Wednesday, September 5, 2012

My Labor Day 2012

Some people use the long weekend of Labor Day to enjoy one last hurrah before saying goodbye to summer.

I picture happy families grilling out by the lake with a hammock in the background. And a dog. There's always a dog. Usually a Labrador.

None of that customary, bland nonsense for me! No sir!

I spent this Labor Day calling 911, mentally reviewing my CPR basics, cleaning up puke & poop & counting the ceiling tiles of DeKalb Regional Hospital.

To sum it up....
Grandmother (the one I live with as her caretaker, henceforth referred to as 'Bud') was fine one minute, scary sick the next. A press of her Life Alert button (and a quick call to Mom) brought EMT's and an ambulance while Mom & I were working with Bud & praying like nobody's business. This was scary stuff. At one point Mom was holding her wrist CHECKING FOR A PULSE while I was in her face trying to get her to talk to me.

Fast forward to ER....
Bud is scanned from head to toe and been given lots of meds to calm her stomach & ease her dizziness. (I told the EMT's & ER peeps I thought it was vertigo. This will be important later.)

13 hours later....
We are STILL in the ER & have not been seen by a doctor. Nurse practitioners are great, but can I get a freaking MD in this place???

Sometime later...
Bud is FINALLY admitted (still no doctor has even looked at her) and we are told a doctor will see her tomorrow. The nurses were sweet & very attentive on a positive note.

Saturday...
What do ya know? A real, live doctor graced us with his presence! We felt honored pissed that after a mere 25 hours from arriving by ambulance Bud finally gets seen by someone who has $200K in student loans. He ordered more tests.
On a side note we watched Bama whip Michigan so that was neat. Roll Tide.

Sunday...
Turns out those guest chairs in hospital rooms are very cozy to sleep in. Wait, am I halucinating from lack of sleep & searing back pain? Yes. Ok, they must be well-disguised torture devices made by people who hate human spines.
All results come back negative which is good. No heart attack or stroke. All signs point towards vertigo. *cough* told ya *cough*

Monday...
Bud enjoyed some broth, ice chips & a hearty dose of meds. Lots of naps followed. We were told she might be busting outta there tomorrow but that may just be a nasty rumor. She graduated to mashed potatoes & boiled chicken which she ate with gusto! Somewhere in this mix my sweet Judd came in & we made several types of jell-o, broths, rice & pudding to greet the patient when she came home.

Tuesday...
I had clients that were coming in from out of state so I had to go to work while Mom stayed with Bud. I literally squealed when Mom's text read, "We're coming home!"

And THAT folks is how you have an exciting Labor Day.