Today I set my alarm to get up early so I could take my Dad and my brother over to see Mom. Thank God she was moved finally to the private room closer to the nurses station. We have to suit up to visit. This is for Moms benefit. They do not want anyone to pass on any germs or for her to get any kind of infection. Just more for her to deal with.
I had to get back home before 5:00 pm because Kari had a guitar lesson. After her lesson I went back up by myself. When I came in the room mom did not look comfortable so I called a tech to come and help me move her. With having a bed wound you would think she would be turned more often. I told her tech I had seen her lay in the same position since she came in. And it was confirmed when I pulled the pillow out from under her leg. (they had one leg on top of each other with a pillow in between.) On the leg under neath it had pressure marks all up and down it. I said look at this... she can not lay with her legs like this. The tech apologized but that doesn't change anything. I will have to follow up on this and make sure she is moved myself. They think because she is on a Clinitron bed she doesn't have to be moved. Not true! She got this wound from being in ICU the last time she was in the hospital.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
The Last Couple Days...
Yesterday before going to the Continuous Care Unit at St. Johns I prayed that God would help me to control my temper. (That I would not have a psycho moment seems to always happen when Mom goes somewhere new.) I have little tolerance for someone who does not regard the proper care of my loved ones. This is how the devil tries to get to me IF I allow it.
Mom had only been there for less than 3 hours and I was having it out with the head nurse.
Guess I had better back tract a little and explain...
Not long after I got there I was getting Mom comfortable. After being there a while I finally met her nurse. I moved out of the way to let her work. She was getting ready to take blood. This was not a good thing because my Mom has tiny rolling veins and is never easy to stick. It gets very frustrating after they have poked and stuck her till she has bruises all up and down her arms. This is very painful for her. I remember once they had to get the life flight guy to come in and do it after 3 or 4 people had tried unsuccessfully. Anyway this is not what set me off...sorry got side tracked.
I stepped behind the nurse and my Mom started coughing/choking and the nurse just stood there and didn't attempt to suction her out. I got mad and probably said this in not too nice of tone "Well if you are not going to do anything I will!" When I finished the nurse had left the room. Where had she gone? Hmmmm... yes she went to complain to the head nurse.
Next thing I know the head nurse is in the room telling me (not very nicely) that it is against their rules and the law for me to suction out my Mom. Well I was seeing red. I told her I didn't care about their rules that if my Mom was choking I was not going to just stand there and do nothing. She said well you are suppose to get her nurse and let her do it. I told her nurse was standing right there and she did nothing. I told her that my Mom had been in this condition since 2007 and I had been trained at St. Francis in what to do. We went round and round for a while and it pretty much ended in me telling her yes you told me your rules but I will do what I have to do if my Mom is in distress. I told her now look this is your Mom would you just stand there? She agreed she would not. I am sure I am not her favorite family member of her patients. I am tired of hearing them brag about they have the best care than anyone. Talk does not cut it with me. Actions speak louder than words. Show me!
Today:
I was feeling down after going to see my Mom this afternoon. I am certain she will never get the care we expect. No one takes care of your loved one like your family. It is all the little things... that I will not go into. Then I spoke with the wound nurse and she was negative. I really dislike it when someone is like that. She said that it did not look good and that when your nutrition is bad like that it doesn't get better. We will keep trying. My response was that is what you do to keep trying and God will do the healing. No response from her of course.
Tonight I dropped the girls off a High School game night and then went up to the hospital to visit with Mom. She was still down at the end of the hall and had not been moved to the room next to the nurses station which is a private room. I am trusting God this will happen during the night.
I know in my heart that God is in control of this and I only trust him. I believe in my heart that the healing is there. You can not trust what you see or what you hear from the medical staff. God said in his word if we ask ANYTHING in the name of Jesus we would receive it. So I am waiting and trusting God for the healing to manifest it self. The wound nurse is not going to heal this. The doctors or surgeons are not going to heal this. GOD IS! Thank you for healing in the name of Jesus!
