Topic: AWOL

[Dragonfire]

I missed the surgeon again.  I seem to be jinxed where that is concerned.  Anyway, he is still talking about wanting to to the gallbladder surgery Monday or Tuesday, if the bloating goes down. 
She was doing better today.  She was able to get up and down better and was walking better.  She does wear out kind of easy...but that's to be expected since she hasn't walked much or ate since Tuesday.
She got jello and broth today..and lemon ice.  Some sort of frozen thing that she said seemed like sherbert.  She didn't get sick and her appetite is starting to come back.

The surgeon will be back in to see her tomorrow. 

[Achim]

It's good to see that things seem to improve. Thanks for the updates, wishing her a speedy recovery!

[Dragonfire]

I'm getting ready to go up.  Step dad is there...been there since kind of early.  She had kind of a rough night.  They gave her a sleeping pill and nerve pill last night and she tried to sleep walk and fell out of bed.  After that, they wouldn't let her walk to the bathroom and that upset her.  She called at like 6:30 to tell us and step dad got ready and went up then. 
Just talked to him, she's doing better now.  The doctors have been in.  No more sleeping pills and the surgery will be tomorrow.  The bloating has gone way down.
So hopefully she'll be able to come home Tuesday or Wednesday.

[Dragonfire]

Surgery will be sometime tomorrow afternoon, though not sure when yet.  She was doing really well all day.  Still on the liquid diet.  For the last two days during the day, she has has one of the nicest nurses I've ever encountered.  Unfortunately, that hasn't been happening at night.  After last night, she was more anxious as it got closer to shift change.  The nurse assigned was really nice and didn't have a problem with her being able to walk to the bathroom.  I left a little before my stepdad tonight and after I left, they found out her nurse has to go home because they are over staffed.  One nurse for several paitents as it is, and they are over staffed.  So who knows who is supposed to take care of her now.    I'm about to the point of staying up there at night and into the afternoon till stepdad gets there, then come home for a nap..and go back up.  One of the doctors, I forgot to ask which one, said that while this surgery is usually done as outpaitent, hers isn't because of how sick she got with the pancreatitis.  They want to make sure everything is going well before she goes home.  Which I can see that as a good thing..making sure no complications so she doesn't have to go back up, but with how rough the nights have been for her...  Just really hoping right now that she starts recovering really quick so she can get out of there.

I've also freaked myself out a bit.  I read up on the sleeping pill they gave her last night and there is no way she should have had that with the other medicine she is taking.  They gave her ambien.  I had a bad feeling at the time, but I didn't speak up.  I regret that now.  I didn't know a lot about it, but I knew it had some issues.  My mom did question it a bit, but ended up taking it.  The nurse said it was mild and only 10 milligrams....which according to what I just read, is the maximum dose anyone should take.  And it shouldn't be taken with anything else that can cause drowniess...and it was.  I'm getting more pissed off about this now. 

Her doctor today told her to add that to the medicine that she is allergic too..and they have it in the chart she isn't to get it again.

[Kathy]

All drugs have side effects even ones you can buy without a prescription. For example, Tylenol causes hundreds of thousands of adverse reactions and hundreds of deaths each year.

Every drug is scary if you research it. But, your mom has the right to refuse any medication or treatment she does not want to take or do. No one - not nurses, doctors, surgeons - NO ONE - can force a treatment on someone.

Informed consent is a basic right and legally binding and to violate that can result in severe consequences up to and including the loss of their right to practice.

[Dragonfire]

I know..she did question it a little and then took it.  And I know all medicine can cause some issues.  It just seems like there are way to many warnings about not taking ambien that fit her situation.  The other medicine she had that was already making her sleep a bit and to give her the max dosage.

But she won't get that anymore.

I've talked to her this morning..getting ready to go up.  She had a better night thankfully.  Though she's been awake for a few hours now and not able to go back to sleep.  Still don't know what time the surgery is..the surgeon was in before 7:30. 

Just hoping it all goes well and she doesn't get sick after surgery like she has before.  She doesn't need to be throwing up after surgery.

[Dragonfire]

Surgery is done now thank goodness.  The day was hell though.
Was ok at first.  She finally got told the surgery would be between noon and 3.  I got there about 9.   Within an hour of my being there, she noticed that her arm was swelling up..the arm with the iv and the one that is all bruised from the people drawing blood during the first few days.  She can't have blood taken or ivs in her right arm. 
Her doctor was in after that - I was finally there when he was in - and he said that iv had to come out.  He said something about getting a new one started in surgery or something like that.  Two or three people tried to start a new one last night and couldn't.  The swelling kept getting worse.  The nurse - she was pretty nice today too thankfully - was going to try to start a new iv, but once she looked closer at her arm, she didn't.  The nurse started checking with others - the doctors and stuff - and it was decided to put in a picc line - think that is what it is called.  They have people that have been specially trained just to put those in and them came right down after the decision was made.  Evidently that was right around the time that they were ready for her in surgery...and it turns out they took someone else.  That upset my mom when she heard..she was stressed anyway from stuff with her arm and having to wait so long to begin with.  That was around 4.  They finally took her down at like 6.

