Jun 29, 2013
Update on Hip ster
Well, Contessa is doing good, walking in the hospital exercising. This hospital is very inefficient. She presses the call nurse buzzer and it takes an hour or more to see someone. Food comes sometimes, always the wrong food. Actually, I had lunch with her yesterday because they brought first the wrong plate, very spicy Indian food, and then someone elses plate – salmon on rice. So she got the salmon on rice and I did not have to go to MacDonalds. On Friday, her IV ran dry and she actually saw 2 small bubbles go down the tube and in to her vein. Very serious consequences. They call these the air bubbles of death because they can block blood flow and cause damage to pulmonary circulation. She had to attend to blocking the iv flow herself. This am she still doesn’t know if she is coming home because there is no one to talk to. She will have to get her walker and do the hallways to find a nurse.. They haven’t bathed her or washed her face or changed gowns or bedding. (2 1/2 days). I can give her better care here. Then she has to deal with moaning from her other room mate and all the other noises. Re drugs, they are only giving her half of what she had last time. They sent a counsellor to talk to her because she has over 2 glasses of wine a day and are worried she will go into shakes, Duh!!!!! They would rather give her more morphine. She told the counsellor to get lost and clubbed her with her crutches. (figure of speech). She told them that she would rather have a glass of wine or 2 then do the narcotics. This she has been doing this spring re the tremendous pain. There is a great drug that is good for pain but the body gets very constipated. Maybe that is a good thing? What about the other side effects – have you ever read technical specs on drugs re all the side effects you can have. Very scary – wonder why they have to cover their backside so much. Her present assistant nurse is a big strapping lady who said to her when she went to the bathroom for the first time and had a hard time lifting her new hip leg back in to the bed. The lady said FIGURE IT OUT and walked away. Her ice packs on her new hip area were water last night and she hadn’t seen anyone for 2 hours so I took the bag to the lunchroom and did the ice myself. Contessa, being a retired registered nurse finds this whole exercise horrible but, She has the hip ; this is aggravating but gives her something to think about. Hope to fetch her today. No picture to follow, forgot to take camera.
C
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That’s absolutely horrible Colin – it sounds like poor Contessa is in “hospital hell.” I think a heads up to the hospital administration is in order!
Sounds like a scary hospital to me.my experience at the Surrey Memorial was just as bad.I had a mastectomy in May and when we checked into admission that morning I was asked if I wanted a private room ,semi private, or a ward.seeing we have two insurance company’s we chose a private room.while I was in recovery my husband was given my room number and when he went up there ,to his shock he discovered it was an 8 bed ward.with much anger he was finally given a number to a private room.The nurse only came in every 2hrs to check my blood pressure.I was not given any water, food or taken to the bathroom, or given an ice pack for tha matter.Thank goodness my husband was there as he was basically my care provider. Our health care system is definitely broken, patient care is almost non existent yet our premiums keep going up.?.. Someone is getting a lot of money.
Based on her attitude, she must be recovering well 🙂 Social medicine? As for drugs, 20 seconds of a 30 second commercial spot are dedicated to all the side effects. I agree, give me a couple glasses of wine. Back in the 1800s Americans drank an average of 82 “fifths” of hard liquor a year. A couple wines are good for you anyway. Tell her to get home soon and back to business.
Too bad she couldn’t have had it done in Bozeman. My nurses were so attentive I was getting annoyed because I didn’t have any down time! They were awesome. Not so on the first floor, where Stan was when he had his kidney infection. I had to chase people down to get answers-he was in the hospital a full day longer than needed because they forgot about him. Sounds like American medicine is as hit and miss as Canadian.
So sad and so typical of a canadian hospital…how well I remember…when I was in for my CC surgery my husband or daughters were there all the time…hence I received loving care…once shes home she will be happier and better looked after with you!!!!!
Cutbacks are given first to the education system and the health care system because they are not important????!!! Welcome to our Canadian government. Hopefully she will be home soon.
Terrible. I’m afraid our healthcare is heading in the same direction. Glad you are there for her.
Bleh. That’s terrible. Can she come home instead of getting hospital no-care?
!!!!!!!!!!
WOW get her home Colin Quick.
As a side note, we visited a friend who had some knee surgery in Monterrey, Mexico last week. Top drawer. In the 45 minutes we were there, on a Sunday, nurses came in four times and the doctor visited once. Of all the Canadians we know, its 50/50.
Juan had his knee surgery here in Monterrey six weeks ago, social medicine, top notch hospital, in and out same day, treated like royalty, 15 sessions of rehab in a brand new clinic, completely recovered. Maybe it’s hit and miss.
At least she is doing well,
but think she needs to be home soon.