today i am going to sing high praises for a woman that i trust with my entire wellbeing
my chiropractor, Dr Nancy (waving hello !!!)
i have been seeing Dr Nancy for about 20 years for a variety of ailments .. mostly headaches from having a very crooked spine .. i've learned that i can trust her to "fix" just about anything that ails me .. she knows my body better than i do .. to top that off, this woman has so generously decided to treat me (no fee) for the next year ..
i have been extremely uncomfortable because of one of my ribs on the left side .. out of sheer frustration and pain i ended up calling her at 11 o'clock at night trying to get an appointment the next day .. i just couldn't see suffering any longer .. i have NO idea what i did to cause an injury but it hurts like hell .. turns out i have a broken rib .. nothing could be done except to tape the rib .. it really does ease the discomfort that i'll be dealing with for about 6 weeks or so but mostly i'm dying to find out WHAT i did to cause this injury !! it hurt like crazy in the hospital but with all that was going on, i felt like a baby for being uncomfortable because of one of my ribs .. today i coughed .. and ended up making it worse lol i have realized that the pain pills i'm taking are half for the headaches and incisional pain and half because of my rib
i can't wait for the pain to diminish !!
my new glasses won't be ready for about a week (big pouting lips) .. i am so excited about being able to see clearly .. being able to read is something i've enjoyed and i've basically stopped all recreational reading since my glasses stopped working .. i am so excited i can't begin to describe how i feel (but needless to say i'll be doing a happy dance when my glasses arrive!) i need bifocals for the first time in my life .. before my prescription was for reading only and now i need long distance and closeup vision correction .. i'm getting old hehe what can i say :)
today i have a day full of appointments .. the most important is my oncologist at 4:10 .. i'm a tad nervous but mostly i am anxious to begin my fight again .. i refuse to sit by quietly and let this cancer eat me .. i'm back to living on my attitude and it feels so damned good !!!!! i have pulled myself out of this funk i was under and it feels so good to laugh and smile again and to mean it .. its not that the fears have gone away but i refuse to let my fears get the best of me or take over my emotions .. even my daughter says i sound more and more like myself .. i consider myself blessed by being surrounded by loving caring family and friends
i gained 1/2 a pound lol i weigh 104 pounds now and with the help of my new physical therapist, i'll be turning some of it into muscle .. i have a feeling it will be slow going .. i can't believe how a mere 10 days in a hospital bed can wipe me out .. well i guess i'm also recovering from the stuff that was going on before the surgery .. turns out i had a lot going on, anemia, high blood sugar, electrolytes out of whack, dehydration, low potassium level .. and those are just the things i can remember they told me were wrong !! no wonder i wasn't feeling well lol
i am thinking about calling the hospital and letting them know i have a few complaints about the level of service i received .. not that anything major happened, but a couple of things bothered me about the way i was treated .. when i was in the emergency room i had a seizure and was unable to get anyones attention .. it was so frustrating to be conscious but unable to talk or move .. when the seizure was over i literally screamed for help .. i told the nurse i had a seizure and he had the audicity to tell me "NO, you didn't" .. he was convinced that i was wrong and that made me so angry .. i finally got ahold of a doctor and explained what had happened and they confirmed that i had a seizure .. i looked at the nurse and i said "I told you i had a seizure" and he has the nerve to say "i know you did"
that was just so wrong ..
2 days after my surgery my neurosurgeon, Dr Jason, decided i was doing remarkably well and decided to release me .. and then i had another seizure .. this one lasted 2 minutes .. i am consious but can't talk and get all curled up .. it ain't pretty .. well this seizure completely took them by surprise and ended up postponing my release for another 2 days ..
in the meantime the hospital had me on what they call seizure alert .. i was concerned because one afternoon i hit my nurse call button and it took them 40 minutes to respond (i think i was calling for pain medication) .. it made me realize that IF i had another seizure i'd be going through it alone because i couldn't count on the nurses to respond to me promptly ..
i think these 2 instances are worth making changes .. i'm not convinced that the hospital will really do anything because of my complaints but i feel its worth taking the chance on improving the level of service .. maybe some other patient can benefit if i take the time to let them know they need to make changes :)
well now i've done worn myself out again hehe i am sitting in bed comfortably (as long as i don't cough or move) and i'm surrounded by all my kittys .. Mocha, Sad Eyes, Momma and Bubba .. they are all sound asleep and i'm loving it !! i need to arrange for a mobile pet grooming service so that Bubba can be groomed .. he is the only long hair cat i have and he has a mass of mats that need to be shaved off (i shave his belly 2 times a year) and it really does make him happier .. it really isn't "pretty" but he's got to be so uncomfortable .. normally i do the grooming myself but it takes 2 people and i'm just not up to it right now so i'm going to make a few calls this morning to find out if i can find a mobile grooming service
thanks for listening to my rambling !!!
