Deteriorating again in hospital

[Theas18]

Argh.
Mum was ok on fri having gone in xmas eve. Plans afoot to get her back on wafarin after the weeken and home ASAP.

Yesterday coughing lots and mysteriously on oxygen. Sta,paed my foot a bit and insisted on seeing a doc. What point is " they'll be here Monday " ? No that not ok. She's not okNOW ! Anyway. Seen and xrayed " don't think its infection ".... Yeah right

Today she's much worse. Away with the faries ( not her at all) scrabbling at the bedding etc. Had oral antibiotic at 3pm but thatsnt going to work fast enough is it? Awaiting more bloods and another doc review.

Darent leave. :(

[Lilybensmum1]

Poor you and your mum, sounds like an infection to me! but I'm a nurse what do I know . Good for you stamping your foot People are too scared to put their case forward to medics.

Hope your mum gets the care she needs, I agree though I think I would stay until I was happy. We just lost my lovely mil and I so wish....

[Lilybensmum1]

Ask the team what your mums temperature, white cell count and CRP level are, they are indicators of infection. Also check have they done a septic screen, this would be blood cultures, chest x-Ray and urine test.

I'm assuming your mum does not normally act this way? If not she might need intravenous anti-biotics, like you say oral will take a couple of days to work

[Theas18]

CRP raised. wCC raised. Septic screen not done before antibiotic started ( idiots) but urine dip suggestive of infection. Clotting not right which worries me...CXR I suspect impossible to interpret as she has heart failure.

I'm a medic. I know this isn't right for her and that she'll be dead in the 48 hrs it takes for the oral meds to work. In oct she went from ok to scary sepsis and temp 40 in 2hrs. At least she's having paracetamol for her fever and oxygen. She has other issues as well as being ancient that means her response to infection is bad.

But the docs are " with poorly people" yeah ..... And she's not then?

I'll give it another 30 mins and nag some more.

Got to decide whether I try to get home and to work tomorrow (90 mins away) at the moment I'm inclined to think not. So hard to decide - that awful " can't let people down" feeling yknow.

[Theas18]

I'm not a fool I know she won't last for ever but I'm not having her die of a reasonably treatable thing like a chest infection if I can help it.

[MrsMcGregor]

It's Apple here. Don't leave ... stamp your feet, nag and get her the best care possible. Most of all, don't leave if you have cover at home ... if something happens you will never be able to get the time back. Make sure she's on the strongest abs possible ... Although of course you have done that. Is anyone with you? Make sure you eat and rest and chat to her. Thinking of you.

[Theas18]

Thanks apple. You are so right. Thank you. I think I'm going to push v hard for IVs. She's holding at the moment, mostly as her fever is controlled I think. She's snoozing.

I'm on my own - you lovely lot are stopping me being lonely.

Got very cross earlier as ive stopped here in the vain hope of getting dad ( who is absolutely fine) back to respite. But basically was lied too as he could never have been accepted back at the weeken as the home " had to have a senior person asess him" - but I guess it means I'm here now which is good.

Oh great our wanderer from the men's ward is back trying the fire door! He and I are getting well acquainted.

[bigbluebus]

Not having Doctors available at weekends infuriates me. People are ill or deteriorate 7 days a week so why only have Doctors on duty for 5 days. I'm sure they could get more people home at weekends too if they had Doctors there - thus freeing up beds and saving money.

I feel for you OP, as someone who has had to stamp my feet in a hospital on a weekend over my DD (who has severe disabilities and complex health needs). Her condition is too complicated for a Nurse Practitioner or Junior Doctor to deal with and when she goes downhill, she goes down fast. Last year, she had an allergic reaction (in hospital) to the only oral antibiotic that would treat the infection that she had. The Doctor was allerted at 9.00 am on a Saturday but didn't materialise until 16.20 as "he had 700 beds to cover". By that time she had missed 2 doses of ABs that day (not to mention all the others she'd missed in previous days) She was eventually seen by a Reg who suggested she was better anyway and should go home on NO Abs at all - as it was proabably a virus anyway We went home the next day on oral ABs and she was blue - lighted back into hospital within 24 hrs and in ITU for a week.

