I caught up on some much needed sleep (which meant I got up at 8 am instead of 6 am), showered, had breakfast and then headed back to the hospital. When I arrived he was sleeping but not long after he awoke. I asked him how he was feeling today and to my surprise...he clearly spoke to me and said "You tell me." "Well, you sure sound much better," I said. "Your speech is not slurred this morning." "And, look what else I can do," he said with a smile. He lifted his left arm and moved his fingers. Then he wiggled his toes. "Has the doctor seen this?" I asked. He told me the doctor had just left shortly before I arrived. Neil had regained the feeling and movement in his entire left side. "What is going on with you!" I said with a bewildered look on my face.
Just then, one of the Neurologists came into the room. He checked my husband over and told him he was as far from a text book case as anyone they had ever seen. He told us that Neil was a puzzle for sure. All the tests and the CT Scan pointed to him being just fine and there was no evidence of a Stroke. So I inquired if they thought it was a TIA (like a mini stroke that does not typically leave any damage). Some elderly people have many TIA's and still carry on, but the Neurologist said they did not believe this to be the case either. I'm sorry he told us, we just don't have an answer as to what happened with you yesterday. The good news, is that you seem to be better today, so lets hope you continue to get better from here on out. I sat there unsure of what had just happened and thought back to yesterday? In disbelief I told him to squeeze my fingers again. Dare I think this was a good sign?
It was a busy day. I helped Neil get washed and shaved in hopes it may help him to feel a little better. I gave him a back rub and a foot rub to help with his circulation. After all, he had been lying in bed for a long time. Neil was exhausted and drifted in and out of sleep throughout the day. Well, at least he slept when he could, as the nurses came in often to take more blood samples and to give his blood thinners and pain medication etc. He was still in a fair bit of pain but new the medication helped. The doctor said he could have this medication once an hour if he felt he needed it. It is a small dose that dissipates out of your system in about 20 minutes. Neil only asked for it about every 3 hours when he felt the pain was becoming too much. I still could not believe how well his strength had come back and it continued to increase throughout the evening.
One thing I did not mention, was that in the hospital room, the clock was located up on the wall behind him. He could not see it and it bothered him not to know what time of day it was. So now that the swelling had gone down in his arm I told him I would get his watch and put it back on him. He was so happy to have it back. He said he disliked not knowing if it was morning or afternoon. Plus when he would wake up in the middle of the night he was unsure if he had only been asleep for an hour or was it almost morning?
Life with a urostomy (his stoma) was also going to be a big change for him. Although, he joked that it was nice not to have to get up in the middle of the night to use the washroom anymore. Soon, the night shift came on duty and Neil was looking tired. So I cleaned up his bedside table and made sure he had fresh ice and I tried to move things so they would be within his reach. It was difficult for him to move around because of all the tubes still connected from both arms on either side of the bed. I moved some of his things onto the window ledge to get them out of the way. "Need anything else before I go Sweetie," I inquired. He told me food would be nice. Then he told me, if anyone thought getting cancer was a good way to lose weight, he highly disagreed. We laughed, hugged, and as he drifted off to sleep I left for home.
The next morning, with no urgent phone calls, and my believing Neil was on the mend finally, I took care of some errands that needed to be done, like banking and paying bills, you know... So when I got to the hospital around 10 am I thought it was going to be a good day, but who was I kidding.
I found my husband terror-stricken and trembling with tears running down his cheeks. "What happened?" I asked. "What's wrong? Are you in pain?" He told me that he had the worst night of his life and literally begged me not to leave him there alone again. "Please don't go, hold me," he pleaded. "I'm not going anywhere," I told him as I held him tightly, and again asked what had happened to cause him to be this upset? He proceeded to tell me that around midnight his night nurse came by on her rounds. He had asked her for some pain medication. She asked what level his pain was at, and she did not feel it was high enough to warrant giving him anything, so she didn't. (First off this is not her call, it goes against the physicians orders which she is supposed to follow) At 2:00 am he again asked for something for the pain and still she did not bring him anything. By 5:00 am his pain was becoming severe and he again rang for assistance. This time, when she told him he was ok and he didn't need anything, he responded by looking at his watch and said, "But it has been over five hours and the pain is becoming to much." So the nurse picked up his right arm as though she was going to look at his IV, but instead proceeded to remove his watch. "What are you doing?" Neil asked. "You don't need this on," she told him. Surprised by what was happening he responded, "But I want my watch on. How will I know what time it is?" "You can buzz us if you want to know the time." she stated and she took his watch away.
I..was..horrified by what he just told me. I was so ANGRY that I am sure smoke came out of my ears. "Did you ever get your pain medication?" I asked with great tone in my voice. Neil said, "Not until the day shift came on and did their rounds at 8:00 am. By then he told me, his pain level was an eleven out of ten and he couldn't talk or move. It hurt so bad that it hurt to breathe. "Why would she treat me like this? I don't even know her! What did I ever do to her?" he sobbed. I hugged him and stroked his hair and told him that he had not done anything wrong and that this was abuse and it would be dealt with. "Not now," he said. "Please don't leave me. I have no way to fend for myself like this. I could not even call you for help last night because the cell phone was in the night table drawer. I could not reach it and I certainly could not ask that nurse to pass it to me so I could call you to tell on her." "How is your day nurse treating you," I asked with great concern. He told me she was nice. I continued to sit and hold him for awhile until he was calm.
THEN!!! I LEFT THE ROOM AND WENT STRAIGHT TO THE CHARGE NURSE, CALLED THE PATIENT LIAISON PHONE LINE, AND THEN LEFT A MESSAGE FOR THE MANGER ON THE UNIT AS WELL. I DEMANDED AN EXPLANATION!!!!!
The nurse, when asked about last nights events, told the charge nurse that she did give Neil one dose of medication, but oops...she forgot to record it. There was no mention about why she removed his watch. I stated that Neil had asked three times for his medication not just once and that he says he did not get any pain medication. I demanded this be looked into further and that this nurse not be allowed near my husband again, this was abuse and I was not going to tolerate it. Later in the day, the Unit Manager came by to see us. Neil was feeling a little better now with his pain once again under control. The Unit Manager said they did a drug count and that they found NO shortages, which means SHE LIED!!! When I asked if they inquired with her about the removing of his watch, he said he still had to meet with her yet but they would be asking and dealing with this. We talked for a bit and he apologized that this had happened. He tried to tell us she has worked at this hospital for a few years and was well respected. That this was totally out of character for this person and that maybe she had an overwhelming night. I told him that even the nice quiet neighbour down the road could turn out to be a murderer, so don't make excuses for her. There is no way of knowing if this is how she has treated other patients in the past on night shift, and if they, unlike me, did not complain. Or maybe the other patients were not mentally capable of speaking up. No matter what, this was not to happen again. I did not like feeling like I could not leave the hospital now because I had to stay to protect my husband 24 hours a day.
I got comfortable and stayed until 2:00 am. I got to meet the night nurse a few times and was satisfied she was competent and kind. She gave Neil his medication as required. All the nurses seems to know of him now and his medical history. This actually made things easier. From here on out his care improved and the rotten abusive nurse was not seen again. With my being a Licensed Practical Nurse and working on Acute Care wards, Long Term Care, and in Emerg., I knew how things can be and have never tolerated inappropriate behaviour towards a patient by any nurse. I have always spoke up. But this time it was personal and it hurt someone I loved. I left for home and figured I would come back early in the morning to be sure he was ok.
I hope none of you have ever experienced something like this. If you have, I am truly sorry and feel your pain...Till tomorrow...Tori.
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