Are Our Senior Parents "Disposible Human Beings"? A Medical Nightmare

debrae132 — Fri, 16 May 2008 18:21:53 GMT

Report on the Hospital Stay

Of my Mother

Starting on Sunday May 20, 2007

Died June 3, 2007 at 11:00PM

Sunday May 20, 2007

She was taken to XXXXXXXX Hospital from xxxxxxxx Assisted Living in late morning of Sunday May 20^th suffering with a nosebleed due to Coumadin. The level of Coumadin in her blood should have been 2. It was 6+.

(We had expressed to her Doctor many times in the past 6 weeks since starting Coumadin that my Mother could not tolerate that med. She had been treated with that med Previously after a knee surgery and had nose hemorrhages from it that had resulted in a hospital stay. Her surgeon at that time had told her that she should not take Coumadin again as it thinned her blood too much. )

She was evaluated in the Emergency Room and later that same day admitted to the Hospital.

The bleeding could not be controlled. That night she was taken to Surgery, and the bleeding was cauterized under local anesthesia. Surgery lasted from Appr.10:30 PM Sunday night until early Monday morning. (1AM or so)

Her family was waiting for her after surgery. They wheeled her past us as we sat in the waiting room. I glanced at the large clock on the wall as they wheeled her under it. It was 1:32 AM. Her attending Anesthesiologist, Dr.XXXX, came to the Critical Care waiting room to talk to us. ( Her Surgeon wanted to get home, as it was late, and could not be bothered to see us) The Anesthesiologist was very concerned and expressed to us that his decision to allow this surgery without a generalized anesthesia was based on the condition of my Mother's Chronic Pulmonary Fibrosis ( C.O.P.D.).

His opinion was that if he had sedated her to that degree (General Anesthesia) he would have most certainly "Lost her" and she would not have survived the surgery.

He also expressed what a cooperative patient she had been through what must have been a frightening and uncomfortable few hours for her. He told us that she had followed all of their instructions and had even said a prayer for herself and them. He was touched by how "Sweet" she was. He also expressed to us that in two or three days she may develop an infection in her airways due to aspirating some blood during the 18 hours of her nosebleed. He instructed us to be an Advocate for her care while she was hospitalized, as his experience was that most staff members and doctors were so overwhelmed and stretch so thin that the consideration needed for great care would probably not be provided and to be there with her as much as possible.

She was in Critical Care and was now resting comfortably. We all saw her briefly, reassured by staff that she would be properly attended to, and we all went to our homes to go to sleep. (It was appr. 3AM when we left)

The night of my Mothers surgery was the beginning of a strange but true experience that I can only believe because I lived it and had other family members there to verify that I was not sleeping and having a bad nightmare.

The first strange encounter was with the Anesthesiologist when he came to talk to us. He talked of his decision to use a local anesthesia instead of a general. He spoke of this being his last night on duty at this hospital. He had been called upon to give them some of his time because they were short staffed. He told us that he practiced in a hospital in the Philadelphia area and named it. I replied that I knew it well.

He stressed how we would need to be an advocate for our mother while she was a patient in this hospital and the many instances of medical uncertainties he had encountered through his career, including his own hospital stay. He expressed that when he was a patient himself, he only felt secure if he ordered his own meds. (Was this an omen?)

He spoke of the real possibility of lung infection developing because of the long duration of the nosebleed. He suspected that some blood would have had to been aspirated.

He talked openly and friendly and I got the sense that he really wanted us to read between the lines. It was very bazaar. Had my daughter, brother and sister in law not been present, I would have thought that I had just been in "The Twilight Zone".

Monday May 21, 2007

Mom is responding to treatment and improving. The packing inside of her nose from the cauterization makes it difficult to breathe, but her vitals look good. We did not see Mom that day. I did phone and speak to her nurse on each shift. I was reassured that she was doing well.

I also spoke to XXXX XXXX, (the Social Worker on Staff) to start arranging for Mom's release to XXXX XXXX Skilled Nursing facility upon her release from the Hospital.

I also spoke to NXXX , the Director of Admissions at The Nursing Home, to secure a room for Mom. We all expected that Mom would be released to Skilled Nursing care in a day or two.

