This Year is Our Year for Success!
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Our central air is gasping. Of course we're having super hot temperatures. It's always something.
Attending a 4-hour firm meeting this morning by phone. I didn't want to risk going in person.
Now I'm trying to get a whole Saturday's chores done in a half Saturday!!!0 -
Maryanne, was this the weekend your firm was having in-person meetings and dinner? Probably best that you stayed home and attended virtually, though it’s a shame you had to give up half of your Saturday.
MIL’s first week went well in her new assisted living, but this morning the nurse threw a monkey wrench at us. At one point MIL was on high doses of OxyContin and Oxycodone for chronic pain. The doctor she saw in El Paso handed that stuff out like candy, unfortunately. After she moved to Houston, her doctor at the assisted living facility there immediately worked to transition her to methadone instead and she did well on it. We saw an immediate improvement in her demeanor, energy, lucidity, etc. Fast forward to this morning when I got a call from the nurse informing me that the PA who sees patients there doesn’t prescribe anything stronger than Tramadol and she had her last methadone pill last night at 8. Tramadol won’t help her at all and we won’t be able to get her in to see a pain management specialist before next week, at the earliest. Withdrawal symptoms from methadone will likely start tomorrow and worsen for 2-5 days. It’s not a drug one should stop abruptly. I’m really annoyed that they had all week to review her meds and let us know we needed to set up a pain management doctor for her, but didn’t do so until after giving her the last dose they had and notifying us on the weekend when it’s impossible to get her in to see someone. I’m not optimistic about getting her an appointment on Monday but we will start trying as soon as the offices open. I’m afraid she will end up in the hospital if her withdrawal symptoms get too severe.0 -
Yes, this was the weekend I skipped the firm festivities.
Pam - that's absolutely atrocious that a PA made a weekend call like that. As I think I mentioned, I'm never going in a nursing home. I've made that vow and made sure I have the means here to carry it out. Not happening. I've just heard too many horror stories and finding out that nursing homes and long term care facilities are owned by real estate dudes (including some of my clients) helped clinch it for me. They don't see if as a caring profession but rather as a real estate investment like owning an apartment building.0 -
It was actually the nurse who oversees the medication program who called. The PA hasn’t seen MIL yet. I fault the nurse for this because she had the medication list in hand for about a week prior to admission plus 5 days afterward. My opinion is that she should have reviewed it and noted that there would be an issue with prescribing this drug and notified us ASAP so that we could be proactive in arranging an appointment at a pain clinic for her. Instead she waited until AFTER the last dose of the drug had been administered, then notified us on a weekend that there was an issue. I’m hoping this is an isolated incident. So far MIL seems to be ok with whatever they are giving her instead, but withdrawal symptoms can take a day or two to start. We are going down to see her in a little while, so I’ll have a better idea of how she’s doing then.0
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Pam, that seems like a nightmare. I hope MIL can avoid the worst of the withdrawal symptoms. This never should have happened since there was plenty of time to review her meds and advise you.0
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It was actually the nurse who oversees the medication program who called. The PA hasn’t seen MIL yet. I fault the nurse for this because she had the medication list in hand for about a week prior to admission plus 5 days afterward. My opinion is that she should have reviewed it and noted that there would be an issue with prescribing this drug and notified us ASAP so that we could be proactive in arranging an appointment at a pain clinic for her. Instead she waited until AFTER the last dose of the drug had been administered, then notified us on a weekend that there was an issue. I’m hoping this is an isolated incident. So far MIL seems to be ok with whatever they are giving her instead, but withdrawal symptoms can take a day or two to start. We are going down to see her in a little while, so I’ll have a better idea of how she’s doing then.
It's such a weird period of history. On the one hand the service in so many places is abysmal. OTOH the labor shortages are mind blowing. Every time I get frosted with the vet I force myself to chill but boy, it's not easy. I guess if hospitals are short staffed, nursing homes which were purposely short staffed to begin with, are probably in even worse shape.
We've been working 7 days a week and we're not important. The folks who are important don't seem to be putting in the hours. That is, of course, their prerogative but somehow as a country we have to figure out how to deal.
