What is it with 2am at Skip's rehab? Again the phone rang last night at 2am. Again, her blood pressure was low and they wanted to send her to an acute hospital ER. I tried to stop the madness, inquiring about hydration to get the pressure back up. They claimed they'd hydrated her and it hadn't brought the BP up to an acceptable level.
When I hung up the phone, I lay back in bed and started to consider the consequences of an ER run on Christmas morning. Figured this would lead to another admission and changes to some plans set up for the day. While I was contemplating who would need to be called as a result (though at a normal, human hour, to be sure!), the phone rang again. This time, it was the nursing supervisor informing me that Skip's BP was back up and the ER trip could be avoided. I was, if that seems possible, even more annoyed with this call than the previous one. In 15 minutes the situation righted itself and suddenly the drama was over? Feedback about this will be provided on Monday morning to Skip's doc and her case manager. There needs to be better management of hydration. Clearly, the reactive approach taken coming out of last weekend's debacle isn't sufficient. Proactive hydration via IV will be necessary.
Wound up, I couldn't fall back to sleep, so sat up for a bit. Finally went back to bed and slept until 8.
The original plans, thankfully, could stay in place. Our friends D&D took great care of us today by preparing a wonderful dinner, all plated for us, that I picked up at 1 to take to Skip. They also watched the dogs while I was at the rehab hospital. My brother and his family stopped in for a visit. I was so pleased they came by; it meant a lot to Skip and me that they did. The dinner was great. It was the best I've seen Skip eat since going into the hospital on December 7th.
I stayed with Skip until the early evening. After dinner she was drowsy and actually fell asleep twice. I chalked this up to poor sleep the night before. After picking the pups up from D&D's, I headed home for a quiet evening. With Skip in the hospital, I am able to watch all the football, college and pro, I'd ever want to see. Tonight's NFL game was a super snoozer, though.
Merry Christmas, Skip! And, Merry Christmas to you.
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6 comments:
Hi Cranky! My gosh, I agree with you...there has to be some kind of "hang time" before they throw you into a panic about Skip's blood pressure, my gosh. I'm just glad it was all regulated in the end.
Rain - too true. I've resolved to stop whining about this in blog posts, though. Unless they send her to the ER, mum's the word!
Well, I think you should blog about whatever you want! :)
I would have let the nurse have it though.
Thank God for friends like D&D!
What an amazing way to help make a difficult Christmas easier to take.
I hope that was your last 2am call.
I know that you will have a more than direct conversation with the clinical team involved in her care
Take care
Canadian connection
I think you should blog about whatever ails you. We're here to support you!
I cannot imagine getting a phone call at 2am and then trying to fall back asleep. Especially on Christmas. :-<
Grumble, grumble...but rumble on.
L&M (aka Canadian connection) - Yep, D&D's care was great for us on Christmas. I have to confess I wasn't really in a cooking mood but definitely wanted Skip to have a nice meal.
Sherry - you're right I should blog about whatever I want. But, I know I can sometimes whine too much! No more 2am calls in the last 10 days, yay!
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