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This was my youngest daughters' birthday. We were all reassured that everything was well and that there was no need to make the two-hour trip to the hospital that day. I spoke to mom on the phone a few times. She seemed optimistic and was really starting to feel better. I was already forgetting about the warnings of the previous night. This is the hospital where my children were born. This was the hospital that had cared for all of us at one time or another. I felt a sense of relief that my mother was in a safe place and was being cared for. As one of Moms' primary caregivers for so many years, I actually decided to relax and enjoy the few days that she would be in the hospital, as that meant that I didn't need to worry about her.

Tuesday May 22, 2007

I did see Mom on Tuesday May 22. She was having difficulty breathing with the packing in her nose and was becoming quite tired from all the effort needed to breathe. The oxygen mask at that time sat on her chin so that she could bring oxygen in with mouth breathing. We were assured by staff that her vitals were good and that as the packing came out of her nose she would get some relief. Mom has had Physical Therapy and is walking in the halls with her walker. She is proud to tell us that she had walked 127 ft. one way and then walked 127 ft. back to her room. Matt is in charge of her Physical Therapy.

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She is in a room usually reserved for morbidly obese people, although she is a normal size person. I guess that wherever there is a vacancy, the hospital will use the room, even if it is not suitable for the patient. There are lifts and pulleys above her bed. There are pull bars on the wall to assist lifting a large person. Mom does not seem to mind these things today as she is mobile and seems to be feeling better in spite of the packing, but she does comment on how strange this room is compared to the kind of hospital room that she is use to being in. If anything, she is a bit annoyed at the packing and expresses her hope that it will be removed soon.

She has a roommate, but she does not want to be friendly, so Mom does not try to make much conversation with her.

Wednesday May 23, 2007

I did not see Mom that day. I did speak to her by phone both in the morning and in the evening. Mom tells me that she feels as if she is more congested. She feels ill. Her roommate in bed #1 has a lot of visitors. Mom cannot rest. I can hear the congestion as she breathes that evening on our phone call. This is not a usual pattern for Mom's C.O.P.D. Her usual pattern is congestion in the morning hours due to sleeping all night. On a usual day, mom can expel the congestion by about 11AM and breathe more comfortably for the rest of the day.

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All of a sudden, the forgotten words of the Anesthesiologist from the first night came rushing into my mind.

I talk to the nurse on duty. I explained what he had said that night, after mom's surgery, about the real possibility of her having aspirated blood and it causing an infection. She replied,"That this was not noted on Moms' chart from him". Therefore, she did not believe this to be the case in her condition today.

When I called back in the evening for a report on her condition, it was "the same". I once again stressed to the nurse on duty that Mom needed to be watched closely for signs of infection, and once again, I was treated with indifference.

That night, I called my mother before she fell asleep and found her, for the first time in her life, not wanting to talk much. She said that the patient in the bed next to her had visitors that evening who were still there and that the visitors had been very loud and used a lot of "cursing" in their conversation all evening. This really bothered Mom, because she was a devout Christian who did not "Take the Name of her Lord in Vain". (Her Words)

I offered to get the nurse on duty involved. mom said "No, the visitors would have to be leaving soon,as visiting hours were over 15 minutes ago".

We ended our call and I promised to call first thing in the morning. She said the same phrase at the end of our call as she had said many times before whenever she heard worry in my voice.

"Don't worry about me. I will be all right. My God protects me and this too shall pass. Go to work tomorrow. The nurses will call you on your cell phone if I need you.

Mom was always thinking more of the other person than herself. That was her way of Life.

Thursday May 24, 2007

I receive a phone call from a nurse at XXXX Hospital at home at 7:47 AM.

She states that Mom has had nightmares and had awakened confused, not knowing where she was, and became very stressed and upset. She informed me that they had injected her with a sedative and that she was having hard time breathing. I told her that I would come as quickly as I could. I live a distance away and it takes about two hours to get to where the hospital is located during that time of the morning with traffic. I immediately started to get dressed and prepared to make the trip.

I received a cell phone call from Dr. xxxxxxxx (Mom's primary care physician) at 10:04 AM.

I was in route and had about 30 more minutes to reach the hospital. Dr. xxxxxxxx told me that my Mom was extremely ill. She said that she had arrived to do rounds and went to examine Mom and found her in severe respiratory distress. She had transferred her on to a Bi Pap breathing machine to allow us time to reach the hospital. She indicated that she believed that death was close. She instructs me to "come as fast as you can"!

