Thinking
I started this blog because of issues in caregiving with my mom. It dawned on me that I'm also a caregiver to my husband. Since both his brother and his sister read my other blog. I will make this blog a caregivers blog and discuss concerns with both.
Given that both hubby and mom have post polio syndrome .. things may cross over anyway.
Given that hubby has some, as the pulmonologist puts it, brain issues, due to the respiratory failure he had last may, there are some things that are not indifferent.
Today was a bad oxygen day for Don ...and as he struggled to find words that he knows, I realized it. "Go ..bipap ..now!" (that was me, and yes, I said it like that) 2 hours later, he was no longer searching for words, nor stuttering (although the hard C seems to be a permanent stutter. I'm assuming since it hasn't gone away even for a day since he came out of the coma, and it has been almost a year ... then it probably isn't going away. It's been a year, and I'm finally able to use the word coma. Wow) and he could complete a thought ... it must have been the problem.
I want a dadgum pulse ox machine! Why in the h- e -double toothpicks isn't it covered by medicare/medicaid?! I'm sorry, but when someone has to be on bipap for 12 to 14 hours a day, and oxygen another 4 to 8 hours, a pulse ox should be standard issue!!! We should not have to go in for pulse ox checks at the doctors office!
I bet they've spent more in paying for doctor visits in the last year, or home health nurse visits to come check than it would have cost to pay for one!!!
It's absurd!!!
Last night, while on the machine, a drunk driver hit a transformer and we lost power. BANG! It was out. I reached for my cell phone to call the power company. It struck me .. how many people have the power company's phone number programmed into their cell phones? They got someone right out ... 45 minutes later it was back on.
They'd already noted it ... we're in their emergency program. It did us no good during the ice storm when all of Oklahoma lost power. We were out for a week. We found out then that oxygen alone isn't enough for Don. He got pneumonia because he didn't have the bipap clearing out his lungs every day.
I was just doing some research on restrictive airway disease. Kyphoscoliosis listed as a cause. yeah. 42% capacity ... and worsening scoliosis and kyphoscoliosis.
How much more twisting can his lungs take?
Given that both hubby and mom have post polio syndrome .. things may cross over anyway.
Given that hubby has some, as the pulmonologist puts it, brain issues, due to the respiratory failure he had last may, there are some things that are not indifferent.
Today was a bad oxygen day for Don ...and as he struggled to find words that he knows, I realized it. "Go ..bipap ..now!" (that was me, and yes, I said it like that) 2 hours later, he was no longer searching for words, nor stuttering (although the hard C seems to be a permanent stutter. I'm assuming since it hasn't gone away even for a day since he came out of the coma, and it has been almost a year ... then it probably isn't going away. It's been a year, and I'm finally able to use the word coma. Wow) and he could complete a thought ... it must have been the problem.
I want a dadgum pulse ox machine! Why in the h- e -double toothpicks isn't it covered by medicare/medicaid?! I'm sorry, but when someone has to be on bipap for 12 to 14 hours a day, and oxygen another 4 to 8 hours, a pulse ox should be standard issue!!! We should not have to go in for pulse ox checks at the doctors office!
I bet they've spent more in paying for doctor visits in the last year, or home health nurse visits to come check than it would have cost to pay for one!!!
It's absurd!!!
Last night, while on the machine, a drunk driver hit a transformer and we lost power. BANG! It was out. I reached for my cell phone to call the power company. It struck me .. how many people have the power company's phone number programmed into their cell phones? They got someone right out ... 45 minutes later it was back on.
They'd already noted it ... we're in their emergency program. It did us no good during the ice storm when all of Oklahoma lost power. We were out for a week. We found out then that oxygen alone isn't enough for Don. He got pneumonia because he didn't have the bipap clearing out his lungs every day.
I was just doing some research on restrictive airway disease. Kyphoscoliosis listed as a cause. yeah. 42% capacity ... and worsening scoliosis and kyphoscoliosis.
How much more twisting can his lungs take?
posted by 30 years from Darling at
12:13 AM
1 Comments:
Oh yeah, isn't it fun when the power goes out. Really sucks bigtime.
You do have a heavy load to carry. All the best - thanks for your comment on my blog. Will check back often and add you to my blogroll.
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