RedRooster of Bloom
Jun. 7th, 2018 10:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ismoYesterday was exhausting. I thought that since my mother's appointment was at 12:15, I might get home early. Ha ha. I started out at 8 and arrived at 10:30--a little late because I had to stop for gas and to pick up coffee from the smalltown cafe that has been such a lifesaver in my peregrinations of the last few years. The appointment wasn't until 12:15, but it takes almost an hour to get there, and it took almost all the time in between to get my mother ready to go, in and out of the wheelchair, etc. She seemed very weak, and had a lot of trouble moving her legs and feet, and couldn't stand on her own at all. The appointment took an hour and a half, and was painful and tiring for her. The Duchess met us there after her class was over for the day, but she went home afterwards while I drove Mother home.
I got her to lie down on the couch with her feet elevated the way they're supposed to be. She was so exhausted she was literally shaking. She said she was very cold, although I was hot enough to be sweating. I made her drink some water, and her hands were shaking so it was hard for her to hold the water bottle. I always bring an emergency sandwich, in case she gets hungry while we're out, and she usually won't eat it, but she ate half of it this time. After she'd been lying down with two blankets on, and had some water and food, she started to recover.
Meanwhile, I waited to talk to the direct care supervisor and the nurse manager. We had some extended discussions of how care would proceed. They are very reluctant to have the staff continue to bandage wounds that are past full skin thickness. At the time, I was arguing with them and trying to get them to do it, but today I've had second thoughts. They could be right. If they're not trained and qualified in wound care, maybe they should not be doing it. Anyway, we had the discussion, which was also stressful. Then I waited until they brought Mother her dinner, and set her up so she could eat comfortably.
By then, it was about 5:30, and I finally headed for home, with one more stop for coffee. Normally I never worry about getting sleepy while driving, because I never do, but on this occasion I was tired enough to require a stimulant.
Today, we spent a couple of hours at an urgent meeting of the minister's committee. We're basically a place for her to vent in confidence, though we also make suggestions and recommendations about difficult issues. Today's issue was, indeed, a difficult one.
One thing we learned yesterday at Wound Care was that the in-house study of the circulation in Mother's leg was insufficient for diagnosis, and that she'd have to proceed with the appointment for an ultrasound that the Duchess made for today. So they went there, and tonight I got more email from the Duchess about a treatment plan for Mother. She's still trying to go against the plan that the nurse manager wants and institute one that she thinks is better. Mother's insurance won't pay for both. I've given it some consideration, and I can now see some benefits to doing it the nurse manager's way, so I wrote what I hope was a very circumspect letter saying so. Now I live in dread of a bad reaction from the Duchess. She's so fearful for Mother, and so sure that the treatment plan she wants is the only one that will work. I fear she will not take my dissent in good humor, no matter how carefully it was expressed. Oh what a life.
I got her to lie down on the couch with her feet elevated the way they're supposed to be. She was so exhausted she was literally shaking. She said she was very cold, although I was hot enough to be sweating. I made her drink some water, and her hands were shaking so it was hard for her to hold the water bottle. I always bring an emergency sandwich, in case she gets hungry while we're out, and she usually won't eat it, but she ate half of it this time. After she'd been lying down with two blankets on, and had some water and food, she started to recover.
Meanwhile, I waited to talk to the direct care supervisor and the nurse manager. We had some extended discussions of how care would proceed. They are very reluctant to have the staff continue to bandage wounds that are past full skin thickness. At the time, I was arguing with them and trying to get them to do it, but today I've had second thoughts. They could be right. If they're not trained and qualified in wound care, maybe they should not be doing it. Anyway, we had the discussion, which was also stressful. Then I waited until they brought Mother her dinner, and set her up so she could eat comfortably.
By then, it was about 5:30, and I finally headed for home, with one more stop for coffee. Normally I never worry about getting sleepy while driving, because I never do, but on this occasion I was tired enough to require a stimulant.
Today, we spent a couple of hours at an urgent meeting of the minister's committee. We're basically a place for her to vent in confidence, though we also make suggestions and recommendations about difficult issues. Today's issue was, indeed, a difficult one.
One thing we learned yesterday at Wound Care was that the in-house study of the circulation in Mother's leg was insufficient for diagnosis, and that she'd have to proceed with the appointment for an ultrasound that the Duchess made for today. So they went there, and tonight I got more email from the Duchess about a treatment plan for Mother. She's still trying to go against the plan that the nurse manager wants and institute one that she thinks is better. Mother's insurance won't pay for both. I've given it some consideration, and I can now see some benefits to doing it the nurse manager's way, so I wrote what I hope was a very circumspect letter saying so. Now I live in dread of a bad reaction from the Duchess. She's so fearful for Mother, and so sure that the treatment plan she wants is the only one that will work. I fear she will not take my dissent in good humor, no matter how carefully it was expressed. Oh what a life.
there there there there there there there
Date: 2018-06-08 06:08 am (UTC)you are a hero. you could see it clearly if it were somebody else doing it.