Where's the Silver Lining?

Oh, the confusion and more confusion

Where do I start? Tuesday, October 25, Robert was taken from the specialty hospital to the regular hospital for gall bladder surgery. The SH told us he would be returning there, to leave his things.

We were told Wednesday that he would be returning to the SH as soon as transportation was arranged. Then we were told that the doctor was concerned about Robert's low blood count, rather severe anemia, and that a GI scope procedure would be arranged after the specialist visited him. The procedure was set up for Thursday morning, but we were told Robert would be returning to SH after that.

Randy calls to let me know that someone had called him from SH to say we needed to get Robert's things out. Yet the case manager from SH had just visited and told us that Robert would be returning there. I called the admissions office at SH and asked what was going on. The director told me that she didn't know, as far as she knew he was going back there. About fifteen minutes later, she called and said that Robert would be returning to SH. Ten minutes after the call, the hospital case manager came in and told me that SH had called and Robert wouldn't be returning to SH. Very confused, I went to SH and loaded all his things in the minivan, an aide helping me and lifting the heavier items.

When I returned to the regular hospital, the doctor stood at the nurse's station, and I asked him what was going on. He told me that they were transfering Robert to the skilled nursing center (in the same building as the SH but at the other end) after the procedure.

Thursday, when I arrived at the hospital bright and early, Robert was in extreme pain from his arthritis. He hadn't had any of his pain meds regularly since Monday morning. After three hours of waiting for the procedure and watching his pain escalate, I tried to tell the nurse that something needed to be done because the longer he hurt that much, the more likely that chest pains would start. Finally, ten after noon, Robert was transported downstairs for the scope procedure, but he started having chest pains. Whew, that got some attention. Suddenly he had all kinds of attention, but the procedure was postponed until Friday.

After Robert was returned to his room on the third floor, I found out that his strong pain pills were still at SH. The doctor asked if I would go get them immediately. I did, and I met the specialist inside the front door of the hospital when I returned. We visited, and I suggested that Robert have the procedure earlier in the day before the pain had a chance to accelerate after he had been without his meds too long. He agreed that sounded like a good idea.

Back on the hospital's third floor, the doctor and his PA, Kay, were at the nurses station. They told me that Robert would be dismissed to return home, that he had gotten around so well at SH he could manage at home with home health care coming in three times a week to treat his wound.

So we started planning on his return home. However, that night, as we talked, we realized that Robert couldn't. He had to stay hooked up to this machine, a vaccuum pump. After gall bladder surgery, he was not to lift anything or pull anything for 10 - 14 days. I can't lift anything over two or three pounds at the most. The pump was heavier than I could life. How was Robert to go to the bathroom? He wouldn't stay bedfast, so what were we to do?

Friday morning, the procedure went well at 7:30. No problems were found. After two nurses transported Robert back to his room, the case manager came in to finalize his dismissal for later in the day. We told her our concerns; she called the doctor; she returned two hours later to tell us Robert would be going to the nursing center until he could lift the pump.

Finally he left the hospital at 7:15 last night. I stayed at the nursing center until he was settled, and I'll be going back in a couple of hours.

My body doesn't like what I've been doing to it, but Robert is snug in another "home" for another week. Then, hopefully, he will be home. I have a week to get the house ready.

What a confusing week.