Jim is now in the Select Specialty Hospital in St. Francis Hospital. Select is a group of small acute care hospitals that specialize in certain difficult cases. They also rehab during the acute stage. Our hope is that having Jim rehabbed while he is in an acute setting will allow us to avoid the intermediate step of a skilled nursing facility for rehab before he comes home. (Shades of Shipley.)
Jim’s platelet count is slowly improving. Yesterday’s count was something like 98.
Wilmington pulled Jim’s central IV line before releasing him. The nurses at Select weren’t happy about that because it is very hard to place an IV line in Jim’s arms. He has small veins and all the bruising makes veins difficult to see.
Jim’s is highly confused right now. I came to find out he had turned down his lactulose on Monday and Tuesday. I almost went postal again, including on Jim. Jim agreed never to refuse the lactulose again.
I spoke on the phone again to Dr. King, the neuropsychologist. He continues to believe that Jim’s mental status will improve as his physical status does. Jim is now highly deconditioned because of 2+ weeks on his back, and it will take a long time to get him back even to the point he was before the sepsis.
Jim was very angry when I went to see him yesterday evening. He said he had been assaulted by 4 nurses. I asked his room nurse to explain the situation. She said Jim would not accept some medicine being injected into his IV port, so she got some other staff to restrain him while she accomplished the injection. So Jim was right; he was assaulted.
Betty is really great. She scoped out our food situation yesterday, cleaned out the fridge, and went grocery shopping. She made a wonderful fruit salad, a green salad, and a spaghetti pie for dinner. Bless her heart. All I had to do was eat and fall into bed.
Betty is taking Jim watch today, going to the hospital while I take a sleeping pill and stay in bed all day.
I had radiation 7 yesterday. 25% of the way finished. Radiation 8 today.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Jim Changes Hospitals
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1 comment:
I don't know if it's possible, but could the doctor make a list of the meds he intends to give Jim, and you and Jim go through them together and agree to them?
Then you can talk to the nursing staff and the doctors and put the list on his chart, and make a note that other meds are not permitted without calling you? It would be nice if everyone were on the same page.
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