Mom had only been there for less than 3 hours and I was having it out with the head nurse.
Guess I had better back tract a little and explain...
Not long after I got there I was getting Mom comfortable. After being there a while I finally met her nurse. I moved out of the way to let her work. She was getting ready to take blood. This was not a good thing because my Mom has tiny rolling veins and is never easy to stick. It gets very frustrating after they have poked and stuck her till she has bruises all up and down her arms. This is very painful for her. I remember once they had to get the life flight guy to come in and do it after 3 or 4 people had tried unsuccessfully. Anyway this is not what set me off...sorry got side tracked.
I stepped behind the nurse and my Mom started coughing/choking and the nurse just stood there and didn't attempt to suction her out. I got mad and probably said this in not too nice of tone "Well if you are not going to do anything I will!" When I finished the nurse had left the room. Where had she gone? Hmmmm... yes she went to complain to the head nurse.
Next thing I know the head nurse is in the room telling me (not very nicely) that it is against their rules and the law for me to suction out my Mom. Well I was seeing red. I told her I didn't care about their rules that if my Mom was choking I was not going to just stand there and do nothing. She said well you are suppose to get her nurse and let her do it. I told her nurse was standing right there and she did nothing. I told her that my Mom had been in this condition since 2007 and I had been trained at St. Francis in what to do. We went round and round for a while and it pretty much ended in me telling her yes you told me your rules but I will do what I have to do if my Mom is in distress. I told her now look this is your Mom would you just stand there? She agreed she would not. I am sure I am not her favorite family member of her patients. I am tired of hearing them brag about they have the best care than anyone. Talk does not cut it with me. Actions speak louder than words. Show me!
Today:
I was feeling down after going to see my Mom this afternoon. I am certain she will never get the care we expect. No one takes care of your loved one like your family. It is all the little things... that I will not go into. Then I spoke with the wound nurse and she was negative. I really dislike it when someone is like that. She said that it did not look good and that when your nutrition is bad like that it doesn't get better. We will keep trying. My response was that is what you do to keep trying and God will do the healing. No response from her of course.
Tonight I dropped the girls off a High School game night and then went up to the hospital to visit with Mom. She was still down at the end of the hall and had not been moved to the room next to the nurses station which is a private room. I am trusting God this will happen during the night.
I know in my heart that God is in control of this and I only trust him. I believe in my heart that the healing is there. You can not trust what you see or what you hear from the medical staff. God said in his word if we ask ANYTHING in the name of Jesus we would receive it. So I am waiting and trusting God for the healing to manifest it self. The wound nurse is not going to heal this. The doctors or surgeons are not going to heal this. GOD IS! Thank you for healing in the name of Jesus!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Tough decisions
This has been a difficult week with feeling like I have been under the gun from St. Francis to make decisions for my Mom to go to a LTAC center to get the wound on her lower back on the mend. It needs more care that we are capable of doing at home. One of the problems is her nutrition. With her digestive problems she is not retaining her protein to help with healing. With my Mom being on a vent she does not get the care even in ICU like she does at home. A real concern. I was not going to be rushed into making a decision of this importance.
They had suggested Meadowbrook and I went to check them out Monday. I went away with a bad taste in my mouth. Sure they had nice big rooms and fresh paint on the wall but for someone on a vent I did not feel comfortable about how my Mom would be taken care of. There were restrictions on when I could see her etc...
I had asked for healing from God and did not want her to go anywhere but home. Yesterday Ken went with me to Continuous Care at St. John's. On my way there I felt like my heart was breaking because I felt like taking this step was showing a lack of faith for healing for my Mom.
After talking to God about this I realize that these thoughts were not from God but the devil to bring me down. I had asked for guidance in what to do about this and had asked for her not to have to go to one of these places. But I had also told him his will be done. I knew the healing was there just I didn't feel right on putting God on a time frame. We want things now and maybe their are reasons that we do not understand why. The healing will take place in God's time. I am certain of this. After praying about this I asked God to help me make the right choices and be in his will but to also give me peace about the decision. Then I thanked him for it.
