MIL in A & E last night

[lizzybean]

My OH had taken her & her sister out for lunch & as he left she turned to go upstairs & tripped & fell. Carer called me at 4.10pm to let me know that she had a largish skin tear on her leg & 4 smaller skin tears on her elbow.
Doesn't your heart just drop at the thought of all that time you know you are going to spend sat going round & round in circles? The first hour or so was not too bad. When we saw the doctor he was very good & thorough then he sent us to wait for a nurse to dress the wounds. Then she got more agitated, more on my behalf than her own. I should go because my family (her son!) would be worried/waiting for me. Had I had my tea yet/what would I do about it? It's OK you go, I'll get the bus & on & on & on. You know what it's like.

Some surreal moments. I gave her a mint, that's why she fell because she had a mint! Oh OK. Gave her some water, that's why she fell cos she had a bottle of water! Oh OK. There was another similar thing which I can't remember.

We waited 2 hours for the nurse who then took 5 minutes to clean & dress the wounds.
On the way home, obviously remembering her afternoon out but forgetting the 4 hours in A & E, she said haven't we had a lovely day! Yes, I squeaked. As we got to her front door she said, shall I take these off now? Indicating the dressings. NO!!!!!!!!

 

[jenniferpa]

Well at least she remembered it as a lovely day, even if you didn't.

I hope she keeps those dressings on, sigh.

 

[Cat27]

I think A&E is so stressful for PWD as its so bright, busy & noisy.
I hope mil keeps the dressings on.

 

[WORRIER123]

Dad has bad back pain from a fall and cuts on his arms
The carer dressed the arm and offered an ambulance but dad refused.
I am debating now getting him to a&e for an X-ray but can't face it as like you think it will be too distressing

 

[Hair Twiddler]

Sorry lizzybean - hate to say this but be prepared for the dressings to come off.
Not so very long ago mum fractured her wrist, A&E put a short (below elbow) cast on. The following morning mum appeared from her bedroom with no cast on eek:) apparently "they" had said that she could take it off - so she had pulled if off!! The plaster room were great, I had their direct number and they told me to come straight in and they replaced the cast, Well, 4 weeks later it happened again. The plaster dept said that if it happened again mum would have to have a long, above the elbow, cast put on. Thank heaven it didn't come to that.
The only 2 bright upshots of this story is that mum's wrist recovered fine and I now know that I'd prefer the red coloured outer wrapping on any cast - rather than the blue and green ones we also had .
Get yourself a stock of dressings and don't beat yourself up if it happens.

 

[CeliaThePoet]

My mother broke a bone in her foot 10 days ago. Thankfully, she wasn't given a boot or a cast, as she wouldn't cope at all with that, but she takes off the Ace bandage all the time. She doesn't remember that her foot was injured ("Well, the one foot hurts, but the other is fine" is how she frames it) and anyway, it must be fixed by now. I've asked that the assisted living staff check that she has a bandage on a few times per day. Now she calls me to complain that they keep showing up but give her no help.

I would like not to be needed.

 

[Slugsta]

Oh Lizzybean, I feel for you! I have had 2 visits to A+E with Mum this year, both are scarred on my memory!

'Fortunately' the angle of Mum's wrist plaster made it impossible to remove - otherwise it would have been off once it stopped hurting enough to remind her about the injury. She has driven everyone crazy and we were all glad when it was taken off on Friday. They gave her a splint to wear when her wrist is sore. She keeps asking when she can take it off - then forgets, so doesn't take it off but still moans about it! The problem is that I don't want to remove it altogether cos I think she probably does need it when she is using her rollator a lot . . .

I do hope your Mum leaves the dressings alone and heals quickly.

 

[Stevey]

Lizzybean I had to smile at your story. I had my first experience of A&E with mum (thankfully nothing major but still a very, very difficult time) and neither of us would want to go through it again.

Hoping she behaves herself with those dressings and gets well soon!