I called my daughter to instruct her to meet me at the hospital. I called my brother and instructed him to come. I called my oldest brother and informed him of the situation.

My Daughter & I arrived at the hospital at appr.10:30AM to find my Mom unresponsive and struggling very hard to breathe even with the Bi-Pap machine. My brother & sister in law arrived shortly after. The nursing staff provided us with extra chairs and a serving table complete with two cases of soda, a pot of coffee, a pot of tea, and a package of cookies. It seemed to us that every one expected her to die.

No one came to check on her.

If someone from the staff did come in, they only asked if there was anything that they could do for us.

Mom did not die. Although we rallied around her, talked to her, prayed for her, and spoke our last words of gratitude and love for her, to her. She did not die. Her breathing was very irregular and had long pauses and gasps. Mom is struggling to breath and she tries to cough. When she does finally manage to cough, she expels mucus. It is yellow with dried blood in it.

She seemed to be fighting to come back. My sister in law kissed her head at about 2 PM and exclaimed, "Your Mom has a fever!" We ring for a nurse. They take her temperature. It is 100.7. Within minutes, the staff returns with an I.V. antibiotic drip. With in an hour Mom starts to respond weakly to our questions.

By the evening hours, she is becoming more responsive. She communicates to us that she had very bad nightmares. The visitors at bed 1 had been loud and used some vulgar language the day before. Mom is a devout Christian and gets upset when she hears what she refers to as "cursing and swearing " She had not slept well on Wednesday night and early Thursday morning had been having a nightmare when the staff woke her up.

Mom did not have her glasses with her. She was in a hospital room that is set up to care for morbidly obese people. It has systems on the ceiling to attach lifts and pulleys to aid the staff in lifting obese patients. Some of the lift equipment was on the wall next to her bed. With out her glasses that equipment looked liked knifes to her. She was frightened and indicated to us that she would like a different room.

We requested a different room at the Nurse's desk. They quickly came and moved her to a private room, although we a not requested "Private ", only "different."

We felt that something was not right, although we are not sure what it is. My daughter and I decide to stay all night with Mom.

Mom stays on the Bi Pap machine all night. She sleeps extremely sound and does not wake up until 8:00 AM Friday morning. My older brother arrives to the hospital during the night (about 2:30 AM ). He sees that my daughter and I are with Mom and goes to his hotel, planning to arrive the next morning to relieve us.

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A decision is made by the nursing staff to use adult diapers at this time. Mom was humiliated to be in a diaper and dependent on someone to change her. She was looking forward to regaining her strength and being able to use the bathroom on her own.

We are still clueless at this time and assume that the hospital is still competently on top of things. We are relieved that Mom has rallied and never connect the report of her waking up "confused "with the events of the day.

But my daughter and decide that quite possibly she has developed an infection in her lungs ,as we had been warned was possible, and we should stay in the area and take shifts at the hospital, so as not to leave her alone. What was to unfold in the next few days was so bazaar that we could never have prepared ourselves for it.

Friday May 25, 2007

Mom wakes at 8AM and feels better. My brother arrives. Mom eats breakfast. She is very weak but feeling better and breathing better. Everyone seems surprised that she is alive, including her Doctors and the hospital staff. My daughter, my brother and I stay with Mom for part of the day. My daughter and I go home to rest and my brother takes over at her bedside.

Mom was required to use her Bi Pap machine for most of the day, except for the times when she was eating. She also was drowsy for most of the day and had difficulty breathing and clearing secretions, which she said, were in her upper airway. During mealtime, she was able to feed herself but tired quickly. Both lunch and dinner had to be reordered for her because a standard diet was provided and she required a soft diet due to her bottom dentures having been lost.

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Sometime during the day, as Mom got stronger and wanted to eat, we asked the nursing staff for her dentures. We were informed that they had been removed the bottom denture the morning prior, when they thought that Mom was dying. They were most likely "discarded with the dirty laundry". (Thrown away!)

We reported this to the nursing supervisor, who promised to do a complete search of the hospital, including the laundry area.

We never saw Mom's bottom dentures again.

About the same time, Mom started to ask for her 14k gold cross necklace. It had been a 50th wedding anniversary gift to her from my father and she cherished it. It was on her neck prior to "The Death Episode". We were informed that when Mom went into distress that it was also removed. No one knew what happened to it. No one could remember exactly who removed it. That item was not recovered as well.