After going to St. John's and talking with the staff and seeing their operation I went away knowing that if Mom was to go anywhere but home this had to be it. If a code is called they are within 30 seconds of help. They have their own respiratory team 24hours. And they are the only LTAC who has the system that if her vent goes off it not only makes noise but it pages respiratory. Mom is being transported their this afternoon. Sometimes when we feel we are alone in doing something we realize God never left he was always there and we just didn't see it. That is where faith comes in... you ask and you trust in Him.
They had suggested Meadowbrook and I went to check them out Monday. I went away with a bad taste in my mouth. Sure they had nice big rooms and fresh paint on the wall but for someone on a vent I did not feel comfortable about how my Mom would be taken care of. There were restrictions on when I could see her etc...
I had asked for healing from God and did not want her to go anywhere but home. Yesterday Ken went with me to Continuous Care at St. John's. On my way there I felt like my heart was breaking because I felt like taking this step was showing a lack of faith for healing for my Mom.
After talking to God about this I realize that these thoughts were not from God but the devil to bring me down. I had asked for guidance in what to do about this and had asked for her not to have to go to one of these places. But I had also told him his will be done. I knew the healing was there just I didn't feel right on putting God on a time frame. We want things now and maybe their are reasons that we do not understand why. The healing will take place in God's time. I am certain of this. After praying about this I asked God to help me make the right choices and be in his will but to also give me peace about the decision. Then I thanked him for it.
After going to St. John's and talking with the staff and seeing their operation I went away knowing that if Mom was to go anywhere but home this had to be it. If a code is called they are within 30 seconds of help. They have their own respiratory team 24hours. And they are the only LTAC who has the system that if her vent goes off it not only makes noise but it pages respiratory. Mom is being transported their this afternoon. Sometimes when we feel we are alone in doing something we realize God never left he was always there and we just didn't see it. That is where faith comes in... you ask and you trust in Him.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Casting all your care upon Him...
A few weeks ago I went to a homeschool meeting and they have a free table of books etc... As I was about to leave by chance I walked up to the table to see what they had and noticed a book by our pastor's father, Kenneth Hagin Sr. It was titled Bible Prayer Study Guide. I got it thinking it might be something the girls could use in their studies. I ended up picking it up myself and started reading through it and it got my attention. It opened my eyes to some things in my own life which I will explain in a few minutes.
The last few days have been really hectic. With my Mom being in ICU I have been literally taking care of my Mom and my brother has been taking care of my Dad. What has been hard is I have been having to make all the decisions on my Mom. The doctors recommended my Mom go to an acute care center just to get her wound on the mend before she goes home. They do not want to keep her long term in ICU to get this wound on the mend. They recommended Meadowbrook Specialty Hospital. I went there to check it out today. I did not come away with any kind of comfortable feeling. She would be down the hall from the nurses station in a room by herself. With her being on a vent this is a concern of her choking and not being watched properly. This happened when she was in the Specialty Hospital in St. Francis and if my Dad had not been there she would have choked. I addressed this concern to the liaison and she could not address my concerns about this and had no answer for me. It left me feeling distressed and not knowing what to do. I asked God to give me guidance and show me what to do. I went to the hospital after that and stayed with Mom for a while. Not long after being there I ran into the social worker at the hospital in the hall and talked with her. I told her I would like to look into the two other places available before making a decision. (Hillcrest and St. John's) I was feeling like that this was most likely going to be that same situation there too. It was becoming overwhelming how it was stressing me out. Feeling pressure from the hospital etc...
Tonight after dropping the girls off a Regals (with our church) I went back up to the hospital. I found out that the doctors and plastic surgeon will be in at 8:00 am today (Tuesday) to look at my Moms wound. I have asked God for healing and know God heard my prayer. I believe when they look at the wound they will be confounded at the healing.
