Pray for Mike

[bailachel]

You go girl! Despite the challenges with which you are being presented, you appear to have things moving in the right direction and the Director seems to be open to your input and requests. Glad you have family members coming to support you! Please take care of yourself too.

[chunkyfrog]

Keep up the good work, Dori.
Prayers, hugs, good thoughts.

[SleepingUgly]

Such great ideas! I love having a plan of action! Antibacterial wipes! Camera! I already met the Director last night and he told me to make a "list" and he would address my concerns, so far I have 8 things listed, all reasonable complaints/requests.

That's good--the director sounds responsive. Visibly taking notes, including who told you what (e.g., "Your name again?" as you write) does wonders to get people on their best behavior.

My son can't get down here until Sunday, he lives 3hrs away with a busy practice and hectic life with a young baby, so I have been actively discouraging him from coming.

But the director is aware you have a son who is a physician? (Sorry to harp on this...I can't help repeating the few bits of advice I give that I think are really good! )

[Danskman]

I am a newbie here, but I've read lots of your posts and have enjoyed all of them. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that Mike will be ok soon.

[gasp]

Please take care of yourself DoriC so that you don't end up in the bed next to him!

I asked the Dr this morning if he could book a room for me at the rehab! It looks like a 5-star hotel, Mediterranean decor, dining room has pink tablecloths with bouquets of flowers, the library/activity room has 2 wide-screen TVs and several laptops and plush recliners, not bad!

I guess you can tell I'm feeling a little relieved this evening, the Drs and nurses are amazed at Mike's fighting spirit, he does whatever he's told to do without complaint and is so pleasant even when he's not feeling well. He's a very special man and I hope I've conveyed some of that to all of you. When I told him that I asked for your prayers for him, he said I shouldn't have done that, you've all got your own problems to deal with but he wanted me to thank you for helping me take care of his sleep apnea.

Please tell Mike letting us/me (speaking for myself) be concerned and pray for him is a gift. If I had to be all alone in the XPAP process without this forum it would have been a different journey for certain! Being able to get help and give care to others makes life worth living. If nobody let us know they needed our prayers or had a need then what purpose is there in being a member of this forum? : )) See what I mean?

So, tell him thank you and best wishes from the green one-eyed monster : ) -gasp

[DoriC]

But the director is aware you have a son who is a physician? (Sorry to harp on this...I can't help repeating the few bits of advice I give that I think are really good! )

Well, SU, I followed your advice and you were right although I don't do it very often. The main reason I chose this rehab is that although our Dr does not see any patients in rehab, our Dr's partner is the medical director of the rehab and has taken care of Mike in emergencies. I was told it would be no problem to have Dr.L take care of him, but when we got to rehab we were told Dr.L only sees his own private patients in rehab and Mike would have to be followed by one of the newer guys in the practice who I really dislike. Enter my son, he put in a call to Dr. L who didn't know him from Adam and an hour later Dr. L appeared in Mike's room, said he'd be pleased to take on his medical care, had some nice things to say about our son and even gave me a hug and told me to get some rest. I must look like a mess! We're not out of the woods yet but I think he's doing a little better although the first day of rehab exhausted him.

[SleepingUgly]

I'm glad my advice panned out--Whew!

Hopefully now that he's settling into the new environment, things will turn around.

[máirtín]

get some rest

Time to follow the doctor's orders!

Seriously though, I'm glad things look a little better now that Mike seems to be in good hands.
You have been marvelous - your strength is going to pull him through.
What a great relationship!

[Madalot]

But the director is aware you have a son who is a physician? (Sorry to harp on this...I can't help repeating the few bits of advice I give that I think are really good! )

Well, SU, I followed your advice and you were right although I don't do it very often. The main reason I chose this rehab is that although our Dr does not see any patients in rehab, our Dr's partner is the medical director of the rehab and has taken care of Mike in emergencies. I was told it would be no problem to have Dr.L take care of him, but when we got to rehab we were told Dr.L only sees his own private patients in rehab and Mike would have to be followed by one of the newer guys in the practice who I really dislike. Enter my son, he put in a call to Dr. L who didn't know him from Adam and an hour later Dr. L appeared in Mike's room, said he'd be pleased to take on his medical care, had some nice things to say about our son and even gave me a hug and told me to get some rest. I must look like a mess! We're not out of the woods yet but I think he's doing a little better although the first day of rehab exhausted him.

