Firstly thank you to everyone who read/replied to Part 1. The thing I was most dreading happened this week. Dad was taken back to hospital by ambulance in fits of pain. The ambulance crew spotted two points of concern..
They suspected degeneration in his lower spine due to arthritis, and/or his pacemaker which was fitted 8 years ago.
Their notes including the medication list I gave them never reached A&E and as a result he sat on a trolley for 7 hours before admission AGAIN. If you haven't yet read Pt.1 you might not understand why I was dreading this day.
Dad lay on the trolley for nearly 2 hours with a possible spinal trauma, fitting and shaking every couple of minutes in the hallway of the reception in full view of the 20+ staff. He was invisible to them as they chatted, laughed and smiled as they slowly processed the patients at their leisure until a drunk woman was brought in by 3 police officers.
Now they sprang into action to placate her and the officers by finding her a booth immediately. At this point I decided that dad needed more than a repeat of what the ambulance staff had already done, and I pointed out that he hadn't even been offered pain relief never mind treatment. I asked how many 87 year old people with spinal issues who were fitting in the hallway were presently in front of dad in the queue.
They now found him a booth straight away but it took another hour for them to fit a cannula so they could take blood and give him morphine and a drip line. Dad was exhausted and at the 3 hour mark it had been over 8 hours since his last drink or meal. I got him some water and he sat there for another hour before they sent him for an X-Ray.
He had been on the trolley now for 5 hours and was sent back to A&E where he waited another hour for a doctor who said they would admit him.
After nearly 7 hours on a trolley I tackled a nurse about his situation and was told dad was fourth in line for a bed. I asked her why they had accepted him if they did not have the capacity to deal with any more admissions. She ignored the question but returned to his booth and informed me he would be taken by a porter to AMU.
After 2 more hours and let me remind you again now 14 hours without being offered a hot drink or even a sandwich, he was finally told by the doctor that his x-rays showed damage to his spine from arthritis......which he was told was suspected 9 hours earlier by the ambulance. The doctor then had the cheek to ask for his meds list AGAIN as A&E didn't send their notes up to AMU.
Lets put this in percpective now. My father at this point took 10 different medications which the doctor was unaware of before I told her. She made her diagnosis without reading about his past stay in hospital 2 years previously where he had 8 falls. all with head trauma, in 8 weeks, and was ejected from the hospital with 3/6 weeks to live with 7% liver and kidney function, and a compromised heart and lungs. He was put in a normal bed with no crash mats and now prescribed paracetamol which I now had to remind her had nearly destroyed his liver and kidneys 3 years ago. It was only in fact when his case manager flagged that oramorph was a cleaner alternative, that he regained normal liver and kidney function.
Dad and I were exhausted but I made sure I explained dads issues to the stafff nurse before I left. I emphasized he would try to go on one of his numerous trips to the bathroom alone if he was not monitored.
Next morning I found him in a bed with bars to stop him escaping, and he was forced to use bottles and bedpans if he wanted the toilet. He had already been given more paracetamol and was due more meds which included them again. As the nurse was about to give him them, I stopped her but she did not return with an alternative even though I brought with me a months supply of meds including his oramorph.
I made sure he ate dinner, made a sign pointing to his 2 boxes camomile teabags to put over his bed so he would drink, brushed his teeth, and took him to the bathroom with a walker I found lying around. As I left I reported to the staff nurse he was in pain and pointed out that he had missed his last pain relief. I also clipped his buzzer to his pillow as he was unable to reach it. They had also removed his support stockings which we used to stop water retention instead of using furosemide which would further damage his liver and kidneys.
My visit the next day brought a wry smile. Karma had reared its ugly head and now dad was in a clean set of hospital pjs even though I left 3 whole sets with his goodies and nightgown the previous day. He had on a new pair of hospital support socks even though I packed 2 of his, and I got the feeling he had got his own back for their neglect. They were feeding him coffee, a known diuretic which had increased his usual 20 evacuations to 30 or more and he sure was happy pressing that button because the nurses were kinda cute.......rolls on floor hysterically laughing.
I wont bore you with anymore details but it didn't get much better. After 5 days they released him and the sum total of his treatment consisted of an x-ray, an enema, painkillers that make him sleep all day and a laxative. They couldn't even do an MRI to find out the extent of the spinal damage because of his model of pacemaker.
His discharge from hospital was a farce leaving me with a dilemma. Do I leave him in a chair waiting for his meds with a driver outside clocking up parking fees for 3 hours, or get him home and settled and come back for his meds leaving him alone and at risk for 30 mins as I go back for them in a taxi. I decided to get him home, gave him his oramorph, and left him sleeping while I picked the new meds up.
His first night and day back were a nightmare. The new painkillers made him sleep all day apart from meals and toilet trips. He was disoriented and they surely did not help his dementia. I had found him at 3am soaked from the waist down in a puddle of his own urine, sitting on the toilet. He was still fitting in pain between his painkillers and very unresponsive.
Less than 24 hours after his release I phoned the ward he was on for some reasurance. It took 40 mins to get them to answer and I was eventually told that all the nurses and the doctor were too busy to talk or return a call. They told me to call an ambulance which would have probably meant 7 more hours on a trolley or call 111 to be given the same advice.
After four days at home I am managing his diet and liquids a little better and he is a little more comfortable but it is hardly ideal. A visit from his great grand daughter today made a huge difference so as usual it is swings and roundabouts, but we are fighters and we like a win.
