Foggy went to Stroke

Monday morning took us to another level of activity. Father, sister #1, sister #4 (who had no school) and niece #2 were with my mother in the a.m. and it became obvious when the PT guy came in and that "foggy" became a stroke diagnosis.

I had gotten to work at 6 a.m. and went through the first half of the Open House. But checked my cellphone before the luncheon and saw a message from my brother and sister #3 and mother was on her way back to the hospital. I wrapped up as much as I could and headed to the hospital. It was the Emergency Room wait again and a discussion between family and doctors ("Limit of 2 with the Patient" sign did not impact us - we had brother, father, sisters #1,2 (me),3,4, and niece #2 in the room and went back and forth with sending her back to "the home" (rehab) or admitting her and praying that she would stay for the Medicare "magic three days" - I will try not to dwell on the "business of health care" but it is driving me mad. Add to that that we might be headed back to the 4th floor where I did not make any friends as we waited for transport to rehab exactly a week ago last night.

It looks like not being on coumiden for 2 weeks - Oct 1 to Oct 13 (she will be back on it as of today) took its toll and what she was put on it to avoid came true - stroke. In the emergency room we went through the neurological analysis - and mother did not do too well on the math questions, but none of her kids did too well either. There was a whole shopping and how much money would you have left type questions and mother has never had to handle money with her husband so she really was not "with" the questions, but we don't know how much was brain weakness or lack of life experience. The doctor also asked her to push her foot down like she would if she was stepping on the gas pedal - my mother has never driven a car in her 86 years...but even with the life experience issues, her left side was weak and her face was saggy and her smile looked like mine does (I have not had a stroke, I am just constantly grumpy).

So with all things considered, my father was overruled and mother was sent upstairs to the 4th floor and not to "the home" (rehab place). We got up there and I had to face some of the people who I had had a "discussion with" about the business of health care...but I kept quiet and they avoided me. But what we could not avoid was "an incident" in my mother's room that kept us at the hospital a bit longer than we would have otherwise and I called the Patient advocate last night when I got home. They moved mother into a room with a young Puerto Rican lady and she was a bit vocal from the minute we got into the room. But the problem came about because sister #1 and niece #2 are fluent in Spanish and when the lady's guests came in to visit, there was a conversation - in Spanish - referring to my mother as La Muerta and her family as a pretty stupid looking group surrounding Mother Teresa...and the next thing I know my niece looked a bit agitated. I knew the conversation was not complimentary to us, but I did not get it all as she did. So when we stepped out of the room for a minute she shared with the group what had been said and the move began to get mother out of there and into another room. And then during the move, my brother (after we had already moved mother's bed out of the room) stopped for a minute and shared with the patient (who had made the comments) that they need to know that we understand all of their conversation and that we did not appreciate their sentiment and ask for some respect for our mother. My brother is a pretty strapping guy - very good shape, but one of the "guests" - a young man in his teens or early 20's turned to sister #3 and said "you know we could move this outside"...My sister is in her 50's as all of our group was except our niece...and she had to laugh and say "You have got to be kidding!". The another of the guests - a teen age girl - had some interchange with my niece in Spanish - which I do not feel was complimentary to my niece...it was an incredible scene. I was feeling very West Side Story - the Irish versus the Puerto Ricans - being played out right in the nurses' station area of the 4th Floor of the UCONN Medical Center. Absolutely incredible. Of course my response was to cry - I really was afraid for our safety and was afraid to leave my mother there. But the aides saw the whole thing and I don't think it was the first episode with this lady or her guests - so they moved quickly to get mother out of there and into a new room. Thank God.

It just does not stop. We finally left and we headed out together. I was really afraid that the guests might still be outside the hospital.

I will go into work again today early and see if I can concentrate on the matters at hand. Sister #1 and niece #2 are headed back to work, school respectively. Sister #3 drove back up from NYC after just leaving at 3 p.m. on Sunday. I will head over once I get things wrapped up to a respectable level. The stroke thing is pretty scary and I hope it was the right thing to do to keep her in the hospital and not send her back to the home. So many decisions to make in a short amount of time and so many "rules" of health care business to keep in mind. NONE of the rules having anything to do with patient care. What an awful world.

Keep a good thought today.