The ER is packed

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, Spryte said:

Well, you won’t believe this. We are back at another ER. 

With much help, we got her into the car from the wheelchair to bring her home. A security guard lifted her in. Arrived home and she is absolutely unable to walk. I can’t tell if it’s pain, fear, or that she has forgotten how, but she cannot lift either foot even a tad bit. Stands only with assistance. She never made it even a step past where we helped put her feet down out of the car. Her feet would not move. It feels like she’s had a stroke.

DH called the closer hospital to see if they were taking patients. They said to bring her in. We couldn’t get her back in the car, so it was another ambulance ride.

But we are in a room with a door. She is sleeping in a bed. And it’s so much cleaner at this hospital. Feels less harrowing.

I honestly don’t know what’s going on or what to do with this inability to walk. It’s out of the blue. She doesn’t even use a cane normally.

So please … Wish us luck again! 

On no. That is terrible!  I am so glad you were able to get her in a hospital though.  Wow.  I am so so sorry.  Please try to sleep.  

[BusyMom5]

Glad you are getting care- the Covid ER was up to 48 hours at one hospital!  

[Spryte]

18 minutes ago, Homeschool Mom in AZ said:

Sorry you're going through all that.  Your poor mom.

Here in Raleigh the wait, as of last week, was 12+ hours to be seen.  Neighbor is an ER nurse at a major medical center.  They had 142 people waiting in the ER then. People have thrown punches at him and accused him of not caring about their wait. 90% are unvaccinated. They expect it to peak at the end of this month. There are smaller towns on the SE coast are a 3 day wait for a room.

12+ hours. Just unimaginable.

As we left, we spoke to a man whose wife had been waiting 9 hours, at that point. It was truly a horrific scene. There were so many obviously terribly ill people. I’m grateful no one lost their temper. 

 

[RootAnn]

We had a not-covid virus go through our family recently. I wondered if it might be RSV but none of us was sick enough to get checked out (other than college girl to make sure it wasn't covid).

Was at our local, tiny, rural county hospital last night with one of my kids. Thankfully, it was dead. I saw one other patient (being discharged). They put us in their one covid room while my kid's rapid test was being done. The room's bathroom wasn't even hooked up. We were out in under 2 hours. (They couldn't figure out what was wrong so they sent us home. Not the best care but I was too desperate to get her help to drive the 90 minutes to a good hospital. She's not having the same symptoms this morning so we may never know what caused her issues last night.)

I hope they figure it out @Spryte and are able to help.

[Spryte]

3 minutes ago, RootAnn said:

We had a not-covid virus go through our family recently. I wondered if it might be RSV but none of us was sick enough to get checked out (other than college girl to make sure it wasn't covid).

Was at our local, tiny, rural county hospital last night with one of my kids. Thankfully, it was dead. I saw one other patient (being discharged). They put us in their one covid room while my kid's rapid test was being done. The room's bathroom wasn't even hooked up. We were out in under 2 hours. (They couldn't figure out what was wrong so they sent us home. Not the best care but I was too desperate to get her help to drive the 90 minutes to a good hospital. She's not having the same symptoms this morning so we may never know what caused her issues last night.)

I hope they figure it out @Spryte and are able to help.

I hope your DD gets better and better! It sounds like you made a good hospital choice.

[Laura Corin]

Thinking of you still 

[mommyoffive]

Oh Spryte, I am thinking about your poor mom.  Sending her so many hugs and hope she is feeling better.  What a horrible night.  I hope they can give you some answers as to what is going on.  

I agree, going to the hospital has been a fear of mine this whole pandemic.  One of my kids went in December and thankfully it wasn't full.  Normally going to our ER you walk in and are seen before you can even sit down.  Never a wait.  And it is so scary when the hospitals are filling up and then  people get sick and hurt.   You can't plan when you have a stroke, heart attack, or break a leg.  

 

 

Edited September 2, 2021 by mommyoffive

[vonfirmath]

5 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Oh Spryte, I am thinking about your poor mom.  Sending her so many hugs and hope she is feeling better.  What a horrible night.  I hope they can give you some answers as to what is going on.  

