Chapter 384 - A Holiday Longer Than Expected
She was not discharged on Monday 4th May but on Wednesday 6th since staff thought she could be better managed in hospital rather than in the hospital's lodge where I was staying. So her time in hospital was from 1600 Wednesday 22 April to 1230 Wednesday 6th May.
Perhaps the "fall" (described below) she had on Saturday 2nd May had something to do with delaying her discharge. That morning her mobility was very poor. Three people were required to transfer her from her walker (her blue one taken into hospital to assist her) to the shower chair at approximately 9AM. When I returned at 0945 from some breakfast in the hospital's food hall I asked her to stand from a chair, using her walker for support; she couldn't.
So I had her take a bolus dose of DuoDopa, after which her legs danced up and down (I have given up attempting to describe what form of movement this may be, e.g., dyskinesia) yet became still when her legs were raised to a horizontal position on a stool. Lowering her feet to the floor restarted the dancing. Then I lifted her into a standing position for her to push the walker but she managed about 5 metres of shuffling before having to sit on the walker. A nurse took her blood pressure, slightly elevated. I had her take another bolus at 1030; legs continued dancing and her stomach was churning. A few minutes later her legs "scissored" back and forth, ankles tightened and toes tingled. By 1100 she was still unable to stand so I wheeled her to the toilet. On return from the toilet she was sweating badly. About 1110 I had her take another bolus and within 10 minutes her left leg was burning and both feet were turning inwards, her legs felt stiff up to the knees, toes were hurting, tingling in both feet and she felt ill, yet she was still unable to stand. Overdosing is not the way to encourage her to stand, extra bolus doses need to be given cautiously. While I was away getting cash from an ATM her feet had ceased tingling and she had transferred herself from the walker onto a bed side chair.
At 1250 she decided she needed to walk (staff advised her to walk as much as possible). There are chairs for visitors next to the lifts on her floor, some 60-70 metres away. She pushed her walker quite easily until we were at the end of the line of chairs, when she said "I'm going", whereupon she slowly sank to the floor, not falling forwards, backwards nor to either side, neither did she reach out to me or to the walker in order to save herself. She simply crumpled to the floor. Immediately two burly visitors jumped from nearby seats eager to help a lady in distress. I told them not to touch her as I looked about for something for her to kneel upon as I began to raise her. My intentions were smothered by the attention of at least 6 nurses, one with a wheeled blood pressure machine, who helped her onto the seat of her walker. Lots of questions were asked before a nurse wheeled her back to her ward. Then a doctor appeared at her bedside to ask more questions.
This was only the second time that I have viewed her falling; at other times I have been in another room or in a different direction. She collapses rather than falls, which may be the reason she has not injured herself by striking furniture. Except her very first fall off the toilet many years ago when a ligament was torn in her left leg.
Next day, Sunday, I arrived at 0830 at her bedside to find her giving herself a bolus dose before pushing the walker to the toilet, then into and out of the shower room, all without assistance. I don't know what the difference was between Saturday and Sunday mornings to give such improvement, yet even so, by 0940 her right foot was dystonic, both feet tingled, a slight headache on her right temple and she had difficulty doing a sit to stand. A church volunteer wheel chaired her down to the chapel, shouted us some coffees then brought her back to the ward. For the remainder of the day she needed assistance for any transfers and she sweated so much her top needed replacement.
Her condition remained much the same, some days/hours good, others less than desirable until discharge on Wednesday on Wednesday 6th May at about 1230. It was intended I collect a script full (56 cassettes I presume) plus ice from the hospital pharmacy to take home but I was not thinking to well, eager to escape from the hospital environment, having caught a cold a few days previously. I was given 14 cassettes from the hospital ward, enough supply for the coming week. I replaced the cassette in use a little after 3PM 3/4 of our way home. I gave the script for a month's supply of DuoDopa cassettes to our friendly chemist as soon as we got to town. Thus I was able to collect 8 packs of 7 cassettes from the chemist of Friday morning early. He was eager to empty his fridge of the boxes for obvious reasons. Later that day I bought a 35 litre 12V/240V car fridge (peltier device type) to store the DuoDopa, for, you see, the stuff needs to be kept at a temperature between 2-8 degrees C and must be kept out of the light. I had not appreciated these environmental restrictions, meaning wherever we are we need to carry refrigeration with us should we need to be away from home between 6-7 AM when the first cassette of the day is fitted, around 3PM when the second cassette is fitted, then perhaps around 10PM as well should it be decided she has continuous 24/7 medication. A 35 litre fridge is rather large; fortunately, we have a very small car fridge that she won in a raffle some 30 years ago, and still in working condition.
This morning I re-read the nurse prepared instructions for the DuoDopa pump to discover that the "Early Morning" dose button, used to initiate a surge of medication when the pump/cassette are first attached for the day was only being pressed once rather than being pressed twice so she was denied this higher bolus dose each morning thus giving her a slower start to each day since we have been home. Shit!!
