Skip to main content

Day Twelve Blood Clots



 Day Twelve Blood Clots 

Today was a discouraging day we found a blood clot in her leg and I believe she has them in her lungs. They were unable to send her down to CT because she couldn’t tolerate being bagged instead of the vent. They started her on heparin drip and did ultrasounds of her other extremities. Her vitals were ok, but her oxygen had to be turned up. I have felt down today. I asked my sister several times if she was going to make it through this and she was still optimistic so that gave me some reassurance. When I went to the hospital, I found that Moma did not have Christina, the nurse that we love, we had damn Adrian. NOT A FAN. I walked into the room and Moma was getting the ultrasound done of her arms. The ultrasound girl was persistent I should sit, and I was like no I stand her and hold her hand this just how we do it. After a while of scanning and me trying to figure out what I was looking at on her screen she left. I tried to straighten up Moma in the bed and brush her hair because it was a hot mess. I feel like once again the key part of patient positioning is crucial for airway issues. I tried to fix her pillow and put the head of the bed up. The thing that has me tore the hell up is the trash can. The damn trash can that has been broken this whole time. You have to use your hand to open the lid and shit is always hanging out of the can. Not really a great set up for an “isolation” room. So once I get all the straightening up done I noticed a half empty propofol bottle on her counter just chilling. Just so messy. Apparently they only had two nurses to the unit which is scary in the first place but they wernt too busy to throw stuff like tat in the sharpes bin or keep an eye on Moma. As I stood there and did my nightly cry in hopes a little shed tear drop would heal her, her pump alarm goes off for her sedation med. I stand there for a while then began to pace from side to side of the bed. I look out the door and see him (Adrian) sitting in the same spot. Eventually several minutes pass and hes still not moving. I tell Moma good night and I love her. I take off the isolation mess and head out. I let the door shut behind me, thankfully it never slams it opens both ways so I guess that helps with that. I stand outside the door for a second, even let the door open so he could hear it and he never looks up. I stand with the door shut just to make sure I hear it. I walk up to him and hes playing damn solitaire! I was like my mom needs some more sedation medication its out.... “oh ok”. OMG what you mean oh ok?? Now I know people need a moment throughout the day theyre human, but she is fragile, I'm fragile, she's my mother, and the shift is almost over do that mess later. He gets up and heads in there and I leave feeling some type of way. As I leave I notice the lady next door to Moma has on high flow oxygen thankfully she didn’t get a tube, I hope she continues to improve! I decided to head to the chapel on the way home. I have been in the chapel a few times and it is usually messy. Its tucked away by the bathroom and I guess not used a lot maybe? I walk in and the same vacuum cleaner that was there when we first got here was still chilling in the corner. There was a chair set up like someone had taken a nap and just got up and left everything as is with the blanket and chairs. There was trash all over the floor and food tray on a chair. This tore me up like the trash can. So I went to work cleaning the room up. As I cleaned, I noticed a little prayer request book with Job 42:10 on the front. I wrote a message in there asking for a prayer for my Moma and for the healthcare workers in the hospital. I felt successful after cleaning up then decided to head home. As I walked to the car I passed a RT and RN in the hall that had taken care of Moma in the ED, this had been like 11 days ago and they remembered me, they asked me how Moma was and they said they would pray for her. This warmed my heart. The good ones do make up for the bad ones.   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Advocate At The House

  At The House    Sunday January 30 th , 2022, around 130pm I found my mother in a chair laid back with agonal /gurgling respirations . I attempted to reposition her immediately and get a response from her. Unfortunately, I never could get her alert enough to talk to me. I called 9-1-1 and had them come emergency traffic to my home. This felt so weird to me I have only called 9-1-1 maybe two-three times in my life, but never for me or for my family. I was checking her oxygen saturation and it was 33 with a pulse of 122. I repositioned her again, at this point she was dead weight. Once I did this some vomit came out of her mouth. Instant panic thinking about aspiration with the gurgling sound and the vomit that came out of her mouth after repositioning. During this whole time her dog, Roxy a schnauzer was tore out the frame. Roxy knew something was wrong and she was not please. A brief time later EMS arrived (felt like an eternity at the time) out stepped my best fr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Day Fourteen Saturday Wiping tears with a paper towel

  Day Fourteen Saturday Wiping tears with a paper towel   Today makes two weeks we have been in the hospital. This is the day my sister lost hope and was thinking it was over. I was eager that morning to make breakfast like what Moma and I usually do make breakfast, shoot the shit and do laundry. I heard from Ivy this morning and she had been talking to Jason, a nurse she had bonded with. The one that wasn’t my favorite. Ultimately, he is extra as hell and over exaggerates and makes a mountain out of a mole hill. Yes, Moma is not in beautiful shape, but he generally paints a worse picture. Ivy had me tore up absolutely holler crying at the house before I left. Was a bad scenario, the poor dogs. I got ready and headed to the hospital. Ivy had made the comment I wonder if I should cancel my patients for the day (thinking she was about to roll out this world). I get there and she looks about the same, not perfect. I felt like she was heavily sedated. They had added versed to th...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Advocate Intro

  Intro   As I sit here in the ICU by my mother’s side, I wanted to type up my story to share my mother ’s journey during COVID. I am just going to write it like I talk, little rough around the edges and no filter. I also spell mom M-O-M-A and my Moma always said that is ok, so do not judge me. I am a Moma’s boy for sure. I am no means a writer or an English professor so do not judge my gramma r. I hold various titles and credentials in healthcare. I have worked in healthcare since I was 17 years old and have been exposed to it all my life. I have worked in various settings such as EMS, Acute Care Vent Unit, Urgent Care, and O utpatient C are. I have dealt with COVID outside of the hospital during the whole pandemic. I have always heard healthcare is different now, COVID is a monster, understaffed, bad patient ratios, and burnout but I have not seen it firsthand in the hospital system until now. It has been a difficult experience since I worked in healthcare and...
Post a Comment
Read more