Freepers sister in life or death situation-Florida-help please!! PRAYER REQUEST

me | December 9, 2003 | me

[Lando Lincoln]

Heartfelt prayers to you, your sister and entire family. God bless. Lando

[Beach_Babe]

Mary Ann,

I don't know if Shands is any better than the other hospital. Days ago they requested my permission to insert a picc line and drain that fluid. Neither has happened yet. They said they were backed up, they'll do it Monday ....

They have taken Marilyn off all the other stuff she was on and now she's on Cipro only ... it seems to be clearing up the skin rash. But that's about the only good thing.

She now in a special air bed ... there's no mattress ... the air blowing from beneath keeps the body aloft. Claudia says it's called "the coffin".

Once the cows belonging to someone near me were mooing in what Marilyn thought was distress. It distressed her so that she wanted to call the animal cruelety people in ... to rescue the bovine. Well, the sounds coming from her remind me of those cows. Constant --- continual gutteral groaning for hours on end.

Claudia finally got them to give her some morphine ... and them some more ... and finally we got a doctor's order for 4 cc's(?) of morphine hourly and an anxiety drug also. It's pitiful seeing her suffering so. The one thing she requested in her health care directive was to be kept pain-free and that's not happening.

[austingirl]

Prayers on the way

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

Hi Alice, I'm going to respond to you and update TexasCowboy and the others all in one post. Asking him and the others to PLEASE PING THE PRAYER WARRIORS with your update in italics posted below my response to you.

Alice, my FIRST SUGGESTION.. take a picture of Marilyn on duty as an RN, like the one posted here,...put it in a FRAME, and sit it by her bedside. It will be a POIGNANT REMINDER.. that she IS ONE OF THEM!!! (Desperate times call for desperate measures). Put a note on it.. Saying "THIS IS MARILYN IN HAPPIER TIMES"!

You shouldn't have to do this,.. they SHOULD TREAT every patient the same. But sadly, there is a shortage of nurses,..and it is what it is. Shands, DOES have an EXCELLENT reputation. But this is the state of health care in the United States today. Sad, huh? (I remember when we used to give EVERY patient a 10 minute backrub at night!! I was a candy striper and did them too!) If you don't get results,... Call the desk and get a nursing SUPERVISOR to come to Marilyns bed. If they got permission to put in a picc line a couple days ago.... but have yet to put it in .. and they are saying they are JUST TOO BUSY.. then you need to ask the NURSING SUPERVISOR if this is right. If you are right to be concerned about your sisters care.. and explain to her that after what happened at Oncalla, you are VERY nervous. When she see's your sister,.. I don't think she will think you are overacting Alice!

The airbed is excellent! However, I wonder why they can't put her on an abdominal morphine pump. It is a constant drip.. that would afford her constant pain control. We used to use it on our hospice patients who were out of it too much to push a button to control their pain. It was awesome.

Please see if Shands has a patient advocate.

Gosh hon.. I'm so sorry,. she sounds like she is in constant pain. No one should suffer like she is. PRAYERS CONTINUE!!!! Please Dear God, help Marilyn, and if it is your will that she is to live, help the doctors soon. But if she is to die, let it be peaceful and merciful.

Alice, what the HECK is her diagnosis????? Haven't the SHANDS Doctors come up with ANYTHING? Even a suggestion?

God Bless you all!!

You are in my prayers constantly.

Mary Ann

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To: Vets_Husband_and_Wife

Mary Ann,

I don't know if Shands is any better than the other hospital. Days ago they requested my permission to insert a picc line and drain that fluid. Neither has happened yet. They said they were backed up, they'll do it Monday ....

They have taken Marilyn off all the other stuff she was on and now she's on Cipro only ... it seems to be clearing up the skin rash. But that's about the only good thing.

She now in a special air bed ... there's no mattress ... the air blowing from beneath keeps the body aloft. Claudia says it's called "the coffin".

Once the cows belonging to someone near me were mooing in what Marilyn thought was distress. It distressed her so that she wanted to call the animal cruelety people in ... to rescue the bovine. Well, the sounds coming from her remind me of those cows. Constant --- continual gutteral groaning for hours on end.

Claudia finally got them to give her some morphine ... and them some more ... and finally we got a doctor's order for 4 cc's(?) of morphine hourly and an anxiety drug also. It's pitiful seeing her suffering so. The one thing she requested in her health care directive was to be kept pain-free and that's not happening.

