Anyone miss me?

I can not do the honey sugar thing.My Blood Glucose would do me in..

Enemas can ease a lot of ailments. My father had an issue with his bowels when he was a little boy. He wouldn't go for several weeks. He would ask for an enema to get relief.

eeeeeyuk!

May I say: Too much information!!!!!!!!!!   

OOP's! Sorry. I wasn't thinking.

Bugster2 wrote:What meds are you using for the nausea? I have a hard time taking pills and when I am sick the last thing I want to do is to try and swallow something.

Zofran 4mg. A trick a doctor taught me about swallowing pills is to notice which part of your tongue does not touch the roof of your mouth when you swallow. Go ahead -- swallow and see where that place is on your tongue. Then place the pill right there. You must, however, swallow immediately once you drink something, without, of course, throwing your head back or anything else we sometimes do. Works for me.

BTW, once I get a headache, I take the nausea pill, as I know it's coming.

Uncle Jimmy wrote:What I don't understand, is why they refuse to give you meds for the headaches???

I said the same thiing, Jimmy, to the RN who I'm dealing with. They cut the increase of the medicine until 9/9 when my appointment is, but then, of course, the meds will have to start increasing again. These aren't normal headaches either -- they zoom in and are killer painful, without a hint of what's coming.

I don't think the headaches go away once you get used to the meds either. Woe is me. Will know more once I keep my appointment on 9/9. Have to get blood work done, walk for six minutes and then get to see the doctor (and boy, I'm ready with a list of questions and complaints). This hospital is not my favorite and normally, I wouldn't even go back but it seems as if there are only a couple of Pulmonary Function Clinics in the state and Ochsner is one of them. The nurse politely told me this when I told her I was reconsidering care there after they would take three or four days to return my calls when I first got out of the hospital. And the most shocking thing was that I got no discharge instructions -- none! And that's after nearly three weeks in the hospital. Think about it -- you even get discharge instructions after you have a tooth pulled or worked on!!!

So I'm stuck there but I'm a squeaky wheel and will continue to be one. I make it pretty difficult to ignore me.

You are the most important person responsible for your safety and health care. Proactive. I can't tell you how many people I have seen die because of bad health care. My own sister almost died when she had had her twins.
My sister is married to an OB-GYN with a PHD in endocrinology. His father is also an OB-GYN and so are 2 other brothers. They all practice together. My sister had her twins in an emergency C-section because she had pre-eclampsia. After she was taken back to her room she was supposed to have a magnesium drip into her muscle. The nurse put the line into her vein. My sister woke up to her body on fire and was able to press the call button. Once the error was discovered they rushed her back down to the ER and after treatment there into the ICU. Did the chit hit the fan? Like you wouldn't believe. The nurse was fired too.
When my other sister had her cancer surgeries, her DH (who is also an MD) sat and slept in her room the entire time, making sure no one screwed up on anything.

It seems now when anyone is in the hospital, they need a person to be there with them to act as an advocate!
It is really a shame that is where healthcare is currently.
Each time my dad was hospitalized, I was there as much as I could. I questioned everything they did to him. I was also there and, I swear, the nursing department relaxed a lot because they knew I was helping him.
It took forever for him to get some help. Oh, when he was very sick, they did check on him a lot more, but the second he started improving, it seemed they dropped him like a hot potato!
I cannot tell you how many nurses, residents and doctors commented on me for being there and advocating for him.
I did work in the medical field my entire life. All the people I know from work, who had a close relative in the hospital, made sure there was someone with them to check on them. This was because they knew how understaffed and overworked the nurses, and aides are.
The aides, and student nurses are taking over most of the duties of the regular nurse.
When there is a change of shift and they are all on report..Forget it!!!!
That goes between 30-60 minutes!! No one gets any care! or very little. Most patients have to wait until their meeting is over!
It is really unbelievable what happens...
And discharge!! really!!!
You have to be in the hospital for 3 days in order for insurance to pay for a rehab! When discharged, it does not stop. They tell the patient they are going to get home care. Well, it does not start that day, nor the next. You are lucky if on the 3rd day at home it will begin; But only to see and 'intake' nurse!! They have to see what you need! Then they have to schedule someone to come out!!
A newly discharged patient can wait 3-4 days before seeing someone, especially if they are not on their 'case' about it.....
ok---
off my soapbox!!!!
sorry--one of my pet peeves.......

Do you remember reading about patient dumping? There was this horrible picture in the paper showing a frail, sick man, still in his hospital gown being pulled out of the back of a van and then left on the sidewalk. Seems the man was homeless, sick with no place to go and the hospital didn't want to care for him, so they just dumped him. Horrible! There is no excuse.

Bugster2 wrote:Do you remember reading about patient dumping? There was this horrible picture in the paper showing a frail, sick man, still in his hospital gown being pulled out of the back of a van and then left on the sidewalk. Seems the man was homeless, sick with no place to go and the hospital didn't want to care for him, so they just dumped him. Horrible! There is no excuse.

That was stupid....because in a few hours or so, someone will call 911, and he will be right back in the hospital again.