I'm really glad this worked out like this, Dori. You really need things to go smoothly for you and I'm really glad your son was able to help you get this worked out.

Now, please get some rest, k?

[scrapper]

DoriC..........

When you document with your camera, it's very important to put a ruler in the picture--and so that usually takes two people to get the picture. Things can get blown out of proportion with the abilities of computers these days, but with a ruler, you can see exact measurements. We used to document our wound care this way on the other side of the coin all of the time.......

Everyday I pop in, just to see how you and Mike are doing..........you remain in my thoughts and prayers!

Pat

[bdp522]

If you don't have a ruler handy a pen or pencil will do. Anything that will give a bit of perspective. Be sure to let the staff know that you will go to the state health dept with the pix if need be.

Brenda

[elena88]

Hi Dori,
I have been away awhile, and just read your thread. Im so sorry what you are going thru with Mike..

I know you will be a great advocate for him, and you have received lots of good advice here..

a cross between a squeeky wheel, and well mannered pitbull should get the job done, and its a difficult one
at that..

Finding a member of the staff that you can connect with is also very helpful.... there is always one you can
talk to, one who can be a little watchdog when youre not there.

Oh and cookies, I have found cookies grease the wheels just about anywhere, and nice rewards for staff who
go the distance to help you out..

My thoughts and prayers are with you both,

elena

[howkim]

DoriC..........

When you document with your camera, it's very important to put a ruler in the picture--and so that usually takes two people to get the picture. Things can get blown out of proportion with the abilities of computers these days, but with a ruler, you can see exact measurements. We used to document our wound care this way on the other side of the coin all of the time.......

Everyday I pop in, just to see how you and Mike are doing..........you remain in my thoughts and prayers!

Pat

A ruler, a nickel (they're 1 inch in diameter), a dollar bill (just over 6 inches long) - in other words, anything handy that will give someone viewing the picture later a sense of scale.

[DoriC]

Quick update, the cpap is not working out, I can't find the right setup for the machine,hose,etc, there's very little to work with in a tiny space, they don't know how to adjust his mask, he was "leaking all night" and "extremely restless", "hardly slept" and was very tired and very little energy for rehab. The Dr was concerned about his condition today and after some discussion we decided to just have him sleep elevated and wear a chin strap tonight until we figure out a solution. I just called his nurse and she said he's much better tonight so far and is sleeping comfortably. His skin has a rash around the wound and our surgeon is coming in tomorrow to assess it. I'm going to insist he instruct them to let me do his wound care and I'll sign any forms they want. So we're dealing with a lot of issues and another not so good day, although his vitals are looking OK. Thanks to all for your concern and prayers. PS: My brain is on overload and I'm really too tired to look back at all the posts but can someone repeat again the reason for the camera, I simply can't remember why!

[SleepingUgly]

Quick update, the cpap is not working out, I can't find the right setup for the machine,hose,etc, there's very little to work with in a tiny space, they don't know how to adjust his mask, he was "leaking all night" and "extremely restless", "hardly slept" and was very tired and very little energy for rehab

Can you tell us how his hose and machine etc were set up at home vs. how the place is laid out there so we can help you figure out how to set it up? Don't panic about him not wearing his CPAP for a few days, but we want to help you rig something up. Also, if you want me to send you the CozyHose Boss, I will do that. It attaches by 3M strips or whatever that don't cause damage to the surface they are adhered to. You could attach it to the wall above his head if that would help approximate what you had going at home.

My brain is on overload and I'm really too tired to look back at all the posts but can someone repeat again the reason for the camera, I simply can't remember why!

I think the purpose was to document wound condition. Personally I think that a pad of paper and taking notes of who is saying what and when is enough for starters. If you see they are not doing what they ought to do, then you can bring in a camera. I hope that your son, "The Doctor", will make an appearance there soon (Did you say he was coming this weekend, or was that your granddaughter? I forgot...)