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
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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
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.
It's no mystery that I do not like this trend on FR. It's a small step from questioning why some procedure hasn't been implemented to questioning the motive or competency of involved caretakers and medical professionals. Then, some leap to developing nefarious agendas and criminality. Then, it moves to mobbing judges, Lawyers, politicians and media members with charges rife with innuendo and threat.
Frankly ... this should be a private, blackout time for our sad Freeper while she processes and manages this solemn life event. Her sister is seriously ill. She has our prayers, her sister and family have our prayers.
Sharing the experience with the group is fine, until the group creates fear, uncertainty and doubt. "Why didn't they do an abdominal drain?" What???
I know, I'm often considered a troll on these issues, but the details provided and the openly welcomed scrutiny of intensely private family matters is worrisome to me. What is the goal? Prayers for the ailing and her family! Yeah, heartfelt.
I'm just hoping this is not setting up another platform to smear and villify the solemn end of life care Hospice programs manage. This stuff gives me a bad feeling. I hope we hear nothing more about Marilyn's condition and treatment. That's none of our business, it's a breach of her dignity and privacy. It's a major boundaries violation to me.
Prayers going up for that ailing young woman and those who love her.