18 comments:
we are blessed to be hearing rant, my friend. You are well loved and we have been going through your struggles vicariously through your journal and your wonderful sister Nancy who kept us updated when you couldn't. You are daily in our prayers. Love and blessings, Penny http://journals.aol.com/firestormkids04/FromHeretoThere
Pam--I am so glad you are back. I worried about you when we did not hear from you in awhile. I orignally started reading you because of your work with animals and stuck with it because you were fun to read no matter what you were writing about. I have been here through your fight with cancer and will be here still reading when you get better. My thoughts are with you and your family. I am so glad that your positive attitude is back too. Keep up the good work!
Shelli
I swear the way that people get treated in hospitals just amaze me. You make sure you give them hell. I concider it to be more than little things. Other than that sounds as if you are feeling better mentally. And that is a good thing. So, glad to hear you ramble if that is what you want to call it. I so enjoy your writing. Hope you get your glasses and all goes well with that. Hugs to you Pam. Takecare, TerryAnn.
Pam, you are blessed. And so are we, to be able to read once again about your 'antics'. You will show a picture when you get your new glasses right? =)
will be thinking of you today, at approximately 4:10 pm your time. :hugs: Phinney
I am so sorry to hear about your broken rib. How horrid. And the treatment at the hospital is just not right. I'm glad you are letting them know about how you were treated. They need to know. And good for you about being more yourself. I am glad to hear it.
Traci
One thing is for certain....nothing will change is you DON'T complain. Both these issues are valid and could make the diffence between life and death for a future patient. Go for it!
Hi Pam!
It's so good to see you back! I didn't have your sisters link, so I couldn't keep up. That was scarey! Then I read in someone elses journal that reads your sisters that you were back in the hospital. So glad you are back home and doing better. Steroids make some things heal faster, but it does weaken your bones. So that could be why your rib broke. When I have to go on steriods they also make me want to eat the house! lol Luckily I react quickly and don't have to stay on them long at a time. Otherwise I just stick to my wonder herbal products and they do a good job of keeping my Ulcerative Colitis in remission.
God Bless You for being able to smile again!
You are in my prayers.
Hugs
Darlene
http://journals.aol.com/djohn52/AgeingGracefullyWithAllTheHelpIC/
your rambling is delightful
-Paul
love listening to you ramble! it is soooo good to have you back with us, and it sounds like you are feeling pretty good.
did you find out how you got a broke rib?
hate the way you were treated at the hospital, it needs changing.
how is your "accidental" garden coming? or is it?
Kathy
Waving to Dr. Nancy she sounds wonderful, it'll be great when u have your glasses. Well done on the weight gain, hope that pain grows less. Rache
Ramble all you want.... the more you ramble the more we love you xx
I am so glad that you are feeling better:)
Deb
OH Pam my Mom broke her rib about a year ago and she was in so much pain! I finally had to make her go to the ER and hers was so high up they couldn't tape it. She really suffered for weeks. I feel so badly for you. DEFFINITELY let the hospital know about that substandard care. Here we have "patient representatives" that file reports and things are done about them. You deserve better girlfriend! The kitties are there to keep you snug. Good kitties. I love to see your fighting spirit back. Loving and healing thoughts are with you more than you could ever know.
You go girl, your spirit no matter what is going on, never fails to amaze me Pam. You are such a special lady, nothing keeps you down and your positive attitude about life and what you are going through has touched the hearts of all of your Jland friends. Isn't wonderful to have Dr. Nancy there for you like that; she's indeed a great one to have take care of you and so caring about you.
You are always in my special thoughts and prayers.......bless you dear....AJ
Welcome back Pam. It's nice to see you posting again. :-)
You could have broken it just coughing in the hospital...or being turned in the bed by someone in a hurry...during a seizure...or it could have just broken. Make sure you splint (hold the pillow to your abdomen) and take about 10 full, deep breaths...as often as you can...every 2 hrs is good to shoot for, I know you're too tired to do a lit right now, but that will change.
I am so relieved my old pameo is back!
Love ya Chicky, looking forward to our chat.
andi
I'm so glad your back! I've been so worried about you. When I opened my email and it was you, I almost cried.
Damn Girl, I'm so proud of you! You have more strength than anyone I've ever known. You just amaze me! Keep up the good work.
My love to you and your family, Rhonda
Sadly, as an RN, I can say with much honesty, the treatment you got in the hospital is not uncommon. I've seen it myself so many times.
DEFINITELY report what happened. Include names if you can remember them. The only way to fix things is to point fingers...
Glad you're feeling so much better!
XO,
bridgett
Post a Comment