I agree, going to the hospital has been a fear of mine this whole pandemic.  One of my kids went in December and thankfully it wasn't full.  Normally going to our ER you walk in and are seen before you can even sit down.  Never a wait.  And it is so scary when the hospitals are filling up and then  people get sick and hurt.   You can't plan when you have a stroke, heart attack, or break a leg.  

 

 

That's nor normal in our hospital ERs. I've been twice with my daughter and both times we had a fairly long wait to get in (multiple hours. Thankfully never as long as 12!).  The standalone ERs we walked right in and were seen -- but as my sister found out they are not capable of handling all the issues.

Edited September 2, 2021 by vonfirmath

[Janeway]

I am so sorry!!!!

[Janeway]

1 minute ago, vonfirmath said:

That's nor normal in our hospital ERs. I've been twice with my daughter and both times we had a fairly long wait to get in (multiple hours. Thankfully never as long as 12!).  The standalone ERs we walked right in and were seen -- but as my sister found out they are not capable of handling all the issues.

At our ERs, on normal days, you wait hours to get in. It always amazes me when people talk about just a few hour waits. I have waited as long as 24 hrs in an ER and that was for a dehydrated child with a blood sugar over 300 sent over by the ped saying it was an emergency. They left us waiting in to the next day.

[Spryte]

Our preferred hospital usually sees people pretty quickly. 
 

The one that was the horror show last night … that can take longer. But not usually hours and hours with tons of sick people in the waiting room.

[mommyoffive]

18 minutes ago, vonfirmath said:

That's nor normal in our hospital ERs. I've been twice with my daughter and both times we had a fairly long wait to get in (multiple hours. Thankfully never as long as 12!).  The standalone ERs we walked right in and were seen -- but as my sister found out they are not capable of handling all the issues.

Oh I know it isn't normal.  Where I grew up it was normal to go to the hospital and wait to be seen in the ER.  

Where we moved and the hospital that we go to we have never had to wait in the ER.  I guess it is a pro of a small town.

[frogger]

27 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Oh I know it isn't normal.  Where I grew up it was normal to go to the hospital and wait to be seen in the ER.  

Where we moved and the hospital that we go to we have never had to wait in the ER.  I guess it is a pro of a small town.

It is strange but yes that is one of the advantages of being in a small town. One of the main reasons is that small towns transfer patients out and cities get to receive patients. 

[Wildcat]

Spryte, I'm so sorry to hear about your mom!!

I fear for my elderly parents, especially the one with balance issues, as ERs here are also horribly crowded. Your experience is one of the nightmares I keep having.

I'm thinking of you and your mom. Hugs.

 

[WildflowerMom]

Thinking about y'all, spryte.   Gentle hugs and many prayers sent your way...  💛

[Catwoman]

I'm so glad that the doctor seems concerned and that he won't send your mom home until the time is right. I'm also glad you guys are in a room with a door!!! (Who ever thought that would be a luxury?! 😉 ) 

Sending lots of healing thoughts to your mom, and Covid-repelling thoughts to both of you!!!

[Spryte]

Broken pelvis. I don’t have all the details yet, doc just caught me in the hall to tell me.

She’s being admitted. Surgery probably needed. I would imagine then there will be rehab.

She’s also spiking a fever, high WBC.

I can’t believe the other hospital missed all this. That what comes of overcrowded hospitals, too. 

 

ETA: No wonder she could not walk!

Edited September 2, 2021 by Spryte

[Miss Tick]

10 minutes ago, Spryte said:

I can’t believe the other hospital missed all this.

Be sure to point that out when you are asked to pay hospital number 1.

[KSera]

Oh, your poor, poor mama! I’m so sorry! I hope they get her more comfortable quickly and that she’s able to go to a nice rehab facility. How awful for her, though 😞. 
 

This hospital overwhelm situation makes me so frustrated and upset, because it doesn’t have to be this way at all and it’s harming people who weren’t the ones who made the choice to contribute to the situation being so bad. 

[Anne]

I’m so so sorry to read this, Spryte!!  Your poor mom!  Praying for healing and recovery for her...

Anne

[Soror]

Your poor Mom 😞 (and you). It is crazy that they missed that, as you said this is what comes from overcrowded hospitals. 