Part 3 coming soon
They suspected degeneration in his lower spine due to arthritis, and/or his pacemaker which was fitted 8 years ago.
Their notes including the medication list I gave them never reached A&E and as a result he sat on a trolley for 7 hours before admission AGAIN. If you haven't yet read Pt.1 you might not understand why I was dreading this day.
Dad lay on the trolley for nearly 2 hours with a possible spinal trauma, fitting and shaking every couple of minutes in the hallway of the reception in full view of the 20+ staff. He was invisible to them as they chatted, laughed and smiled as they slowly processed the patients at their leisure until a drunk woman was brought in by 3 police officers.
Now they sprang into action to placate her and the officers by finding her a booth immediately. At this point I decided that dad needed more than a repeat of what the ambulance staff had already done, and I pointed out that he hadn't even been offered pain relief never mind treatment. I asked how many 87 year old people with spinal issues who were fitting in the hallway were presently in front of dad in the queue.
They now found him a booth straight away but it took another hour for them to fit a cannula so they could take blood and give him morphine and a drip line. Dad was exhausted and at the 3 hour mark it had been over 8 hours since his last drink or meal. I got him some water and he sat there for another hour before they sent him for an X-Ray.
He had been on the trolley now for 5 hours and was sent back to A&E where he waited another hour for a doctor who said they would admit him.
After nearly 7 hours on a trolley I tackled a nurse about his situation and was told dad was fourth in line for a bed. I asked her why they had accepted him if they did not have the capacity to deal with any more admissions. She ignored the question but returned to his booth and informed me he would be taken by a porter to AMU.
After 2 more hours and let me remind you again now 14 hours without being offered a hot drink or even a sandwich, he was finally told by the doctor that his x-rays showed damage to his spine from arthritis......which he was told was suspected 9 hours earlier by the ambulance. The doctor then had the cheek to ask for his meds list AGAIN as A&E didn't send their notes up to AMU.
Lets put this in percpective now. My father at this point took 10 different medications which the doctor was unaware of before I told her. She made her diagnosis without reading about his past stay in hospital 2 years previously where he had 8 falls. all with head trauma, in 8 weeks, and was ejected from the hospital with 3/6 weeks to live with 7% liver and kidney function, and a compromised heart and lungs. He was put in a normal bed with no crash mats and now prescribed paracetamol which I now had to remind her had nearly destroyed his liver and kidneys 3 years ago. It was only in fact when his case manager flagged that oramorph was a cleaner alternative, that he regained normal liver and kidney function.
Dad and I were exhausted but I made sure I explained dads issues to the stafff nurse before I left. I emphasized he would try to go on one of his numerous trips to the bathroom alone if he was not monitored.
Next morning I found him in a bed with bars to stop him escaping, and he was forced to use bottles and bedpans if he wanted the toilet. He had already been given more paracetamol and was due more meds which included them again. As the nurse was about to give him them, I stopped her but she did not return with an alternative even though I brought with me a months supply of meds including his oramorph.
I made sure he ate dinner, made a sign pointing to his 2 boxes camomile teabags to put over his bed so he would drink, brushed his teeth, and took him to the bathroom with a walker I found lying around. As I left I reported to the staff nurse he was in pain and pointed out that he had missed his last pain relief. I also clipped his buzzer to his pillow as he was unable to reach it. They had also removed his support stockings which we used to stop water retention instead of using furosemide which would further damage his liver and kidneys.
My visit the next day brought a wry smile. Karma had reared its ugly head and now dad was in a clean set of hospital pjs even though I left 3 whole sets with his goodies and nightgown the previous day. He had on a new pair of hospital support socks even though I packed 2 of his, and I got the feeling he had got his own back for their neglect. They were feeding him coffee, a known diuretic which had increased his usual 20 evacuations to 30 or more and he sure was happy pressing that button because the nurses were kinda cute.......rolls on floor hysterically laughing.
I wont bore you with anymore details but it didn't get much better. After 5 days they released him and the sum total of his treatment consisted of an x-ray, an enema, painkillers that make him sleep all day and a laxative. They couldn't even do an MRI to find out the extent of the spinal damage because of his model of pacemaker.
His discharge from hospital was a farce leaving me with a dilemma. Do I leave him in a chair waiting for his meds with a driver outside clocking up parking fees for 3 hours, or get him home and settled and come back for his meds leaving him alone and at risk for 30 mins as I go back for them in a taxi. I decided to get him home, gave him his oramorph, and left him sleeping while I picked the new meds up.
His first night and day back were a nightmare. The new painkillers made him sleep all day apart from meals and toilet trips. He was disoriented and they surely did not help his dementia. I had found him at 3am soaked from the waist down in a puddle of his own urine, sitting on the toilet. He was still fitting in pain between his painkillers and very unresponsive.
Less than 24 hours after his release I phoned the ward he was on for some reasurance. It took 40 mins to get them to answer and I was eventually told that all the nurses and the doctor were too busy to talk or return a call. They told me to call an ambulance which would have probably meant 7 more hours on a trolley or call 111 to be given the same advice.
After four days at home I am managing his diet and liquids a little better and he is a little more comfortable but it is hardly ideal. A visit from his great grand daughter today made a huge difference so as usual it is swings and roundabouts, but we are fighters and we like a win.
Part 3 coming soon