What I realized after reading some of this book is this...
When we pray we have to leave all our cares with the Lord. When we worry we are picking up the problem again and then God can not do anything because we are tying to fix it oursleves. As I read this I realized this is what I was doing. Forgive me Lord... this is all in your hands now I will not take it back. Now we will see things happen because he has it in his hands.
I am excited and praise God for complete healing and the results on the way!
The last few days have been really hectic. With my Mom being in ICU I have been literally taking care of my Mom and my brother has been taking care of my Dad. What has been hard is I have been having to make all the decisions on my Mom. The doctors recommended my Mom go to an acute care center just to get her wound on the mend before she goes home. They do not want to keep her long term in ICU to get this wound on the mend. They recommended Meadowbrook Specialty Hospital. I went there to check it out today. I did not come away with any kind of comfortable feeling. She would be down the hall from the nurses station in a room by herself. With her being on a vent this is a concern of her choking and not being watched properly. This happened when she was in the Specialty Hospital in St. Francis and if my Dad had not been there she would have choked. I addressed this concern to the liaison and she could not address my concerns about this and had no answer for me. It left me feeling distressed and not knowing what to do. I asked God to give me guidance and show me what to do. I went to the hospital after that and stayed with Mom for a while. Not long after being there I ran into the social worker at the hospital in the hall and talked with her. I told her I would like to look into the two other places available before making a decision. (Hillcrest and St. John's) I was feeling like that this was most likely going to be that same situation there too. It was becoming overwhelming how it was stressing me out. Feeling pressure from the hospital etc...
Tonight after dropping the girls off a Regals (with our church) I went back up to the hospital. I found out that the doctors and plastic surgeon will be in at 8:00 am today (Tuesday) to look at my Moms wound. I have asked God for healing and know God heard my prayer. I believe when they look at the wound they will be confounded at the healing.
What I realized after reading some of this book is this...
When we pray we have to leave all our cares with the Lord. When we worry we are picking up the problem again and then God can not do anything because we are tying to fix it oursleves. As I read this I realized this is what I was doing. Forgive me Lord... this is all in your hands now I will not take it back. Now we will see things happen because he has it in his hands.
I am excited and praise God for complete healing and the results on the way!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Very Long day...
Today the surgeon I talked to in the ER called me. They were wanting to put Mom in a critical care facility or acute care nursing facility. Pretty much a nursing home in my opinion. She just gets almost proper care in ICU (You'd think in ICU you could rest and know they are in the best care) NOT TRUE. You have to keep them on their toes even there. They mentioned one of the facilities called Maplewood ( it is just down the street from St. Francis) This is the place my grandma was in and I yanked her out of there. It was terrible. Maybe they have changed this place because the director over it told me it was not a long term facility and most of the residents were not there for more than 25 days. Still I know she will not be watched like she would be at her home. They use to have a skilled nursing in St Francis and Mom was in there a short time. If my Dad had not been with her she would have choked to death. Being on a ventilator closed off in a room down the hall. That is not going to repeat. I can not be there 24/7 like my Dad did.
I know God is going to work things out. No doubt about it!
Thanking God for giving me strength today. Once the doctor woke me up at 10:00 am I could not go back to sleep so my day just ended a few hours ago. It was off to get my Dads groceries, taking them to him, off to the hospital to see Mom, back home to get Ken off to work , to Sams, then to the hospital again until about 9:00 pm. Then off to finish my grocery shopping and fill up the truck at the CNG station. When I left the hospital it was raining. Nothing like a downpour when you are in out of the truck. By the time I got home around midnight I was soaked to the skin.
I am thinking I may fall asleep without much trouble tonight. :)
I know God is going to work things out. No doubt about it!