[Catwoman]

Oh no! I'm so sorry!!! But thank goodness you were smart enough to realize that something else was wrong, and to take her to the other hospital. She is so lucky to have you!!!

[mommyoffive]

Oh I am so sorry.  I am so glad that you took her back to the hospital and they found this.  Sending lots of gentle prayers and hugs to her.  

[scholastica]

Praying for your mom and for you as you navigate all of this during these times. It’s hard in the best of times, but now it’s a nightmare.

[Zoo Keeper]

Continued prayers for her, for you, and for her health care team.

[Melissa Louise]

Sending good thoughts for your mom's surgery and recovery. 

I really hope you can get some sleep soon. 

[DawnM]

So sorry.

 

This is how it was when my dad fell a couple of weeks ago.   It is HORRIBLE.

And I have a friend's ex who has just died of covid today.   They have 3 children together.

This is getting worse and worse and honestly, no one seems to care anymore.   It is awful.

[prairiewindmomma]

Our experience with a broken pelvis (we’ve had three in our elderly family members):

1. They have to have enough cognitive awareness to comply with rehab exercises to qualify for rehab. Otherwise they will get PT in a nursing home.

2. The complication rate is high. I don’t want to be a downer on this, but with the first break I didn’t have a sense of scope of what a big deal it is. All of my relatives made it out of the hospital and through the rehab or nursing home care, but not everyone does. One relative did have a small stroke as a complication. Type C fractures (rotationally and vertically unstable pelvic ring fractures) have a much higher mortality and co-morbidity rate. 
 

3. Although they will tell you 6-12 weeks for healing, recovery extended out to 15 in one relative. 
 

Hugs!! 

[Spryte]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Our experience with a broken pelvis (we’ve had three in our elderly family members):

1. They have to have enough cognitive awareness to comply with rehab exercises to qualify for rehab. Otherwise they will get PT in a nursing home.

2. The complication rate is high. I don’t want to be a downer on this, but with the first break I didn’t have a sense of scope of what a big deal it is. All of my relatives made it out of the hospital and through the rehab or nursing home care, but not everyone does. One relative did have a small stroke as a complication. Type C fractures (rotationally and vertically unstable pelvic ring fractures) have a much higher mortality and co-morbidity rate. 
 

3. Although they will tell you 6-12 weeks for healing, recovery extended out to 15 in one relative. 
 

Hugs!! 

Thank you for sharing your experience on this. What a difficult situation for you to through three times. Oh my.

I haven’t had experience with this, but am very worried about what recovery might entail. She was already on the fragile side, and I fear this is going to be very tough.

[Melissa in Australia]

I am so so sorry

broken pelvis is  very bad in elderly

however they can recover, some are tough old birds

 

 

[Elizabeth86]

It’s unreal. My bil is back in the hospital after COVID, pneumonia, blood clots. He has been in there for days and he can’t get in a room, still in the er.

[KSera]

I just had a kid fall outside and there was enough blood I couldn’t tell at first how bad it was. I thought of this thread and my internal thought was “please no stitches!” (Kiddo is bandaged up and fine.) I feel like I should bubble wrap them for the next few weeks 😳 .

[SeaConquest]

I am so very sorry to hear this, Spryte. Sending you and your mother so much love. It probably goes without saying, but if any of you have elderly parents, please have someone do a safety check of their environment for fall hazards (rugs, uneven surfaces, etc.). These types of situations are unfortunately very common as we age and lose our spatial awareness and balance. This is a good primer: https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/pdf/check_for_safety_brochure-a.pdf

[Spryte]

49 minutes ago, Elizabeth86 said:

It’s unreal. My bil is back in the hospital after COVID, pneumonia, blood clots. He has been in there for days and he can’t get in a room, still in the er.

I hope he gets a room soon, and improves steadily and quickly.

It’s an awful situation.

[Spryte]

44 minutes ago, KSera said:

I just had a kid fall outside and there was enough blood I couldn’t tell at first how bad it was. I thought of this thread and my internal thought was “please no stitches!” (Kiddo is bandaged up and fine.) I feel like I should bubble wrap them for the next few weeks 😳 .

Whew! Glad kiddo is fine.

No hospital visits! 

