Yes, it's been a while since I've blogged. As you may know, my Mom has not been well with her back for over a year now.
Last Monday, my Dad called me real upset. He said Mom could not get out of the bed. She got as far as sitting up in bed, but couldn't get out of bed and then couldn't lay back down in the bed. I could hear her crying over the phone. Mom was telling Dad to call an ambulance because she couldn't stand the pain anymore. Dad didn't know what to do because we had just went to the hospital that past Thursday. Plus, she was scheduled to get a block the next day, Tuesday. I told him that I didn't know exactly what to do, but I was coming over because two heads are better than one. Meanwhile, he said he would call Maryann. When I got over there, poor Mom was in so much pain that you could see it on her face. I felt so bad. Thankfully, Maryann was right behind me and knew what to do. She and I stayed on the phone calling doctors, ambulances & hospitals. Dad couldn't hear real good, so I tried to assist Mom when I would hear her moan & cry out. She said her severe pain was located on the left leg from her hip to knee. She would just hold her leg, rock and moan. Poor thing. I wanted to do something for her so bad. We got an ambulance and they got her out of the house by a step chair. According to the EMTs, we had to take her to the nearest hospital because of her insurance. Shoot! They sold me because they said she would get the same treatment, less the distance. They also mentioned that if the doctor admitted her into the hospital, then the hospital could have an ambulance to transport her to the Pain Clinic for her block. That sounds real good. Right? Mom was treated so terrible at this hospital. First of all, you could tell the ER doctor (intern) didn't want to be there and then you've got the manly woman nurse man handling Mom into the car. I'm not lying! Mom couldn't get back in the car, when she was released, so this big old woman came over, bear hugged Mom and set her in the car. Poor Mom was in so much pain, she screamed, cried and begged Dad for help. Well, the nurse got an ear full from all of us, especially Susan. Susan got in her face with her finger, telling the nurse all of this was mishandled & uncalled for. I was stunned at what just happened! I was scared to death that the nurse made Mom's back problems worse. There were several nurses outside ready to assist, they all accused the ER doctor of directing them to transport Mom in this fashion. Unbelievable! We, the family, decided to file a report to the hospital Administrations Director against the ER doctor & responsible nurse. We also requested to meet with the ER doctor & any responsible parties. Right off the bat, Doug and I got the doctor's full name. Of course, no one would take responsibility to the problem and how it was handled. Fingers were pointing every where, but at themselves. We realized this problem probably would not be addressed later to the higher ups, so I didn't waste my breathe complaining too much. We did hear the doctor's side of the story & we continued to fill out the report for the director of administrations.
We all agreed to take Mom straight to another, more respectable, hospital. What a difference? The ER was very attentive to her needs and showed some compassion, according to Dad & Maryann. I was relieved to know she was there and they would allow her to stay in a "Overflow Room" because she was scheduled to go to the Pain Clinic at 8:45 a.m. When Mom got settled down (high powered meds), Maryann left the hospital around 4:30 a.m. I got to the ER around 7:00 a.m. to go with them to the Pain Clinic. I was so pleasantly surprised how wonderful the staff treated her and us. Because Mom was in so much pain, her doctor didn't want to give her a block without additional tests. The MRI showed she had for a fact a ruptured disk in the L4 & L5 area of her spine. Also what makes it so bad is the bone fracture was poking up through the spinal canal and pressing a nerve. The Neurosurgeon said this is a rare case because most bone fractures point down or break off into the Spinal Canal. You can see it clear as day on the x-rays. On the x-rays, you can also see where her spine is deteriorating. They wheeled her on the gurney all over the place, from the ER to the Pain Clinic. From the Pain Clinic to the Neurosurgeon and back to the hospital to be admitted. What a trip! We were just so pleased and thankful that they found out what was wrong with her. She was scheduled for back surgery the next morning.
I can't remember all the times, but she was one of the first patients to undergo back surgery that morning. The surgery was a great success! The incision was about an inch long and it took the doctor 30 minutes to do the procedure. Later that evening, a couple of nurses helped Mom get up out of bed and walking. It was a great feeling to see her sit, stand & walk without any severe pain. Yeah, she's a little sore, but nothing compared what the shape she was in on Monday. Normally, this type of surgery would be an outpatient thing. Since Mom came into the hospital in the condition that she did, the surgeon felt better if she stayed over night for observation.
After walking some more this morning, she got to come home this afternoon. I know she has to be relieved to be home. I believe, Katie and I are going to go by and visit a little bit tomorrow.
At the hospital, she received beautiful bouquets of flowers, plants, phone calls, balloons, cookies, chocolates, cards, and an angel (Doug & I bought her). While Mom was under a lot of meds, we couldn't help but giggle at the things she would say. Oh my gosh! First of all, her male nurse was "Joe" from New Orleans (Cajun). Oh, she loved him taking care of her. He had the dark hair, eyes & complexion going for him. Right off the bat, Mom tells Joe that I married a Cajun like him. What? Where in the world did she get that idea? He looked at me and started talking and I had to set him straight, "I'm not married to a Cajun." She says, "well, you know what I mean." Then a little later, Joe comes in and amazed how well he is taking care of Mom, Sue (jokingly) asked where was he the other night. She was thinking about the terrible experience at the other hospital. Mom speaks up and says, these girls' husbands are gone a lot. What? Susan said, "Mom. That's not what I meant." Before the night was over, Mom was calling Joe, "Joe-Joe." It seemed as if, what ever Mom was thinking came out of her mouth. We laughed and laughed at her, which was good to cut the tension. You never knew what Mom was going to say.
We are just so thankful for God answering our prayers!
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