked with a doctor I followed all day long, even standing outside the doctors' bathroom to listen for the water running that would indicate a hand washing. Didn't happen. I reported him to his superior and told all the other nurses to never let him touch me if I came in needing care! That was in the 80's. I might be guilty of handling my dogs and then eating a meal, but my dogs are quite clean!

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  3. Can't be good when you have to remind doctors to wash their hands, it should be second nature to them after all their training.

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    1. I think the handwashing habit goes all the way to childhood and whether or not your mom was a stickler for handwashing. Mine wasn't. Her theory was that a little dirt wouldn't kill you and it would make you stronger. She died before Covid, so she never knew the error of her ways.

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  4. Re the lack of appetite and nothing sounding good; after my husband's surgery he was on antibiotics and pain meds. He would not eat, saying everything tasted weird and salty. He lost 14 pounds in 2 weeks. I found he could stomach Muscle Milk protein powder and milk and I would throw in a handful of blueberries. Better tasting than Ensure or Boost. Whatever you make (bone broth perhaps?) absolutely no seasoning of any kind. It's the meds. Once he was off the antibiotics and pain pills his taste buds slowly (very slowly) returned to normal.

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    1. After his heart attack and the introduction of blood thinners to his daily routine. The blood thinners make food tasteless. The nurse in re-hab suggested zinc. After about a week of zinc twice daily, he could taste again. He was in the hospital for 8 days and took no zinc, then he was so nauseous for the next few days I eliminated all his vitamens and supplements. He is back on his normal routine of daily meds and should start to taste soon. We have 3 more days of antibiotics and he should be tasting things by about then. He doesn't mind the taste of the Ensure.

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  5. I can't imagine what you and HeWho have been through. Hope it gets better day by day

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  6. You went from they wonder if his appendix burst to now the healing can begin. or a tangled intestine. They did nothing or tests showed nothing? And next he was being discharged? Sent him home before he could keep food down? Well, I'm glad things are finally improving.

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    1. They did x-rays and scans and his digestive tract is open and functioning. His reluctance to be mobile is his worst enemy. Had he gotten up and walked around like the surgeons told him ...... His wife told him, too.

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