I spoke to Mom, or rather listened to her babbling, for almost an hour this morning. She is still more delirious and speaking more nonsense and exhibiting more confusion than her normal; it even seems worse than yesterday. She speaks gibberish and slurs words when she's sleepy or not quite awake, but it usually doesn't last more than a half hour. This is lasting longer and concerns me. She is still having problems swallowing, but the day staff doesn't want to admit that. It's so odd to me that they could sleep at night knowing they are ignoring a patient's complaints and problems, especially when it means she risks malnutrition and not being able to take necessary medication. They say we can just have her eat pureed food and crush up her pills. Don't they wonder WHY she can't swallow, or worry that it could be indicative of a larger problem?
The medicare appeal is being processed, but I'm not sure how long that means Mom stays. The nurse today kept saying, "you stay here for two more days," but I don't know if that means two days from today or two days from when they thought she should've been released, which was yesterday. I asked about the swallowing eval, but the nurse said she hadn't had it done and she "swallowed her pills this morning just fine." I hate intermittent problems. It's worse than having inconsistent car problems that never act up during a mechanic's test drive. I just wish they actually listened and believed the patient and the family who sees the patient often enough to establish a baseline. Mom was crying last night when the night nurse came on because she is the only one who seems to believe mom or myself, or at the very least, she empathizes and doesn't call Mom a liar. She said it just felt like a weight off her shoulders that someone believed her. Unfortunately, that nurse is neither a doctor nor will she be Mom's nurse again as she is off duty for a few days. Mom is in the hands of the doctor who, I pray, opens her eyes and ears to new information and thinks about Mom's symptoms more than once. Today, Mom told me that they told her that her tests came back negative and her CAT scan is now clear. I'd love that news if I believed it. Mom doesn't recall any tests being taken today, and I was there all day yesterday, so I know they weren't taken then.
Today is about prepping the house for Mom and praying that the doctors take a second look and figure out why she can't swallow and why she is so out of it.
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