Wow! They really were quite sure that she would not need her things again.

Mom is still in the private room that she had been transferred to yesterday. (She is a Medicare Medicaid patient with some supplemental insurance, but not insurance to cover a private room) We are amazed that as she feels better, the hospital is quite adamant that she stay in this private room. It is a large room and they have provided us with two reclining lounge chairs. We are using these chairs to sleep at night. The plan is that a family member will always be present and we are documenting all activity at this time.

No one bothers Mom during the night, except for the occasional LPN coming in to quietly check her vitals. Mom is sleeping sound and well. Of course, we are not.

We are feeling very suspicious at this time. Although, we cannot discern the exact reason why.

Could it be ..........................

The Death vigil where all the staff was so certain that mom was expiring at any time...So certain, that no one disturbed us, as we sat around her bed, for hours. In fact, no vital checks, no changing of moms bed pad.

The only time we were disturbed was when they offered to bring us more snacks.

That evening, when Mom rallied, and she was moved to the private room, she was soaked from head to toe from lying in her urine all day long.

We realized now that we had been selected to "hospice her".

The nursing supervisor coming to mom's private room, and bringing us lounging chairs pillows and blankets.

The comments made by one or two of the nursing staff? Comments of how sorry they were about what had happened to Mom???

They would not elaborate further.

It was as if there was something to "cover up" and we could sense it, but it was still not apparent what it was.

So......Apprehensive, but still with some degree of trust, we all decide to move forward and start planning for mom's release. We decide, with her agreement, that Skilled Nursing Care is the next step in her living arrangements.

Saturday May 26 2007

We are moving Mom's possessions out of the Assisted Living Facility where she has lived for the past 21 months today. My daughter, my brother and I visit with her in her hospital room before we start the move. She seems to be improving; she is getting out of bed for her meals.

After moving her possessions from the facility, we go back to visit with her at the hospital. She is out of bed and feeling better. My daughter and I go home. My brother will be staying with her.

My brother reports to us later that Mom is using the nasal canula and does not need the Bi Pap except when she is sleeping. She seems alert and regaining strength and brags about how good her memory is. She says the alphabet backwards. She is still in the chair when he leaves at 8:00. ( Everyone, including the hospital staff, so no need for a family member to stay all night)She has improved appetite with both meals today and her breathing is much improved over yesterday. She has been sleeping soundly through the night without being disturbed by staff, and has been wakening with much improvement each morning

Sunday May 27, 2007

I take the day off. My brother is staying with her. He reports to me that Mom is doing well. They are having nice conversation. Mom is eating her meals. They talk about family history, her old neighborhood, and conversations that she has had by phone the last day or two, with her friends. They talk of her next move to a Skilled Nursing Facility. Although she is concerned about the expense of living there, he reassures her that everything is being taken care of and she need not worry about finances. She is very lucid and has better recall of the previous hospital events than we do. She has been very alert to what has been happening. Mom tells my brother that she feels much better.

My brother reports to me that:-

She is able to be out of bed and in a chair for most of the day. She still has a lot of congestion in the AM but feels that the new breathing treatments are helping. In the early evening, they have a conversation about old neighbors and events that happened when he was younger. She remembers details that he had forgotten. Her voice is significantly stronger than it has been, and she is able to maintain extended conversation. She talks about the 1^st event in which she was given an injection of some medication during the early hours of the morning and how she had trouble that night because the roommate's family had been in to visit and had been loud and used vulgar language and profanity. They had frightened her. During the night, without her glasses the hoists hanging from the ceiling had reminded her of dangling knives when she had been half-asleep and she had felt afraid and disoriented. She was worried that something like that would happen again. She felt that the injection that she was given was to blame for her coma like condition that day and that she was just starting to feel "herself" since that incident. My brother reassures her that her room is safe. She seems to be of calm spirit when he leaves at 8:00 to have dinner and go to his hotel room for some rest.

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Never in a million years would I have believed that this was the last peaceful day that my mother would experience in her life.

As a family, we were all well aware that mom was 84 years old and had health issues. She had chronic conditions had been under the care of her medical team for years. None of those conditions were "life threatening" of there own accord. But the management of her medications and carefully watching her lab reports was crucial to her overall well-being.

If mom had expired that night from her existing conditions, we would have accepted, mourned and moved on.

But the reality of the last week of her life and the events that unfolded have haunted us all very deeply.

