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Message started by drharveys on 03/13/11 at 18:56:46

Title: Mom's heading home!
Post by drharveys on 03/13/11 at 18:56:46

Had a pretty tense weekend. My mother ended up in the hospital. Lots of pain, but not life-threatening. A pinched nerve that had been bothering her for a long time finally reached a tipping point and went from annoying to excruciating. The first few phone calls she was miserable, but coherent. Once the pain meds kicked in, well, Mom wouldn't make a very good junkie -- morphine turns her into a delusional zombie. Add to that the fact that she's deaf as Beethoven but refuses to admit it, and the hospital staff was convinced she was flat out demented. Fortunately someone took her off the dope, and by the time my brother got there he was able to demonstrate that she was deaf, not senile. So -- while she probably should go to a rehab center for some intense physical therapy, she refuses, feeling that it's just a stepping stone to a nursing home. It'll be home health worker, and we'll see if she gets the therapy. She's heading home tomorrow, my brother will return next weekend to check on things, and we'll be seeing her in April as planned.

Y'know, it's really nice having you guys to vent to!

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by kimchris1 on 03/13/11 at 21:10:41

Hey drHarvey's. nice to hear she is going to be ok.
You can vent anytime. Our Moms are very special
people.
Again, nice to hear she is doing better.. hugs. :) kim

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by Serowbot on 03/14/11 at 00:22:57

You go, Mom!... ;)...

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by Wolfman on 03/14/11 at 01:48:17

Home health workers are nice and she will get more attention but rehab centers will usualy do more rehab wise. Less nonsense.
Many nurseing homes(you bring em in to an appointment) will have patiants brought in from their homes a couple of times a week. Medicare takes care of most if not all of it.

IF, i say IF, you have to think about a nurseing home if/when it gets to be to much, make sure you do a good background check and ask around a LOT for info. Good ones are expensive, even after medicare and insurance. Some are worse than jails.
And on that note DONT do the nurseing home unless you really have to. Sometimes at some point it becomes impossible for the family to take care of them depending on their ailment.
I speak from experiance. Dont do the nurseing home unless you absolutely have to. Use a home health nurse to help you out.

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by babyhog on 03/14/11 at 05:18:18

Yea doc, this is a great vent zone!

Glad your Mom is doing better. How old is she? And what did they do about the pinched nerve?

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by Driller on 03/14/11 at 05:31:26

You are not alone....what you described is almost exactly what I have been dealing with the last three weeks with my Mom. 91 yrs, a fall, two vertebrae fractured, surgery and the aftercare. She is nearly blind instead of deaf. Surgery was amazing and healing is coming along nicely, but the whole event took a lot of starch out of her emotionally and physically. Definite improvement when she got home Friday.
I wish your mother well and hope she will continue to improve.
One thing that came out of this was a willingness to have a conversation about a long range "game plan" for future needs.

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by drharveys on 03/14/11 at 17:20:05

Well, now she's not going home till tomorrow. They're waiting for the results from one more test, if it's as expected she's outta there.

The big question is whether she can still drive. I guess that's the "carrot" to put her through the "stick" of the PT. If she can, she'll be back in her own place. If not, there's a seniors apartment building close to my brother's place and across the street from Trader Joe's. She could rent out her condo -- it's close to the beach and would more than cover an apartment that's not close to the beach.

However, for now at least, she's out of pain, and hopefully on the mend.

Thanks for some sympathetic ears to bend!

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by Southpaw on 03/14/11 at 18:28:21

Hoping for the best for you all. Keep your spirits up and keep us posted.

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by Boofer on 03/15/11 at 20:21:29

First I'll say, "There's no place like home." But we fail to mention that many who go into nursing homes come out in 6 months feeling better and go back home. My wife worked in a NH in social work and medical records for 17 years. I never even realized it myself until she told me. Being around other people and a little physical activity seems to be what humans need. The results are amazing with some, and their will to live is restored. Good news. :)

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by drharveys on 03/16/11 at 01:41:56

Mom's back in her own home with her dogs and a home health lady. She sounded better on the phone, we'll see how much physical therapy she actually does at home. She's also pretty deaf, and will not wear hearing aids. She doesn't like them, even though the rest of us can see an improvement in communication when she wears them.

This produces some problems. When the hospital staff talks to her, she responds to what she thinks she hears. The disconnect results in mis-communication, she responds with a combination of stubbornness and argumentation, so the staff thinks she's senile. I suspect this also messes up her gaining any real information or help from her doctor.

Well, I should be seeing her in April for her birthday, among other things. I'll see what's going on then...

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by kimchris1 on 03/16/11 at 07:30:23

Doc, nice to know she is home. Sorry to hear though
that she refuses to wear her hearing aids. Yet isn't their
something in her records that tells the workers she wears them?
If not, then their should be.
I remember when I was a CNA that we had records on our patients
that stated what they had, ex hearing aids, dentures, pace maker, etc.
All they have to do is read that she should be wearing them, check and
see their not in her ears and, that would help with the problem of her
being mistaken for being senile instead of hard of hearing.
Then again, when she persists not to wear them when home or out and about, it does propose a problem.
I wish her all the best in her recovery. Hope the fact that she is home for now will help with the p.t. Hug her and enjoy every min, stubburn or not.. :) kim

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by Boofer on 03/16/11 at 17:22:15

kimchris, Since you mentioned you were a CNA, I have more respect for you. CNA's don't get the pay or respect they deserve. :)

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by kimchris1 on 03/16/11 at 21:38:55

Thanks Boofer and I agree. It has been awhile since I was an CNA and
in fact looking into getting back into the field.
Wish now I had stayed with it and gone onto nursing school.
I would gladly take care of Doc's Mom if she lived closer..:) kim

Title: Re: Mom's heading home!
Post by John_D FSO on 03/17/11 at 23:36:48

Glad to hear your Mom's doing better Doc. Hopefully being in her own home will help her recuperate quicker.

It's always a downer to hear about your Mom having medical issues. I mean c'mon, it's Mom! She's the one who helps you when you're sick, she's not supposed to be sick. Aren't Mom's indestructible after all? :-? Close enough anyway. Here's to all you tough Moms! [smiley=beer.gif]