Keep stamping Theas until someone takes notice. Hope your DM gets the treatment she needs and picks up quickly. And with regards to tomorrow, I'm sure you'll never look back and say " I wish I'd spent more time at work" but you may well look back and say "I wish I'd been there for Mum"

[VivaLeBeaver]

Do you know what she's scoring on NEWS chart?

I remember it been like this with my dad. I had to insist on Drs, insist on outreach review, insist on more pain relief. Nurses tried fobbing me off several times.

Your mum is lucky to have you.

[Theas18]

You are so right work will just have to cope. After all I have to be physically and mentally 100% present and with it, and I can't be till I know things are as good as I can get them.

Lovely lady across the way toddled past and said " yknow she was really quite well last night" . Which is also interesting.

[VivaLeBeaver]

And don't be afraid of being a pita. It doesn't matter what the nurses think, etc. I'm sure the majority of them detested me!

[bigbluebus]

Last time DD was in we had a number of wanderers and many shouters. It is very sad but does provide some 'entertainment' and a "there but for the grace of God go I" feeling. The fire alarm went off twice in one morning as a patient on the floor below had discovered how to set it off. Thankfully we weren't evacuated.
DH had to stay one night with DD on the ward and was very worried when an old lady at the other end of the bay kept shouting "bring me back my knickers"

[Theas18]

Still no doc. Sounds like she doesn't want to go against what the registrar decided earlier. Nagged again.

[Needmoresleep]

What a nightmare. Very best wishes.

[Theas18]

Nagged again. This is a good record.

Obs stable. Still needing oxygen - surely if that's due to infection she needs iv treatment as she's never needed it before.

Eaten 1 jelly baby and had 2 inches of juice since I arrived at 3pm.

[Theas18]

NEWS. Wise pulse up, resps up, bp ok, temp ok ( within 4hrs of paracetamol ) O2 low and just about ok on oxygen , consciousness a bit down as to normal but fluctuates - given she's normally 100% on the ball that's not right. ( she discussed car depreciation on xmas day with me)

Have asked to escalate because he's now refused to see her.
This is getting serious. Where next? The press , what?

[MrsMcGregor]

PALS? Though that won't be quick enough. Is she not having the antibiotics and paracetamol IV? When Mum went in she was immediately up on IV although she did have sepsis. Can you ask to go above the registrar's head? There must be a more senior consultant who can be contacted. I really feel for you. Sending distinctly Unmumsnetty

[Theas18]

She's not having anything iv at the moment at all and that's my beef really. They aren't giving her a fighting chance to get over this.

Seen the senior sister who is going to twist his arrogant sho arm to get him to review her

[bigbluebus]

2 inches of juice since 3pm is not enough. She will start to dehydrate very shortly. Are they recording her food/fluid input?

Very difficult to escalate at weekends - especially at this time of day, as there will be no one more senior around. Consultant only likely to be on call for emergencies, so unless they happen to have been called in for something else they won't be on the premises.

You could try threatening them with escalating it on the basis she's not at least getting fluids - but I doubt there is actually anyone to escalate to at this time on a Sunday.

[Fairyfellowsmasterstroke]

Eaten 1 jelly baby and had 2 inches of juice since I arrived at 3pm - I thought that was what OP had eaten

[VivaLeBeaver]

Site sister if the senior (ward?) sister doesn't sort it.

[VivaLeBeaver]

And maybe threaten to ring CQC in the morning?

[VivaLeBeaver]

Have they done her blood sugar levels?

[2015herewego]

I don't understand - how much worse do they need your poor mum to get before they do give iv?

[Fairyfellowsmasterstroke]

OP - Try starting a new thread in chat (high traffic) asking for nursing/medical advice.

Some one "in the job" might advise.

[twentyten]

Sending . Keep fighting.