Thanking God for giving me strength today. Once the doctor woke me up at 10:00 am I could not go back to sleep so my day just ended a few hours ago. It was off to get my Dads groceries, taking them to him, off to the hospital to see Mom, back home to get Ken off to work , to Sams, then to the hospital again until about 9:00 pm. Then off to finish my grocery shopping and fill up the truck at the CNG station. When I left the hospital it was raining. Nothing like a downpour when you are in out of the truck. By the time I got home around midnight I was soaked to the skin.
I am thinking I may fall asleep without much trouble tonight. :)
Friday, March 19, 2010
Mom in ICU
I am trying to post here so family and friends know the latest news on my Mom.
(Continue at your own risk... not pretty)
My Mom has had an ulcer (bed sore) on her lower back since before her last hospital visit. We have a wound nurse coming out to the house but she only comes every two weeks with home health care. We had been trying to treat it by the directions of the wound nurse and it had not gotten any better but worse. So by the direction of the wound nurse my Mom was taken to the ER by ambulance around 4:00 pm Wednesday the 17th.
Once there they pretty much did what I call an combat field medical procedure on my Mom.
(Surgeons are not on my list of favorites... No bed side manners and most of them have the attitude of they are lowering themselves to have to explain anything) After they did their combat maneuver I had the option to bring her home and let her recover at home or admit her and let them get aggressive in getting it on the mend. Well... let me think about this. No I do not want to take her home after you have pretty much taken a box knife to her back without numbing her then to go home not knowing when a wound nurse will come out to attend to it. By midnight my Mom was in ICU.
Today the plastic surgeon came in and looked at her. They put her on a wound bed today. (Clinitron bed)
She is on a cushion of air and sand. This is so there are no pressure points on her anywhere. They also put on V.A.C. Therapy. (Vacuum Assisted Closure) on her wound.
When I was in the ER one her plastic surgeons came in and told me that a wound like that has a 0% chance of healing on its own and with plastic surgery has a little better of a 0% chance of healing.
My response was... so what your saying is with the medical procedure it is most of the time impossible. But I know God is going to heal this and with God it is NOT impossible. This is where I am coming from doctor. He looked at me and seemed to be at a loss for words and quickly changed the subject. Honestly it felt good to say it and I felt my strength and faith rise up when the words came out. No worries... she is on God's watch now and his word does not lie.
(Continue at your own risk... not pretty)
My Mom has had an ulcer (bed sore) on her lower back since before her last hospital visit. We have a wound nurse coming out to the house but she only comes every two weeks with home health care. We had been trying to treat it by the directions of the wound nurse and it had not gotten any better but worse. So by the direction of the wound nurse my Mom was taken to the ER by ambulance around 4:00 pm Wednesday the 17th.
Once there they pretty much did what I call an combat field medical procedure on my Mom.
(Surgeons are not on my list of favorites... No bed side manners and most of them have the attitude of they are lowering themselves to have to explain anything) After they did their combat maneuver I had the option to bring her home and let her recover at home or admit her and let them get aggressive in getting it on the mend. Well... let me think about this. No I do not want to take her home after you have pretty much taken a box knife to her back without numbing her then to go home not knowing when a wound nurse will come out to attend to it. By midnight my Mom was in ICU.
Today the plastic surgeon came in and looked at her. They put her on a wound bed today. (Clinitron bed)
She is on a cushion of air and sand. This is so there are no pressure points on her anywhere. They also put on V.A.C. Therapy. (Vacuum Assisted Closure) on her wound.
When I was in the ER one her plastic surgeons came in and told me that a wound like that has a 0% chance of healing on its own and with plastic surgery has a little better of a 0% chance of healing.
My response was... so what your saying is with the medical procedure it is most of the time impossible. But I know God is going to heal this and with God it is NOT impossible. This is where I am coming from doctor. He looked at me and seemed to be at a loss for words and quickly changed the subject. Honestly it felt good to say it and I felt my strength and faith rise up when the words came out. No worries... she is on God's watch now and his word does not lie.
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