[prairiewindmomma]

1 hour ago, Spryte said:

Thank you for sharing your experience on this. What a difficult situation for you to through three times. Oh my.

I haven’t had experience with this, but am very worried about what recovery might entail. She was already on the fragile side, and I fear this is going to be very tough.

Fwiw, the things we found helpful:

1. Troubleshooting the environment. One fall was from sitting on the edge of a bed with slick bedding.

2. Balance therapy. That’s down the road from pelvic rehab. Medicare covers it. Relative (other two have died) is currently in her second round of it. She goes 3x weekly for vertigo. It builds a lot of core muscles as well.

3. Stay on top of bone density. Relative had a reconoclast infusion this week after breaking shoulder earlier this year. She is averaging one serious fracture a year and one of these is going to end up being a dealbreaker. 

[prairiewindmomma]

@Spryte, just wanted to check in. Things still stable?

[Spryte]

27 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

@Spryte, just wanted to check in. Things still stable?

Thank you. All stable. I’m with her now. She won’t need surgery, which is a huge plus. They will assess her, and the plan right now is for her to go to rehab some time next week. 

I’m so deeply grateful that she’s in the particular hospital we finally ended up in, not the first, and that she’s safe and in good hands. Her nurses and techs have been wonderful.

You all here have been a huge support. Again. Thank you! 

[Catwoman]

I’m so glad she doesn’t need surgery, and I’m especially thankful that she is in a good hospital!

[KSera]

51 minutes ago, Spryte said:

Thank you. All stable. I’m with her now. She won’t need surgery, which is a huge plus. They will assess her, and the plan right now is for her to go to rehab some time next week. 

I’m so deeply grateful that she’s in the particular hospital we finally ended up in, not the first, and that she’s safe and in good hands. Her nurses and techs have been wonderful.

You all here have been a huge support. Again. Thank you! 

So glad to hear!

[Junie]

Yay for no surgery!!

[sheryl]

On 9/2/2021 at 12:19 AM, Spryte said:

Our hospitals are full of Covid patients plus the everyday stuff. It’s too much for our local hospitals to handle both. 

This is a nightmare. My mom fell, and has probably broken some bones (shoulder, elbow, needs CT of head, and hip hurts, too). EMTs carried her down the stairs and the ambulance was rerouted because the hospital close to us is not taking patients. There’s no room at the hospital where they brought us either, so she’s (uncomfortably) in a wheelchair. We are in a packed waiting room with about 80 people. There is a Covid waiting room, but triage nurse advised us that many in ours also have Covid. It’s impossible to distance. We are masked, and just … waiting. Nurse said the patient that’s been here longest has been waiting for 6.5 hours. Most people are masked. A few are not. The kids and babies are not.

Its such a nightmare. And I can’t do a thing to help her pain. Or confusion. 
 

Going to be a long night.

 

 

Just now seeing this, Spryte!  I'm so sorry.  I hope all is well for your Mom.  How is she doing?

[Spryte]

10 minutes ago, sheryl said:

Just now seeing this, Spryte!  I'm so sorry.  I hope all is well for your Mom.  How is she doing?

She’s doing better than I expected, which is something good - she’s alert and communicating. She’s been admitted to another hospital, and they have been very good to her. I’ve been able to visit every day - despite doing a modified quarantine (from unvaxxed DD). She is unable to walk, but can stand painfully for 2-3 seconds. They will send her straight to skilled nursing and rehab from the hospital, and I hope she will improve.

I’m still feeling traumatized by our initial ER experience, but fortunately my mother doesn’t remember it. 😊

Totally separate topic, I hope your friend loved the hostess gift you settled on!

[sheryl]

4 minutes ago, Spryte said:

She’s doing better than I expected, which is something good - she’s alert and communicating. She’s been admitted to another hospital, and they have been very good to her. I’ve been able to visit every day - despite doing a modified quarantine (from unvaxxed DD). She is unable to walk, but can stand painfully for 2-3 seconds. They will send her straight to skilled nursing and rehab from the hospital, and I hope she will improve.

I’m still feeling traumatized by our initial ER experience, but fortunately my mother doesn’t remember it. 😊

Totally separate topic, I hope your friend loved the hostess gift you settled on!

