Something funny…
A friend sent a link to this blog…things have been stressful for us and she thought I could use a good laugh. Check it out, but make sure you have an empty bladder first.
It’s been a long, long while…
I’m embarrassed to see how long, actually. July was the last time I posted…wow! Lots has happened, so I at least feel somewhat in justified in neglecting my blog for so long.
The Husband and I bought a new house. We are enjoying having more space and our own yard. Now, The Husband and The Father-in-Law are fixing up the old house with the hopes of putting it on the market. We’ll see. Given the housing market in our area, my guess is that we’ll be renting it out to some medical students or residents in June.
The D’s medical problems have been an issue. We went up to the Children’s Hospital in the nearby metro area on the 20th so he could have an endoscopy. We may have a diagnosis for him by Wednesday or so. They think he has eosinophilic esophagitis. I asked multiple times for a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist and was always treated like I was an overprotective mother. Now, it seems he has been taking a medication (ie Prevacid) for 2 1/2 years that was likely doing little to nothing for his problems. Given his issues with asthma, it doesn’t seem like it should have been a big leap to consider eosinophilic esophagitis.
So, I’m a little angry right now. His esophagus was kind of a mess. There was unexpected bleeding during his procedure due to the fact that his esophagus was so inflamed that just the scope touching it caused it to bleed. It has likely been this way for a long time.
So, we’ll get confirmation of the diagnosis and then go from there.
Work has been fine…I need to post a few good quotes…I’ll end with one that came from me today…
“You can be as mad as you want about there not being any open psych beds anywhere in the state, but you need to stop yelling at me.”
My Mom’s Surgery…not without drama
It went great! They were able to take care of everything with just 4 bypass grafts, rather than 5 or 6. She was already starting to wake up when we saw her shortly after surgery.
But, the day has not been without drama. After we saw my mom, we went out for dinner (my dad, my 2 sisters and I). From there, I came home to get the extra bed ready for my older sister while everyone else went back to the hospital to see my mom. I got home and sent The Husband off to the grocery store. Then, I get a call from my dad. Of course I think something is wrong with my mom.
Well, my mom is still doing really well. It’s just that my younger sister passed out. She went from standing and talking to the RN and everyone else to face planting into a chair. So, right now she and my older sister are in the Emergency Department making sure she’s fine. I’m thinking it’s probably stress and dehydration.
A view from the other side…
July 23, 2010, 11:21 pm
Filed under:
death,
family conflict,
family life,
hospital,
husbands,
mom,
surgery,
worries | Tags:
bypass surgery,
CABG,
children,
parentsIt’s been awhile since I’ve posted…I’ve been very remiss about getting my blog updated. I’ve had a lot of stress these days, getting to see the hospital from the other side.
My younger son has developed some new medical problems. Stressful simply on the face of it, of course. It’s also stressful because The Husband and I are not at all in agreement about how to address it. I would like nothing more than to take him up to a specialist in the major metropolitan area north of us. My husband is advocating for a watch and wait and see approach. I’m giving it another few days.
My mother is also facing a challenge. She has risk factors for heart disease, primarily genetic ones. Her cardiologist really felt that they would be relatively minor at this stage. She had a slightly abnormal stress test. She needed a surgery and so they opted to wait to do an angiogram. She had very few symptoms, some minor shortness of breath and a “heaviness.” The cardiologist was very confident that she would possibly need a stent, at the most.
Unfortunately, he was wrong. She has severe, multi-vessel disease in her heart. She will be having a 5 vessel, possibly a 6 vessel, bypass on Monday. The good news is that she has somehow managed never to have a heart attack, so there is no damage to her heart muscle. She also has good kidneys and no ongoing wound issues from her diabetes. But, obviously this is a surgery that is not without some serious risk.
I’m obviously more aware of the serious risks since I work a lot in our ICU and I’m often called in when there are serious complications for patients undergoing open heart. The only issue I’ve had is having to explain to a sibling that, while she’s likely to do quite well after the surgery, there is a possibility she could die as a result of the surgery. It’s not likely but still a very real possibility.
So, I am attempting to relax this weekend. I’m going to my 20 year class reunion (God! Am I that old?) and also spending Sunday with my mother. Monday will be here sooner than I would like.
Please don’t worry, Carolyn!
I’m fine…in fact I’m brimming over with blog topics. The problem? Why am I not typing my little heart out? Same problem as per usual…how to talk about some of my experiences without breaching patient confidentiality, among other things…like pissing off family members, friends or co-workers should they stumble upon my blog and see themselves in what I’ve written. Not to worry…here’s a few tidbits from my life in recent weeks…
1. I had my first opportunity to be a witness in a court of law as a social worker. I doubt it will be my last, but I can hope, right?
2. Quote from a conference last week…”The transition to death with always remain difficult due to the widely and deeply held desire not to be dead.”
