It's almost 11pm and to say today has been frustrating would be a severe understatement. Bobs oncologist came in around 8:30am and ordered blood and platlets for Bob. We are still waiting on them. If you have been following this blog from the beginning you'd know this has been an issue before. Bethesda contracts with the big red bus which is community bloodcenters out of Orlando. They are waiting for blood to get here from there. Although my girlfriend is the director of the rival blood bank of south Florida and has previously told me whatever blood bob needed they would send it over in a matter of minutes, Bethesda hospital has refused. Time and time again have I asked. 11pm and still no blood. In addition Bob has now spiked a fever of 103. The nurse told me she ordered him a cooling blanket. That was an hour and a half ago. I have swiped some ice from the supply room and have stuffed rubber gloves with them and put them under Bob's arms to try to lower his fever. Tonight's nurse is USELESS.
Here's the icing on today's cake. They came to get Bob for an MRI. He wanted me to go with him. As the transporter wheeled Bob out of the room they were wheeling a person out of the room two doors down in a body bag down to the morgue. We had to wait next to the body bag while we took the elevator to the basement. I asked Bob if he was ok, he said yes, but it freaked me out. The MRI was one of the closed ones that's tight as a coffin with no room to breathe. As soon as they pushed Bob in he freaked out. He couldn't do it and I couldn't blame him after what he saw. Not to mention he had a fever, was in pain and was exhausted.
That was our day.
The only bright spot for Bob was that they gave him a pain pump that he could push every eight minutes and it would give him 1 mg of dilaudid. Now he was previously getting 2 mg if dilaudid every 2 hours. I'm no mathematician, but that's like 15 mg of dilaudid every two hours if he presses it every eight minutes which he's been doing. The nurse assured me when I pointed this out to her that the pain pump distributes the medication differently than an injection, but I think she's an idiot and I don't believe her. I'm exhausted and have had it up to here tonight. I'm going to raise some hell about getting Bob some proper ice packs.
Bob needs lots of prayers tonight, and I need a stiff drink...
Love and thanks,
Michele
-- Posted from my iPhone
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Holy crap on the body bag! Poor Bob and poor you! That's just plain irresponsible--patients are supposed to be kept clear of body transports, plain and simple. And I think that nurse must be off by a decimal! And the blood thing again. Oh, I'm so sorry for your day!
ReplyDeletePraying for Bob, and sending you a virtual shot of vodka (or five!)
please keep your head up, some times with one step forward there is alot of steps back. you have a grip of how this place works now. stay the course....im praying for you both. please give bob some knuckles for me and tell him to keep the faith.
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