282 posted on 12/21/2003 9:42:45 PM PST by Beach_Babe

[msmagoo]

Beach_Babe, I am praying for Marilyn, that she makes it, though she sounds very sick there is always hope. I hope they drain that fluid very soon. I think the photo of her in her nursing days next to her bed is an excellent idea. Hope she gets some extra care and attention as a member of the nursing profession who contracted the HepC in the course of caring for others, as she now depends on others to care for her.

[TEXOKIE]

re your 284:

Words fail. I can confirm the dismal situation concerning the nursing shortage. Nurses who are working these days LITERALLY barely have time to care for the patients they are assigned. With the HMO's and the federal guidelines outlining the length of hospital stays for particular conditions (as though we were cars and all alike!) has caused the situation to develop whereby the people who are hospitalized are sicker and need more care than previously. And yet there are fewer nurses to do that care. As sad as it may seem, even important things like inserting pic lines can drop through the cracks or get prioritized below someone with an even more pressing need. It is an outrage that Marilyn or anyone has to be subjected to such poor care, but I certainly have empathy for the nurses as well. Please remember that in most circumstances it really isnt the nurse's fault. The nurses I know WANT to baby and care for their patients. They literally just do not have the time. Policies and conditions created by regulations and profit motive health care force our nurses to practice in a very frustrating environment.

Blessed Father of us All

We continue to petition for your Divine Will in the life of our sister Marilyn. Please, Father, clear the way for her to receive the best care that is available in the hospital to which you have brought her.

FAther, clear the way and have mercy on the nurses in that and all hospitals. Father, these magnificent, caring servants are truly overburdened and sometimes find it hard to get all the tasks completed that their shifts require of them. Father, send legions of your healing, mercy, love, and efficiency angels into that and all hospitals and shatter all disorganization, chaos, confusion, frustration, and anxiety which can affect the smooth running of a modern hospital.

Father, heal our health care system in this nation. We ask that you will inspire young people to pursue nursing as their calling. We ask that you will intercede and cause the correct conditions of pay and reasonable hours for this to occur. Father, guide our leaders as to what YOUR answer for our broken health care system should be.

Again, blessed Father, we hold Marilyn up to you and pray for your Will. Heal her perfectly according to thy Will. Let all her pain and suffering be mitigated either by proper medication, or by your direct intercession at a cellular level. Father, we know not your Plan for her, but we affirm that we do trust and have faith in you. We ask and accept that only your Divine Will can and shall take place.

Father, we thank you for working with Marilyn and her loved ones so closely. Thank you for the evidence you give us as to the effectiveness of our partnership with you through our prayers. Let our prayers be multiplied, Father, to bless Marilyn and to cover any and all who may be in a similar situation of need.

Amen

[DLfromthedesert]

I believe health care would be MUCH better if the federal bureaucracies weren't so involved with their stupid requirements that don't benefit patients, but increase paperwork. When the Medicare and Medicaid programs were begun, that was the beginning of our major health care woes, JMO.

[TexasCowboy]

Beach Babe, I'm so very sorry this is not going the way we had hoped.
I know this has to be very frustrating to you and Claudia.

The air mattress was a very good idea if it keeps down the bed sores. I was going to suggest a sheep's skin, but the mattress might eliminate the need for that.

I know the quality of our medical care has gone down the drain because of governmental regulations, but there are some things that simply must be done by the hospital staff.

I agree with Mary Ann. I'd be in their face constantly to get that picc line in and to put her on a morphine drip.
What have we heard about the possibility of this abscess being Herpes Zoster?
Have any tests been run to determine that?

Once again, dear Lord, we come to you on bended knees asking for your loving help for Marilyn.
Please, dear Lord, help this woman live!
Ease her pain and comfort her.
Please give the doctors and nurses the desire and the means to help her recover.
We believe in your power, dear Lord.
Please show us your love for this woman.
Please heal Marilyn, dear Lord.
We ask in Jesus name, Amen.

[Soaring Feather]

Please ease this woman's pain Lord.

Amen.