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What a day! We got MIL to her appointment with the pain management doc but had to go 45 minutes early to do all of their paperwork. Much of that was pure guesswork since neither DH nor I know much about her medical issues beyond the various surgeries she has had over the years. She has begun to experience some withdrawal symptoms and while we were there she began crying and wanting to leave without waiting to be seen. We convinced her that she had to tough it out because she would only feel worse if we left without being seen since there would be no pain medication prescription. Part of the problem was that she was very cold. The room was chilly, but not unbearably so, IMO. However, the medical assistant was so kind. She brought her own sweater and fleece blanket from her desk and draped them around her, and said if that didn’t warm her up enough, she would bring in a space heater. Luckily, that seemed to calm MIL down enough to wait it out, though she was not happy about it. By the time we were able to leave, it was almost time for my weekly OT appointment, so DH dropped me off on our way back, then took his mom back to her place. After he got her settled back in her apartment he went to report in to the nurse who oversees the meds and ran into another problem. It seems that a 10 day supply of her hydrocodone is missing. It appears that it got left behind in her previous facility, but they weren’t able to confirm that. In the meantime, her drug plan refuses to fill a new prescription since it’s too soon since her last refill and this is strictly regulated. By this time I was through with my appointment, sitting in the waiting room wondering where my ride was. I finally talked to DH and found out what was going on, so I called for an Uber to get home. DH got home about an hour later but the medication issue is still unresolved. I’m hoping MIL doesn’t end up in the ER tonight with severe withdrawal and/or a panic attack which she has done when she’s in pain.0
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Pam - that's just horrendous! I hope she doesn't end up in the ER and gets her meds!!!!!0
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Fingers crossed, but it looks like we have all the medication issues worked out, at least for now. They were able to get her methadone last night, and tonight they got the hydrocodone, so she should be back to her regular medication regimen at this point. Hopefully by tomorrow she should be feeling mostly back to her normal state. I hope there’s no more drama this week. DH has his colonoscopy on Friday, so I really don’t need any more issues to handle. I have to get blood drawn tomorrow so I can get my Prolia injection, but that shouldn’t be a big deal. I’ll make sure to drink lots of water tomorrow all day before I go, so that should help with them finding a vein. That’s always the biggest issue for me with lab work. Sometimes my veins aren’t very cooperative.0
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Fingers crossed, but it looks like we have all the medication issues worked out, at least for now. They were able to get her methadone last night, and tonight they got the hydrocodone, so she should be back to her regular medication regimen at this point. Hopefully by tomorrow she should be feeling mostly back to her normal state. I hope there’s no more drama this week. DH has his colonoscopy on Friday, so I really don’t need any more issues to handle. I have to get blood drawn tomorrow so I can get my Prolia injection, but that shouldn’t be a big deal. I’ll make sure to drink lots of water tomorrow all day before I go, so that should help with them finding a vein. That’s always the biggest issue for me with lab work. Sometimes my veins aren’t very cooperative.
I'll keep my fingers crossed too!
DH, who started as a lab tech before moving into management, always said I have good veins. He had bloodwork this week and was quite dismissive of the technique of the tech (and I admit he's got a daggone big bruise).
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I wonder if I can post this successfully. Say "hi" to the newest Dubbs. Showed up in our backyard. Took 2 months before we could touch him but he's made a major turnaround. Signed him up for pet insurance yesterday so I think he's officially Simon Dubbs.
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And doesn't my hand look old like the old lady it's attached to. LOL!0
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Well, Simon certainly looks happy to be an official member of the Dubbs clan!0
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Medicare search for nursing home:
https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/?utm_campaign=20220811_emd_cc_gal_v2&utm_content=english&utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery0 -
I put in the name of the place where an acquaintance was over the last year and, to no one's great surprise, got one star.0
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My strategy of drinking so much water my eyeballs are floating worked. I had a good lab tech who was able to get my sample on her first try, and so far it looks like I might not even have a bruise. It was nice to leave the house for awhile. DH is prepping for his colonoscopy tomorrow so that means nothing but clear liquids today and boy is he crabby! I’m sympathetic to an extent, but he’s also making it harder on himself than he has to. He’s allowed broth and jello, but declined both. He’s had black coffee and apple juice so far and neither has made him happy. It’s gonna be a long day, lol!0
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My strategy of drinking so much water my eyeballs are floating worked. I had a good lab tech who was able to get my sample on her first try, and so far it looks like I might not even have a bruise. It was nice to leave the house for awhile. DH is prepping for his colonoscopy tomorrow so that means nothing but clear liquids today and boy is he crabby! I’m sympathetic to an extent, but he’s also making it harder on himself than he has to. He’s allowed broth and jello, but declined both. He’s had black coffee and apple juice so far and neither has made him happy. It’s gonna be a long day, lol!
YEAH! Same here - DH makes SUCH a big deal out of it!0 -
Forgot to mention today's our 49th wedding anniversary!0
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Happy anniversary. We have our 50th next month. We’re not big party people and the family live in different states. So I just booked a couple nights on the North Shore for a private celebration for 2.
Pam, glad all the family medical issues are working out for you, DH and MIL.
Maryanne, I’m jealous watching you pet Simon. That’s a big accomplishment to get a feral cat to cuddle with you. What’s the family cat census these days?0