Looking a little “meth-y”
May 27, 2010, 8:07 pm
Filed under:
epidemic,
hospital,
hospital social work,
MSW,
social work,
social work ethics,
social work practice,
Uncategorized | Tags:
crank,
ice,
meth,
methamphetaminesSo, I saw a patient today that could only be described as “a little meth-y.” For the uninitiated, I’m talking about a person who likely has used methamphetamines in the last couple of weeks or maybe had been using very heavily within the last year.
The person didn’t have any of the behavioral characteristics of meth use, but just had that look that I’ve come to know. The person may only be in their early 30’s but can look closer to 50, their skin has an appearance that can only be described as “rough.”
Anyway, anyone who has much exposure to people who abuse methamphetamines knows what I’m talking about. My struggle today was how to document clearly what I am talking about. It is easy to just say, “The patient had the appearance of somewhat who uses methamphetamines.” But, is that enough? Would anyone know what I’m talking about??
Thoughts from any one of my 6 readers??
Social Work Fail…
I may start a new series here, much like The Trench Warrior’s “Stupid Social Worker Tricks”. Mine will be Social Work Fail.
Today I had a social work FAIL. It wasn’t horrible but it was one of those situations where I was like, “How did that come out of my mouth?”
So, I met with a female patient where I work. It wasn’t entirely clear why they wrote the order for me to come see her, so I was doing my little song and dance of “What Social Work Can Do For You!” So, she looks at me and says, “Oh, so if I have something I want to bitch about I can come to you?”
My response was, “Yes, that’s one of the things I do here, listen to bitches.”
Social Work Fail!
The Cumulative Effect
May 20, 2010, 7:45 pm
Filed under:
burn out,
hospital,
hospital social work,
job,
MSW,
social work,
social work practice,
Uncategorized | Tags:
burn out,
overwhelming jobSometimes there is a cumulative effect with all the shit I see on a daily basis in my job. Most days, I feel like I am able to, not necessarily brush it all off at the end of the day, feel like things went OK. But, every once in awhile, I hit the wall.
It’s been like that the past couple of weeks, I’ve hit the wall. I’m sick to death of people dying because they don’t have health insurance. I’m sick of having the same alcoholics come in again and again with a GI bleed, telling the doctors that, “Oh yes, I want to do whatever it takes to get better” and then telling me to get the f**k out. I’m sick of seeing people being essentially struck by lightening. Going on about your business and then getting hit by a drunk driver and being horribly injured is about the same as being struck by lightening.
The Husband has a hard time understanding why I go back every day. Frankly, I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t doing this job I do now. In some ways, it’s a job that is perfectly suited to my personality. And like I said, most days and weeks, I really feel like I’m absolutely where I’m supposed to be and serving my purpose in life.
But, I’ve hit the wall and need to find some ways to have some down time. At this point, I’m wondering if my purpose in life really is to get cussed out by alcoholics. Or if I’m really doing anything more than putting a metaphorical band-aid on a severed artery when I go in to talk with a family who has just experienced an enormous tragedy.
Sometimes it is all just too much!
I may have to put my money where my mouth is…
There is a certain group of physicians in my community that do not take Medicaid patients and only take a certain number of Medicare patients. If you don’t have insurance, well, let’s just say you’d better have your credit card and/or check book ready.
My family actually uses this group. It’s a large group with a number of specialities. My family has gotten all over care there. The Husband’s diabetes is well managed there. My two difficult and high-risk pregnancies were managed there. The pediatrician for The G and The D are there. The D’s asthma specialist is there. We have always gotten good care there, but I am thinking we are going to have to switch providers.
The thing is, I think that they are immoral assholes. I know a person who very likely has colon cancer. She has been seeing a GI doctor at this group and had been able to scrape the money together to see him because “he’s the best.” But, here’s the thing. This supposed health care provider won’t do her colonoscopy to give her a definitive diagnosis and determine an appropriate course of treatment until she is able to come up with $2500. I realize he’s probably not made that decision on his own, that this has come from the business office, but to me it might as well be the same thing.
So, she was approved for financial assistance through the organization I work for….after two and a half months. Now he’s going to “help” her by getting in to see one of our GI specialists.
I am disgusted and appalled by this situation. And frankly I’m a little horrified that we have supported this group financially over so many years. So, I’m starting the process to get our care transferred to other providers. I’m a little loath to transfer The D’s care due to all of his issues, but I may just have to. We’ll probably have to at least stick with the asthma specialist, but a mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do.
And this is also why I am continuing to advocate for health care reform. In case you weren’t aware, people really, truly are dying because they don’t have insurance. It’s not as dramatic to watch as a car wreck or plane crash, but sometimes it’s many times more tragic.
Amy's Life in Brief 