A day in the Life...... (written by Linda)

(Starting with a side note...I googled and image to go with the post, and since I'm still fried, I tried the hospitals ER....this is what came up... Bahahaha) ~Lynn

Bad weekend... Jim was weak and sleeping a lot, unsteady when he got up. Drank a few protein shakes, but that was it. Didn’t dare leave him, after his fall 2 weeks ago.

As of Monday night, he had eaten NOTHING since Saturday, and consumed only about 4 oz. of fluid all day. Pain in his belly, really bad pain. I called the page number for Myeloma expert, and was told he should go to ER for eval. Jim resisted the idea, and even drank a glass water for me. Took his blood sugar and it was ok.

Tuesday, I bundled a shivering Jim into the car for a 1pm regular appointment at Shapiro for chemo. Routine Blood Draw. Waited 1 hr. 15 min. for him to finally be moved to a bed. Another blood draw, put in a heparin lock; Chemo scrapped, ambulance called to transport him to BI ER. He was in writhing pain.

Waited in bay outside ER for 1.30 min. Brought into ER and placed in the hall. Haven’t seen this many parallel litters since MASH. This happens so routinely they have parkings spaces marked off on the floor inside the ER for the gurneys. All rooms full. Tap foot repeatedly. Patience is becoming my daily challenge. Finally got a room, no nurse, no Dr, no meds. Called Lynn to go back home for his pain meds. Finally, an MD (looked about 16) came in, took half our info, took a call and left. Saw him over the next hrs. at the desk, but...

Finally Dr. Laura came in and she seemed to have a head on her shoulders. Standard vitals, another round of the same bloods they took 2 hrs ago across the street, EKG, aspirin, nitro for his elevated BP (topped at 203/130) then CT scan of stomach area, then drink the barium for nuclear med. Couldn’t get proper results because they wanted the barium injected not ingested, but his ONC vetoed that to protect his kidneys. Two more blood tests. No one in the ER was over 40, and only a few over 30. OMG! Even off duty MD’s should not wear their hat brims backwards once they are MDs. Call me old fashioned.

Hours dragged by waiting for EVERYTHING. Transport was backed up, the equipment goodies like CTs were backed up, the people who read them were backed up. So about 12 hours after the original appointment, they updated us. They had found NOTHING to explain the belly pain he had. They HAD found Jim a room in the building adjacent to Shapiro, and called for.... another ambulance to take him BACK.

Ka-ching!!! You have to use an ambulance to cross the street. Both ways. OMG

One and a half hours later, the ambulance arrived. Couldn’t help but musing that I would hope for better response time if I had a limb dangling!!! Ninety minutes to get an AMBULANCE!?? And you need an ambulance to get admitted FROM the ER??

So that is the short version of just one day in the life of the Muckerheides. Lynn came in at 4pm and wouldn’t leave without me. And I wasn’t leaving til Jim was back in the ambulance. Got back to Needham at 3am, and Jim called at 6:30 when he woke, as I asked him to. He is the perfect patient in a lot of ways. The needles don’t phase him, although both arms are bruised beyond belief from all the assaults. He does what they want him to do, and encourages me to question and respond to the personnel in his place. I drive his car. He is the permanent passenger, shrinking on a daily basis, just a tiny bit. The loss of control must be mind-boggling, but he is as cheerful as can be expected, considering the perpetual pain he is in.

Learning more about my husband with each passing day.