need a hug

[aceblytons]

just come home from hospital,les had a bad fall on the stairs
it was just four steps he was going up and the chairlift was at the bottom he fell and snapped the arm of the chairlift and was twisted on the stairs and lying on his back at the bottom,i screamed for my neighbour he came and we managed to get him sat down.
i phoned for an ambulance 999 the pain was severe.
been at the hospital since 4pm
he looked so lost,frightened,and clinging to me.
they did tests gave him a good examening and he had to have
xrays done.
he couldnt move and was screaming with pain i went in with him
explained about the dementia because she couldnt get him in the
position to do the x ray, the person said to me
DID YOU SAY THAT HE HAD DEMENTIA,OH WE CANT DO IT i was so annoyed it was like she didnt want to be bothered.
two nurses who where very good put him flat on a trolly x rays
were done,no problem.
i could have cried when they kept him in,he was so confused
they say his back will be ok but the chest xray shows a bone
as i understand has pushed into his liver.
i will know more tomorrow.

very worried aceblytons

 

[Margaret W]

Oh that is so awful, I hope Les is more comfortable by now. You say a bone had pushed into his liver, I hope that it has now righted itself and the pain has gone. I have not a clue how to advise you, just wish you well and hope he is sorted out soon.

I didn't understand the issue with the chairlift, was he ignoring it and using the stairs himself and fell into it? You might have to educate him as to how to use it safely.

Hope all turns out well for him. Let us know.

Margaret

 

[Skye]

Oh dear, aceblytons, that must have been very frightening for you.

I do hope you have better news of Les today. Please let us know.

Love,

 

[DianeB]

aceblytons I'm so sorry that Les has had such a nasty fall. I hope today they can make him more comfortable and he gets a quick recovery. With regards to the nurse at the X ray I'm sorry to say that I am not surprised one little bit. This is a perfect example of why we need more specialized dementia nurses within our hospitals, hence why I started the petition I did.

You need some hugs so here are some cyber ones to keep you going (((((((((((((((((HUGS)))))))))))))))))

Love Diane xxxxx

 

[Grannie G]

Hello aceblytons

I`m so sorry to hear of your husband`s accident. It sounds so painful.

The rejection by the member of hospital staff is a disgrace. Did that mean patients with dementia were to be left unexamined? Thank goodness it was only one out of many but even so it is unacceptable.

I do hope they will have been able to make him more comfortable by the time you visit. Please let us know how he is.

Love xx

 

[aceblytons]

hi margaret

thankyou for your reply
about the hairlift that was got for me a few years ago
but les didnt use it a lot,i hadnt folded the chair up thats why he was on the stairs,but from now on he will have to use it
just lucky he was only a few steps up.(slipped or tia)i dont know yet.rang the hospital this morning thy said he was comfortable,they were waiting for the doctor
what really annoyed me was the attitude of the nurse in xray
i felt because he has dementia he was being pushed to one side.
will post again later,got to get up there just to be with him
aceblytons

 

[DianeB]

You could complain to the PALS dept at the hospital. That way somebody will speak to the nurse concerned and in future she will think twice about coming across as so uncaring.

 

[gigi]

Hugs......

Hello Aceblytons....

Just sending you hugs....and hoping that Les will be ok....

love gigi xx

 

[Margarita]

but les didnt use it a lot,i hadnt folded the chair up thats why he was on the stairs,but from now on he will have to use it

You may find that you will have to supervise your husband all the time when he uses it.
Just that my mother developed a fear of using stair lift after she used one in a care home. OT was going to get stair lift installed in to our home only if I supervise mum on it all the time , but after care home staff told me how scared mum was of using I never got one .

Mum could do the stairs to her room as long as I supervise her up down stairs, but I had to be behind her or in fount her all the time, I was worried that if mum put a foot wrong going up or down the stairs, to her bed room she would take me down with her as my mother panic a lot .

As in another place we lived on the 2nd fool with no lift, mum had a 2 falls going up the stairs, lucky for me I was in front of mum so mum did not take me down with her.
So now we are living in a house all bedrooms our upstairs , so mum now sleeping in front room.