Spryte,  So glad to hear there is progress even though it may seem slow.  Hang in there.  Rehab/therapy will be very important!  Very understandable this shook you up.  I remember the panic with my Dad several years ago.  You are your Mom's best advocate!   

She enjoyed the gifts.  Thank you.  I ended taking a little turn "kinda".   I did buy her a bottle of wine.  I saw she had red on her kitchen counter.  When she opened her gift she did say she's mostly a white drinker but now going in the fall she's more red.  ????  🙂  I bought a tea towel with a cute cat saying (she was married, not now and no kids so her cat is her baby) and a small wall decor.   It's kind of cool - small sea shells, sand in a shadow box with the words in print on front of glass.  There's a 3rd word I don't remember.

[fairfarmhand]

Our local hospital er has half its space taken up by icu overflow. I’m really hoping that no one I know needs the ER. 
 

oh and there aren’t enough nurses, either.

[Janeway]

Last night, my oldest son had a friend and that friend's dad died from Covid. I heard he was vaccinated too. It is very sad. I am getting close to shutting down myself. 

[Spryte]

1 hour ago, fairfarmhand said:

Our local hospital er has half its space taken up by icu overflow. I’m really hoping that no one I know needs the ER. 
 

oh and there aren’t enough nurses, either.

This is an important point. I have a nurse friend who works at the first hospital (not in the ER). She told me yesterday that that hospital is extremely short staffed now, and she keeps hearing horror stories about mistakes being made. She said they are about to lose more staff, too, who won’t get vaccinated. 

The short staffing on nurses impacts for my mom: when she was triaged, she needed oxygen, but they sent us to the crowded waiting room and never returned with it as promised; she didn’t get the ordered pain meds until I insisted hours later, even when they knew (at least) her arm was broken. And, of course, they missed the big pelvic break. They lifted her into a wheelchair and lifted her into the car, with me saying, “this isn’t normal for her.” They clearly wanted us out, we were not the target patients.

Short staffing is a real problem, with real impacts for people we all love. It’s frightening.

Kind of related: the nurse was also mocking the very ill patient, rolling her eyes when the patient called for help, and saying some unkind things to me, about that other patient. My friend who works there wants me to report both the nurse and the PA, and has given me several places to call. I need time to get my mom stable, and gather my thoughts about that. It was a truly brutal night, for the staff as well as us. I’m not sure what I will do.

Edited September 6, 2021 by Spryte

[sassenach]

Short staffing is a terrible cycle. The more short staffed they are, the harder it is on the nurses that do show up. They're expected to carry unsafe patient loads, work overtime, and pick up extra shifts. Nurses now realize how little the hospitals care for their well-being, so they leave. They go to hospitals that are better run, they take travel contracts, they get out of bedside nursing... That leaves the hospital even more short-staffed and the cycle continues. Poorly managed hospitals are falling apart. 

 

[Spryte]

43 minutes ago, sassenach said:

Short staffing is a terrible cycle. The more short staffed they are, the harder it is on the nurses that do show up. They're expected to carry unsafe patient loads, work overtime, and pick up extra shifts. Nurses now realize how little the hospitals care for their well-being, so they leave. They go to hospitals that are better run, they take travel contracts, they get out of bedside nursing... That leaves the hospital even more short-staffed and the cycle continues. Poorly managed hospitals are falling apart. 

 

Wow. It’s never-ending. I shudder to think what it will be like when the unvaccinated nurses leave (though obviously I’m one that thinks all HCW would be better off vaccinated - for themselves, patients, and community). It’s going to get worse here.

The hospital where my mom is now, the second one, seems fine. There’s a calm vibe, not the frantic, chaotic vibe of overworked staff. It’s a relief.

[Spryte]

On 9/2/2021 at 10:27 AM, Scarlett said:

This is so funny......I don't know how many times during this Pandemic I have said 'be careful, we can't go to the ER.'  It was a concern to me from the beginning and I can imagine it would be compounded if I had small children.

Just coming back to this because DH has been on a ladder today, and DS17 is making foam props using an exacto knife. I’m quarantining away from them, so can’t exactly chase them down and make them stop, but it is making me so nervous!