Russell Williams
Well-Known Member
An update on Louise.
The last day of January and one day before Louise would have to start paying $11,000 a month to be in the nursing home Louise came home from the nursing home. It took three ambulance crews to get her into the house and into the hospital bed I had purchased. A couple of days later she wound up on the floor but, since I had purchased a hand crank Hoyer lift, I did not have to invite the neighbors in and use the lifting blanket to get her into bed.
She has been assigned a physical therapist, occupational therapist, a home healthcare nurse, and a personal care attendant. Each of these comes about two times a week for an hour or an hour and a half each time. She is also been loaned a device that if she presses a button it automatically calls the house to ask what is wrong.
The first or second time that the physical therapist visited, Louise was able to walk 75 feet in three separate trips of 25 feet each.
Then things started going downhill.
The C diff came back. She started having shooting pains in her leg. Because of the pain in her leg, at times, every step is so excruciating that she tends to scream. Sometimes when she is simply lying in bed or sitting on the couch she has this excruciating pain which causes her to yell out.
She was started on Flagyl. After about a week and a half the C diff was still there so she was started on another medicine and, the co-pay of that medicine cost $450 for 10 day supply. After 10 days she needed another 10 day supply. This time the generic was produced and the co-pay for the 10 day supply was $30.
They were no more signs of C diff and for the first time since September Louise was able to get into the kitchen and prepare supper. She used the hover Scooter.
The family physician said that Louise had to come in before he would write any prescriptions. A private ambulance would take her for a $600 plus $100 an hour fee. Some friends were able to bring over two heavy-duty ramps and Louise was able to use the ramps and hover Scooter get from the house to the car and then to get out of the hover Scooter and into the car. With this we were able to get to the doctors and he was able to examine Louise and then prescribed C diff medication. He said that since he was not a pain specialist he would not prescribe pain medication.
We are able to set up an appointment with a pain specialist and again the friends came over with the ramps and Louise got into the car. At the pain specialist's from the time Louise entered the door until the time she was seen by the pain specialist about two hours had elapsed and she was sitting there with no pain medication and excruciating pain the whole time. The Dr. did prescribe a powerful painkiller. It took two people from the Dr.'s office and myself to get Louise back into the car. Once Louise started on this painkiller the background pain level went from about eight to about two. The shooting pains were still a problem.
About a week later, we went back to the pain doctor's office and he suggested there may be a problem with nerves coming out of the spine and wanted an MRI. Without an appointment I went to the MRI place and pleaded the case of my poor suffering wife and so they saw her that day. In the middle of all of this a tire came off of the wheelchair and I had to get it back on. We have an appointment next week with the pain Dr. who will have examined, hopefully, the MRI results and perhaps come up with something that will reduce the shooting pains.
Today in physical therapy Louise walked about 25 feet and she did not have the intense pain
The last day of January and one day before Louise would have to start paying $11,000 a month to be in the nursing home Louise came home from the nursing home. It took three ambulance crews to get her into the house and into the hospital bed I had purchased. A couple of days later she wound up on the floor but, since I had purchased a hand crank Hoyer lift, I did not have to invite the neighbors in and use the lifting blanket to get her into bed.
She has been assigned a physical therapist, occupational therapist, a home healthcare nurse, and a personal care attendant. Each of these comes about two times a week for an hour or an hour and a half each time. She is also been loaned a device that if she presses a button it automatically calls the house to ask what is wrong.
The first or second time that the physical therapist visited, Louise was able to walk 75 feet in three separate trips of 25 feet each.
Then things started going downhill.
The C diff came back. She started having shooting pains in her leg. Because of the pain in her leg, at times, every step is so excruciating that she tends to scream. Sometimes when she is simply lying in bed or sitting on the couch she has this excruciating pain which causes her to yell out.
She was started on Flagyl. After about a week and a half the C diff was still there so she was started on another medicine and, the co-pay of that medicine cost $450 for 10 day supply. After 10 days she needed another 10 day supply. This time the generic was produced and the co-pay for the 10 day supply was $30.
They were no more signs of C diff and for the first time since September Louise was able to get into the kitchen and prepare supper. She used the hover Scooter.
The family physician said that Louise had to come in before he would write any prescriptions. A private ambulance would take her for a $600 plus $100 an hour fee. Some friends were able to bring over two heavy-duty ramps and Louise was able to use the ramps and hover Scooter get from the house to the car and then to get out of the hover Scooter and into the car. With this we were able to get to the doctors and he was able to examine Louise and then prescribed C diff medication. He said that since he was not a pain specialist he would not prescribe pain medication.
We are able to set up an appointment with a pain specialist and again the friends came over with the ramps and Louise got into the car. At the pain specialist's from the time Louise entered the door until the time she was seen by the pain specialist about two hours had elapsed and she was sitting there with no pain medication and excruciating pain the whole time. The Dr. did prescribe a powerful painkiller. It took two people from the Dr.'s office and myself to get Louise back into the car. Once Louise started on this painkiller the background pain level went from about eight to about two. The shooting pains were still a problem.
About a week later, we went back to the pain doctor's office and he suggested there may be a problem with nerves coming out of the spine and wanted an MRI. Without an appointment I went to the MRI place and pleaded the case of my poor suffering wife and so they saw her that day. In the middle of all of this a tire came off of the wheelchair and I had to get it back on. We have an appointment next week with the pain Dr. who will have examined, hopefully, the MRI results and perhaps come up with something that will reduce the shooting pains.
Today in physical therapy Louise walked about 25 feet and she did not have the intense pain