Your husband may not have a fear of using stair lift, but may be confused in how to use it now not like to admit it so does not use it. That why OT said to me I had to supervise mum in using it, because mum may became confuse in how to use it

 

[jenny48]

Hi

Just to say I hope your husband is feeling more comfortable and that you get a bit of a rest, I am sure you need it you must have been very frightened, here's another hug for you (((((hugs)))))

Good Luck

Jenny

 

[aceblytons]

les

I would like to say thankyou for all the best wishes for les
and hugs for me,i really needed them,when i found TP it was the best thing i did it has helped me so much.i have been with les from 1pm to day and i got home about 11pm.
he is very confused because he is in a strange place,a lot of new faces,and he has told me he is frightened.
they are now waiting to do a scan and other tests (WHEN nobody
can tell me)the doctor saw him this morning i wasnt there,les cant tell me anything,as far as i know it will be tomorrow.
SS rang me this morning to ask how i was coping,she said she had a conversation with him and he was fine,he also ate his breakfast and was fine with that as well
Iknow that was not possible.
i had to give him his tea he could not manage it on his own i think it was because he is in strange surroundings.
the chairlift people are coming to repair it in the
morning,but i will be keeping a very sharp eye on les when he comes home.
i will be with him as soon as possible,its heartbreaking to watch him i dont like to leave him at a time when he needs me most.
will post another update tomorrow with better news i hope.
hugs to all
aceblytons

 

[aceblytons]

diane

diane i have filled in the petition,lets hope somebody will waken up and recognised that all of us need help.
keep up the good work we are all with you this one.
good luck
aceblytons

 

[Skye]

Thanks for the update.

Let's hope the improvement continues.

Love,

 

[DianeB]

the doctor saw him this morning i wasnt there,les cant tell me anything,as far as i know it will be tomorrow.

he also ate his breakfast and was fine with that as well
I know that was not possible.
/QUOTE]

This is exactly what happened to us too. Not one single nurse could give me an update of any Drs visits, and of course Mum couldn't remember just like Les. The fact is important decesions could be made and we are not made aware of them.
Also about the feeding issue, one morning I got to hospital for the nurse to say "your Mum ate all of her breakfast" ...until a patient in the opposite bed said "no she didn't they left it on the trolley, where it stayed until they took it away cold" so at that moment I then spoke to the nurse about this and he said well he thought she had eaten it!!! You can imagine how furious I was. It seems there is a huge lack of understanding when a dementia patient is admitted to hospital, either that or they just don't have the time required. Although I stayed by Mums side day and night all but 3 nights you could guarantee in those 3 nights and first thing in those mornings was when something happened... and to be honest it just is not acceptable. I understand its impossible for some to stay over and some hospitals just wont let you anyway, but nobody should have to feel that unless we do, the care they receive is just not what it should be.
I hope todays visit is positive and that Les is continuing to improve.
Sending you lots of hugs

Diane xx

 

[DianeB]

Also thank you for signing the petition xxxxxxxxxx

 

[jenny48]

Hi

Hope you get a bit better information today when you visit and that Les is more settled, here's another (((((hug))))) to keep you going a while longer.

Good Luck

Jenny

 

[aceblytons]

les

Got back from the hospital about 11pm,they told me to ring about
midnight that a senior doctor was coming to see him,i have been with him since 12-30 to day he is not responding to anythind or anybody.
his brother and his wife were there and he didnt know them,but he in alot of pain they are giving him strong pain killers.
spoke to the doctors and they are doing more tests and he said he was to ill to home.
les loves his food and i always said if he didnt eat then i would
know he was ill,he hasnt eaten to day i tried to feed him but he keep pushing it away.
his breathing is very bad on oxygen all the time,it was quite scary to listen to him.
tonight i can't settle i feel i could get a phone call,
i am very worried i feel he will not be coming home to me.

a very worried
aceblytons
just like to say he had a young nurse today and she was
fantastic with him,nothing was to much trouble.

 

[sue38]

Dear aceblytons

It sounds like you are having the same nightmare as us in the hospital.

Just wanted to say I am here for you and huge (((((hugs))))

 

[aceblytons]

sue

thankyou sue i need all the hugs i can get right
now.
love
aceblytons xxx

 

[DianeB]

Sending you loads of (((((hugs)))))

I am glad yesterday Les had a really nice nurse, they can make all the difference. Fingers crossed she is there today xxx

I know this is difficult but try your best not to think too far ahead. The reason I say this is although every person with dementia is different and although Mum didn't have any injuries on the 23rd Aug she had a second stroke, the next day she suffered a heart attack and was only gievn 10 hrs to survive, well she did and a few days later she had a seizure and she still pulled through. During this time what she ate wouldn't have filled a saucer, in fact throughout her 2 1/2 wk stay it wouldn't have filled a dinner plate. When our loved ones are in pain or really feel poorly they don't always eat. As long as Les is managing to get some fluids down him he should be OK for quite some time. Mum was on a drip. I don't want to raise your hopes up falsely but I honestly thought I was losing Mum and so did the medical team. You never know and hopefully Les will be the same. Don't give up, have faith and hope and take each and every day as it comes. Believe me it will be you thats notices the smallest of positive changes and I pray that you see some today.

Love Diane xxxxxxxxx