I could transcribe more of my scribbled notes; but why be boring?
So our lives roll along, slightly improved but hoping for better outcomes.
Perhaps the "fall" (described below) she had on Saturday 2nd May had something to do with delaying her discharge. That morning her mobility was very poor. Three people were required to transfer her from her walker (her blue one taken into hospital to assist her) to the shower chair at approximately 9AM. When I returned at 0945 from some breakfast in the hospital's food hall I asked her to stand from a chair, using her walker for support; she couldn't.
So I had her take a bolus dose of DuoDopa, after which her legs danced up and down (I have given up attempting to describe what form of movement this may be, e.g., dyskinesia) yet became still when her legs were raised to a horizontal position on a stool. Lowering her feet to the floor restarted the dancing. Then I lifted her into a standing position for her to push the walker but she managed about 5 metres of shuffling before having to sit on the walker. A nurse took her blood pressure, slightly elevated. I had her take another bolus at 1030; legs continued dancing and her stomach was churning. A few minutes later her legs "scissored" back and forth, ankles tightened and toes tingled. By 1100 she was still unable to stand so I wheeled her to the toilet. On return from the toilet she was sweating badly. About 1110 I had her take another bolus and within 10 minutes her left leg was burning and both feet were turning inwards, her legs felt stiff up to the knees, toes were hurting, tingling in both feet and she felt ill, yet she was still unable to stand. Overdosing is not the way to encourage her to stand, extra bolus doses need to be given cautiously. While I was away getting cash from an ATM her feet had ceased tingling and she had transferred herself from the walker onto a bed side chair.
At 1250 she decided she needed to walk (staff advised her to walk as much as possible). There are chairs for visitors next to the lifts on her floor, some 60-70 metres away. She pushed her walker quite easily until we were at the end of the line of chairs, when she said "I'm going", whereupon she slowly sank to the floor, not falling forwards, backwards nor to either side, neither did she reach out to me or to the walker in order to save herself. She simply crumpled to the floor. Immediately two burly visitors jumped from nearby seats eager to help a lady in distress. I told them not to touch her as I looked about for something for her to kneel upon as I began to raise her. My intentions were smothered by the attention of at least 6 nurses, one with a wheeled blood pressure machine, who helped her onto the seat of her walker. Lots of questions were asked before a nurse wheeled her back to her ward. Then a doctor appeared at her bedside to ask more questions.
This was only the second time that I have viewed her falling; at other times I have been in another room or in a different direction. She collapses rather than falls, which may be the reason she has not injured herself by striking furniture. Except her very first fall off the toilet many years ago when a ligament was torn in her left leg.
Next day, Sunday, I arrived at 0830 at her bedside to find her giving herself a bolus dose before pushing the walker to the toilet, then into and out of the shower room, all without assistance. I don't know what the difference was between Saturday and Sunday mornings to give such improvement, yet even so, by 0940 her right foot was dystonic, both feet tingled, a slight headache on her right temple and she had difficulty doing a sit to stand. A church volunteer wheel chaired her down to the chapel, shouted us some coffees then brought her back to the ward. For the remainder of the day she needed assistance for any transfers and she sweated so much her top needed replacement.
Her condition remained much the same, some days/hours good, others less than desirable until discharge on Wednesday on Wednesday 6th May at about 1230. It was intended I collect a script full (56 cassettes I presume) plus ice from the hospital pharmacy to take home but I was not thinking to well, eager to escape from the hospital environment, having caught a cold a few days previously. I was given 14 cassettes from the hospital ward, enough supply for the coming week. I replaced the cassette in use a little after 3PM 3/4 of our way home. I gave the script for a month's supply of DuoDopa cassettes to our friendly chemist as soon as we got to town. Thus I was able to collect 8 packs of 7 cassettes from the chemist of Friday morning early. He was eager to empty his fridge of the boxes for obvious reasons. Later that day I bought a 35 litre 12V/240V car fridge (peltier device type) to store the DuoDopa, for, you see, the stuff needs to be kept at a temperature between 2-8 degrees C and must be kept out of the light. I had not appreciated these environmental restrictions, meaning wherever we are we need to carry refrigeration with us should we need to be away from home between 6-7 AM when the first cassette of the day is fitted, around 3PM when the second cassette is fitted, then perhaps around 10PM as well should it be decided she has continuous 24/7 medication. A 35 litre fridge is rather large; fortunately, we have a very small car fridge that she won in a raffle some 30 years ago, and still in working condition.
This morning I re-read the nurse prepared instructions for the DuoDopa pump to discover that the "Early Morning" dose button, used to initiate a surge of medication when the pump/cassette are first attached for the day was only being pressed once rather than being pressed twice so she was denied this higher bolus dose each morning thus giving her a slower start to each day since we have been home. Shit!!
I could transcribe more of my scribbled notes; but why be boring?
So our lives roll along, slightly improved but hoping for better outcomes.
posted by Kilpike | 12:26 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home