If you're "just tuning in" this post may leave you wondering what the heck I am rambling about, I hope you take the time to go back and review my earlier posts so you can catch up with our true story that is sometimes stranger than fiction! I very much appreciate your thoughts and comments For anyone who has been along for the whole wild ride - Thank you!
How many chances would we get?
I was so caught up in researching and
continuously thinking about moms’ most recent diagnosis and prognosis, as well
as arranging transportation for her appointment with the infectious disease
doctor that was scheduled for August 13, 2013 that I had completely forgotten
about the appointment I had rescheduled
for mom back home for August 11th. We
had waited so long for this opportunity, I hated that I had to change the
appointment AGAIN. How many chances
would we get?
I had been searching for a new
primary care doctor to take over moms’ care for years with no luck. Due to moms’ multiple complex medical
problems, the general consensus was that she required the specialty care of an
internist. Unfortunately, mom had been
denied by every office in the relatively small town we live in and seemed to be
stuck with the internist she had been with for years; the internist who had
ignored obvious signs of infection on multiple occasions; the internist whose
office staff was every bit as arrogant as he was; the internist who we would
wait several weeks for mom to be seen after a hospital admission only to have
our concerns and requests dismissed. I
dreaded making the call to have to cancel the appointment with the new primary
care provider a second time before we had even met or been formally accepted to
their practice. What if they had a
“Three Strikes and You’re OUT” policy?
I reminded myself that this would
only be the second strike and dialed the number for the new doctors’
office. The receptionist was pleasant,
efficient and accommodating as she changed the “intake” appointment to early
September. I felt somewhat better but
because I had to change that appointment, it meant I had to make one
(hopefully) last appointment with her current PCP for her follow-up visit after
discharge from the SNF. With the
discharge date targeted for August 23, 2013, she would need a follow-up visit
by the 30th.
As much as I dreaded it, I dialed the
number to the Internists office. I was
told the first appointment available wouldn't be until the middle of
October. “But, this is for a hospital
discharge follow-up”, I knew the discharge papers would likely have orders that
mom was to be seen 5-7 days after they released her. When I told her mom was suppose to have another
surgery to remove the rods and replace the knee joint in October, the nurse
suggested we “might want to put it off until November” to accommodate the
Internists vacation schedule. “Are you
insane” I wanted to scream, instead I asked when the MA would be back who I
usually had to talk to in order to get “squeezed” in to the schedule; she was
on vacation until next week and they would leave a message for her to call
me. I hated that we would ever have to
step foot in that office again; I needed a break!
With it being a Friday afternoon, I
knew I wasn't going to make anymore headway in regards to doctor’s appointments
so I jumped at the chance to spend a few hours with my grand children so my
daughter could go out for a few hours.
One wouldn't think that taking care of a 3 month old and a 2 year old for
so short of time could be so tiring – I wondered how I had ever found the
energy to actually raise children! After
3 hours I was exhausted, but I still felt better than I had before my
babysitting gig! It may not have been a
“break”, but something about baby smiles and giggles just makes me feel good! Besides, I was only going to be in town for a
couple more weeks; how many chances would I get?
Moms smiles make me feel good too and
she grinned from ear to ear as I recounted the antics of my two year old
grandson when I returned to the SNF that night to help her get ready for
bed. We had just finished moms’ nightly
“getting ready for bed” routine and her clothes were laid out for morning when
the CNA popped her head in to see if we needed any help. I was thrilled to see that it was one of the
aides that I felt most comfortable with, she was so much better than "toothache" girl (who I will tell you about sometime!) I always slept better when I knew
this particular person was caring for mom; the fact that she brought me an icy
cold Pepsi whenever she was working was a bonus! Another break!
I had yet another brief respite the
following morning when I went to watch my grandson play soccer. OK. I
really wouldn't call it “playing” soccer, but watching 2 & 3 year olds
(each with their own ball) running around the soccer field is quite
entertaining and I loved every minute of it! You've never seen quite as much excitement as that moment when it’s
“snack time” after a hard practice! The
experience was priceless and I was so glad I had taken the time to be
there. After all, how many chances would
I get?
“Excuse me”, I smiled at a lady with
her grandson who was getting in to the car next to mine. Her smile was bright and she thanked me as I
It had been a good day so far and it
got a little better when I arrived at the SNF.
Mom was still in therapy, so I slipped quietly in to the room and
watched; I knew how important it was going to be to keep up the routines once
we returned home, so I took every opportunity I could to observe. I was pleased to see how hard mom was working
and amazed at how well she was doing; although getting to a standing position
even using her platform walker was a challenge, once she was standing she was
able to take a few steps. I hoped this
new diagnosis, and whatever the infectious disease doctor would tell us the
following week would not hinder her progress; I wasn't sure she could recover from another set-back. How many chances
would she get?
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