Do you have one family member you call first when there's a problem?
I have three sisters and a brother. Two of my sisters are older than I am, and so is my brother. The family falls into "girl, girl, boy, girl, girl" formation.
My oldest sister (the nurse) is the one I call when there is a family problem. Unfortunately, right now she is in Australia. She's a jet setting Gramma. Her daughter, and her daughter's family are living in Australia, and my sis has been visiting for a month so that her daughter and son-in-law could attend a conference. I can reach her by computer or by phone, but she'll be home on Sunday, so I hate to ruin her visit.
My second sister was admitted to the hospital Monday night. She is in extreme pain, and the doctors don't seem to be able to pin down exactly what's causing the problem. It could be a pinched nerve, or something having to do with spinal nerves. At any rate, she couldn't deal with the pain and they admitted her to the hospital. She had an MRI and a procedure on Tuesday that didn't work, and today they have added steroids to the morphine drip that she's been on since Monday.
I would try almost anything to avoid surgery, but she's been in so much pain she wants the doctors to take the surgical approach. It sounds to me like they don't know WHAT to cut.....so I hope they find some alternatives for her.
Normally, I'd be chatting with my oldest sister, trying to find out what she knows about the situation. As a nurse, she usually has a different take, and certainly more knowledge, and it can be reassuring to talk with her.
So, we are in "wait and see" mode, hoping for a miracle to make my sister comfortable.
Comments (7)
Good luck for your sister - certainly hope they figure out what is causing thepain before they start randomly taking parts out!
Posted by bogie | September 16, 2004 4:40 AM
Posted on September 16, 2004 04:40
Your poor sister must really be in pain to, first, allow herself to be hospitalized and, second, to even consider surgery. I'm with Bogie: good luck to her and let's not let her lose parts unnecessarily.
Posted by Cop Car | September 16, 2004 9:22 AM
Posted on September 16, 2004 09:22
P.S. The closest that we come to a health-care professional in the family are my HH's dad (retired pharmacist) and Dudette's daughter (certified nurse's assistant), so we just sorta e-mail one another (Bogie, Dudette, and I do). Mostly I talk to Hunky Husband. With one year of pharmacy (before he switched into electrical engineering), he considers himself knowledgable. Phone call--what's that?
Posted by Cop Car | September 16, 2004 9:26 AM
Posted on September 16, 2004 09:26
Well dear, I can be your substitute nurse - back pain seldom is cause for surgery - so, your sis and you can relax on that matter. The problem can be a pinched nerve, degenerated disc, probably some kind of nerve problem that may be due to progressive changes - suddenly pain is felt when the problem reaches a certain stage.
The source of the pain also can be kidney or bowel - so tests need to be done to rule out the potential causes --- tests can include x-rays, CAT scan, MRI, Myelogram, bone scan and there is some blood tests that can help rule out potential problems as well.
Hopefully the docs can get some pain management underway that works for your sis - meds, physio, heat - and also they can do tests and find out what the cause of the pain is to then be able to treat it.
Posted by Desiree | September 16, 2004 11:05 AM
Posted on September 16, 2004 11:05
Thank you, all, for your comments. Cop Car and Bogie....I think it's normal for a family to talk with one another about problems that pop up. "Have you ever heard of....." or "What do you know about...." are ways that we find out about things, and are reassured that we are not the only one to experience them.
And, when you have someone like Desiree, who can give you information to direct your attention, it keeps your imagination from going hog wild.
Thanks, Des, for all the help.
CC....I'm not a phone person either. Maybe we need to start the Anti-phone society. We can all wear red hats and go to tea or luncheon....but phones will be banned! lol
Posted by Buffy | September 16, 2004 1:15 PM
Posted on September 16, 2004 13:15
Des, I have very little information to share. Her daughter said "they did a procedure that didn't work," and that they were trying steroids in addition to the morphine drip. She had an MRI, but so far there hasn't been news of any other tests. So, we're still waiting to hear what they think is wrong.
Posted by Buffy | September 16, 2004 1:17 PM
Posted on September 16, 2004 13:17
well...here I am ... later, glad to see from the post that is newer than this (and the email you sent) that she is home and fears have decreased.
Posted by Desiree | September 16, 2004 8:17 PM
Posted on September 16, 2004 20:17