[Pegita]

Heavenly Father, we return to give You thanks that Marilyn has an army of advocates before the Throne of Grace. We ask, O God, that You would move swiftly and mightily to stir the Doctors and Nurses and caregivers to bring the relief that is needed. Direct Beach_Babe and Claudia to the very people who also can be an advocate for Marilyn, for surely the staff must see her distress. I pray that You will move in the hearts of the Nurses, that each would render the tender care that Marilyn has done for so many others. We look to You, O God, for Your provision for her ... send healing and refreshment to her, in the Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen ...

[hocndoc]

Prayers for pain relief and healing. God bless Marilyn and those who love and care for her and those who are taking care of her.

[MissAmericanPie]

I know how mind numbingly exhausted you are. Having cared for my mom for a couple of years at home, and then living and sleeping at the hospital with her for three weeks made me forget what day it was, my husband and son were almost strangers.

But you have to go through it. There were so many times that she needed someone to be there who knew what was going on to keep the nurses from making a mistake. The same with my husband and his cancer surgery. Once a nurse came in, very professional, very caring, and was going to shove his stomach tube farther down because it seemed too short, her not realizing and it not marked on his chart that his stomach had been moved up into his chest.

In both cases at one time, or two, I had to pitch a little fit. It does not hurt to get a little determined and demanding. I had promised my husband I would make sure he was not in any pain. They had him in ICU an hour and a half after his surgery before they would let me visit. I walk in and no morphine drip. They said they were waiting for the Doctor to get out of a conference to order the drip. Gerrrrrr. I had that morphine drip going in less than ten minutes.

There is a little trick you can use that gets them moving real fast. Tell them you have thoroughly read and understand the patients rights pamplet that was given you. And that you don't think things are being done in accordance with that pamplet. Let me tell you, they fly around in a big hurry making you happy.

Marilyn is in my prayers, and so are you for strength and endurance. Please email me if there is anything you think I can do to help you.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

A Prayer of HEALING for MARILYN:



"Almighty GOD,

If it be Your will...

Please Heal her with your LOVE.


If it not be Your will then...

Please Heal her Fear"



AMEN

.

[herewego]

still praying and hoping.

[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

I respect your opinion, but I did have time to care for my patients. I would NEVER have left for the day if a patient needed something like a catheter removed, or an IV removed. There are ONLY so many beds on a floor. I think this is in-excusable. Shortage or not. I totally respect nurses, and I know there is a shortage. We need to address this as a nation. Hospitals need to hire more medical assistants to answer call lights for bedpans and to give baths, etc.

We need to put an END to the sue happy madness that has dis-allowed volunteers to answer call lights!! Candy stripers used to be able to assist nurses!! I did so as a teenager! There are a multitude of answers, if we honestly looked for solutions.

But to NOT give vital care to a patient like Marilyn, then to continue to say "our poor nurses".. "it isn't their fault".. " is inately UNFAIR to patients, and is even cruel when a patient like Marilyn is lying there in PAIN!!

I also think patients could be dying because of neglect like this.

Beach_Babe must continue to insist on the proper care for Marilyn. She should find out the extension of the nursing supervisor and call her if Marilyn isn't getting proper pain control, or if the Picc line isn't put in after all these days. Orders from Marilyns physicians, should be filled in a timely manner.

No offense meant TEX,.. but Marilyn needs her problems fixed, and that won't happen if her doctors orders aren't being filled.

Prayers continue,.. and yours are especially beautiful TEXOKIE.

[DLfromthedesert]

Prayers continue that Marilyn gets the care she needs; that whatever organism that is invading her system be flushed from her system.

TC, if it's Herpes Zoster, I would think they must be treating her with acyclovir; it worked well for me when I had shingles a few years back.

[tiki]

Amen.

[tiki]

I am so distressed to read this but I'm still praying.

[TexasCowboy]

Yes, if I remember correctly, that's an anti-viral steroid.
The Herpes virus in whatever form is extremely painful on the outside. I can only imagine what it feels like internally.
The thing that bothers me the most about this is that the Herpes virus lies dormant until the body resistance flags, then it erupts.
In other words, the Herpes, if that is what this is, was not the primary affliction, only a secondary one.

[DLfromthedesert]

Actually, it's not a steroid, but an anti-viral agent, like penicillin is anti-bacterial.

Of course, we're just speculating about all this. I would hope that the medical staff would know how to treat infections.

I just pray that they treat her aggressively, and not give up on her.