This would be our last night of peaceful sleep for quite some time.

Monday May 28,2007

I receive a call from the 6^th Floor Nurses desk at 6:07 AM. The nurse identifies herself as xxxxx. She states that the staff had woke Mom up for treatment at 4AM and is that she is confused and resisting treatment. Nurse xxxxx states that Mom became combative and that she injected her with Haldol. Mom was asking for her family. Would I talk with her and calm her down?

I said that I would try. When my Mother came on the phone, she was very alert and did not seem confused.

She said, " Honey, they are treating me nasty. Call your brother at the Hotel and tell him to come quick. Tell him to bring the police. They are abusing me. They put gloves on my hands. I am tied to the bed.

I called My Brother with my cell phone. My Mother is still on the other phone pleading with me to get help. My brother said he would go immediately. I got up to leave for the hospital as well.

Brother I arrive at about 6:45. The nurse on duty approaches me and tells me that Mom was combative during the night and they had to administer a sedative and apply restraints. Mom's arms are restrained to the bed by gloves and ties on each side. She appears sedated and initially acknowledges my presence by saying "they were terrible to me." She is not on the Bi Pap but a regular O2 mask. When I asked what had happened she said, "It was awful but it's a long story, I can't tell you now." Then she becomes unresponsive. Because of my personal experience with sleep apnea, I notice that she is having difficulty breathing. She takes ten breaths in which there is air intake then for five breaths, she struggles and I cannot hear intake - it appears that these are apneas. I tell the nurse who comes in and says this is not a problem because her O2 level is maintaining. Mom appears to be distressed when she is not having air intake and I request that they put her back on the BiPap to assist with the breathing. The nurse advises that this has not been ordered and she cannot do so. The respiratory therapist comes in for a breathing treatment and I advise her of the breathing difficulty and again request that she administer the breathing treatment through the BiPap and she indicates that this is not necessary. During this early period, the Nurse Practitioner from Mom's primary care Doctor's office arrives and I note to her that Mom had been sedated during the night and was very groggy. Mom became aware of the NP and responded to her questions, them went back to sleep when she left. Her disrupted breathing pattern lasted into mid morning then she seemed to be breathing regular with air intake on each breath. Through the rest of the morning, until I have to leave around 1:00 she remains unresponsive.

I arrived at about 8:30 AM. Mom was unconscious and was in great respiratory distress. Her Breathing was in gasps and pauses, exactly like Thursday when her family was called to her dying bedside. Her heart rate was again very irregular.

We asked the nursing staff to explain what had happened. The Staff informed us that Mom had become combative. (Very out of character for Mom) and had been given a sedative called Haldol.

As we sat there, we slowly began to realize that Mom had apparently been overdosed and that this seemed like the exact same situation that we found ourselves in the previous Thursday morning.

By now, My daughter had arrived to join my brother and me. My brother needed to get back to his home across the state. He had obligations for the next day. I promised to stay with her, day and night if necessary, until she regained consciousness. Mom is breathing irregular and labored.

She was in a coma like state.

Her Pulmonary specialist arrived first during rounds. He was shocked to see her in this condition. We explained what had happened to her to the best of our ability. He was very angry. He goes to the nurse's station, which is directly outside of mom's room. We hear him reprimanding the nursing staff in a very loud voice. Although we could not make out all of his words, we do hear him demand an explanation for what has happened.

He puts mom back on the Bi Pap machine.

Her primary care Doctor arrived. She walked into the room, her mouth dropped open and she exclaimed, "What happened?"

My daughter and I proceeded to tell her of the events as we knew them, starting with the phone call to me by Nurse xxxxx, that morning. At this point my daughter and I are so distressed that we are pleading with her to "Please help us before this incompetent hospital kills our mother and Nana".

Dr MiXxx XXXx looks shocked. She goes to the Nurses Desk and returns with Mom's chart. As she reads the chart, I can see the blood drain out if her face. She looks at us and states " Your Mother was given two injections of Haldol this morning. She reads the chart from front to back. She looks even more distressed. She states. "Your mother was also given an injection of Haldol on Thursday morning. When I came in to see your Mother on Thursday morning, I found her turning grey and in great respiratory distress and ordered the BiPaP machine. I really thought that she was dying. I had no idea that she had been given Haldol. I never would have allowed her to be treated with that sedative. In addition, it concerns me even more that it appears as if the second injection of Haldol was given after family was contacted. That would be very inappropriate. She makes a note on Mom's chart in large, bold letters....... No Haldol.