The surgeon said the surgery went fine.  We have pictures and there were clearly several more gallstones, 2 or 3 of which were rather big. 
She was in pain when she got back to her room, but that got better once they got the pain medicine hooked up again.  She got out of bed and sat in the chair for a bit and walked some.  She's had ice, ice water, and broth already.  They gave her something to try to prevent her getting sick like has happened before.  When we left, she had been out of surgery for close to 4 hours, and no signs of being sick or any nausea.  It was only a few hours after surgery the last times when she started getting sick.  So I'm really hoping that doesn't happen this time.  She doesn't need that.

I'm just so relieved the surgery part is over.  I haven't dealt well with her having surgery in the past..was doing ok for a while today, but after everything kept happening and when she got upset again at one point, I sort of had a little breakdown.  The stress has been building for me since this started.  It also didn't help that was talking to a friend at one point - when the picc line was being done - and he choose then to dump some other crap on me...and he knew what was going on with my mom.  I do feel calmer now and not as anxious.  But I probably won't be fully calm until she's out of the hospital.

I'm rambling a bit now.  Sorry about that.  I'm going to go watch Craig Fergurson or something and maybe have a little snack.

[Kathy]

I'm glad to hear your mom finally had the surgery done. It would have been awful to have to go home and come back.

Its amazing how hard it is on the family isn't it Marie? I hope you are taking care of yourself too.

Do  you know how many days she will be hospitalized?

[Dragonfire]

The doctors said before that they wanted to make sure everything was ok before they let her out...said probably 2 or 3 days after surgery.  I guess the one really nice nurse said on Sunday she was thinking maybe Thursday.  But nothing definite right now.

She just called me.  Something happened over the night, though I don't know what.  I'm getting ready to go up now.  I think another nurse got mean with her or something.

[Dragonfire]

I'm home just for a little while to take a nap and then I'm going back up and staying tonight.  This crap has to stop.

Sometime last night, she used the call button because she had to go to the bathroom.  She ended up using the button like 4 times...and she had to wait an hour and a half before someone came.  And then the little snot got nasty with my mom.  Said she wasn't the only paitent she had and couldn't spend all her time in my mom's room.  After that, my mom had trouble even being able to go to the bathroom.  She finally started being able to go again around 1 this afternoon.

The nurse today was told and she sent in the charge nurse and then the nursing manager for the floor came in.  She took all kinds of notes about everything that has happened and says she is talking to the night staff.  But my stepdad and I talked about it and we are not leaving her alone there again after all the shit that has happened..especially at night. 

She is bloated again today. The surgeon said he expected that since she was so sick to begin with.  So that has to calm down again now.  She's back to mostly just ice chips, though he did say she could have popscicles.  So still really no idea when she can go home.

[Antares]

My God Marie, what is the name of this hospital and where is it located, so I can hopefully avoid it?

[Dragonfire]

Good Samaritan in Zanesville Ohio...part of Genesis.  My mom has already said she will never go back there if she ever does have to go to the hospital for anything else.


I'm getting ready to go back up.  I may be uncomfy and get more tired, but they are not getting the chance to do anything like that to her again.

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Sometime last night, she used the call button because she had to go to the bathroom.  She ended up using the button like 4 times...and she had to wait an hour and a half before someone came.  And then the little snot got nasty with my mom.  Said she wasn't the only paitent she had and couldn't spend all her time in my mom's room.  After that, my mom had trouble even being able to go to the bathroom.  She finally started being able to go again around 1 this afternoon.

The nurse today was told and she sent in the charge nurse and then the nursing manager for the floor came in.  She took all kinds of notes about everything that has happened and says she is talking to the night staff.  But my stepdad and I talked about it and we are not leaving her alone there again after all the shit that has happened..especially at night.

There's a good old American tradition for hospitals like this: Sue them!

[Kathy]

I would also get the names of the individuals and their exact job title. Many of the staff are not just doctors or nurses but aides or assistants. Be sure and spell their names correctly.

First I would notify the hospital administration. Keep careful documentation of the people that caused the problems, what those problems were and who you reported them to.

It is important that administration be notified because they have cut staffing to unsafe levels and helped to contribute to the situation.

Then, I would contact the State Licensing Board. The one in my state for example is: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/.

The things that your mother has gone through is not only ethically wrong but is in direct violation of the standards that govern these professions. Violations need to be reported so that this behavior is stopped immediately.

Don't feel bad about reporting not only the staff but the administration or anyone else that contributed to or did not correct his unacceptable situation. Reporting them and getting things changed might very well save a life in the future.

Finally, I would contact the local news and report exactly what happened.

[hal9g]

Unbelievable.

I think Kathy has given you a great outline o what should be done.

Whatever you do, don't just check her out and forget about it.  As Kathy said, this kind of negligence could cost a life next time.