Dr. xxxxx xxxx goes to the nurse's desk to investigate the situation. She returns to inform us that the "On Call Doctor" gave the order for the Haldol Injection. She states that all we can do at this point is allow the drug to come out of her system. When Mom received 2mg. of Haldol on the previous Thursday, she was unresponsive for about 12 hours. Dr. xxxxx xxxxxx expresses to us that she expects that she will be unresponsive for at least 24 hrs. This time Mom had received 4mg. of Haldol.

Mom continues to struggle and battle the effects of the sedation.

Mom's level of unconsciousness seems much deeper this time. Much greater than the Haldol experience of last Thursday. It seems to take an incredible effort for her to breathe even with the assistance of the Bi Pap machine. Many times that day her breathing stops for 20 or 30 seconds at a time and then starts again with a gasp. It is heartbreaking to watch her struggle to come back from this latest assault.

How much can her poor body take? We are angry and horrified. We truly do not know if mom can fight this second deliberate drug overdose.

We express our anger and fears for mom's well being to the Nursing Director.We are advised to file another complaint with the patient's rights representative in the morning.

My younger brother and his wife arrive. We fill them in on what has been happening. They are also in shock and immediately go to the nurse's desk searching for answers.

But by this time it is too late for answers....

It seems as if everyone now, with the exception of two or three sympathetic nurses, has been instructed not to give out any information. This is when we start to request to view my mothers chart whenever it is brought into the room.

My daughter and I stay all day. We talk with zzzzz zzzzzzz the Nursing Director. She brings extra lounge chairs to Mom's hospital room to allow us all to recline and sleep that night. A few sympathetic nurses and aides come in to tell us how sorry they feel for us and to ask if we need anything. We are once again advised by some staff that in the morning we should go to ddddd ggggg, the patient rights representative and file a compliant.

Mom is unconscious all night.

We are in a state of fear, disbelieve and exhaustion.

What is happening here? Are they so short staffed and impatient that they would prefer putting their elderly patients into life threatening comas instead of coping with a confused elderly patient who is awakened from a deep sleep during the night? We are now beginning to see the whole picture. Some of the nursing staff are very sympathetic to the situation and see how we are in a state of confusion and disbelieve ourselves. They try to guide us in what action we should take ,but the hospital has already begun to silence it's employees.

Haldol is a major antipsychotic drug indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Haldol is contraindicated in patients with Parkinson's disease, cardiovascular disease and respiratory ailment and can cause respiratory depression and possibly death, especially in elderly patients who are sensitive to the medication.

Tuesday May 29, 2007 AM

We all wake up at dawn Wednesday morning

Mom is still battling sedation. She is still breathing irregular. Her heart rate is still all over the place. It can be 90 one second and 150 the next. She is still on the Bi Pap machine to assist her breathing. She has brief seconds of responsiveness. When she is awake, she is very scared. You can see the terror in her eyes. I have never seen my Mother like this before.

She asks us repeatedly "Why did they do this? It was terrible ".

My daughter and I meet with the Patient Representative. She makes note of our complaint and tells us that she will start an investigation. She spends time at the sixth floor nurses desk that afternoon .The Representative comes into Mom's room to talk to her about the experience. Mom is trying to tell her story, but she is still fighting the Haldol overdose and is talking in fragments. She expresses to the representative that she had been violated during the night. She keeps repeating..."XXXX did it XXXX did it" She gets very upset, and talking about what happened to her makes her heart rate skyrocket. We decide to give it a day or two to allow her to regain full control.

Mom is starting to respond. She can breathe without Bi Pap for periods, but then needs it on again. The Doctors have been in. They are not saying much. It seems as if everyone has gone into "Cover my butt mode ". They will not even answer questions except to give an evasive one-word response.

The Patient Representative comes in to talk to Mom. Mom is still groggy, but Mom is also mad. She wants to try to tell her story. She is still telling it in fragments.

Michelle and I decide to stay with her every minute that we can. I think that I may have gone home to shower and then came back to sleep at the hospital, but by this time I am having trouble keeping events straight in my head as well. I have been keeping a very detailed event log. I am glad that I have it.

Mom starts to make more sense in telling her story of the events of that night.

She tells us that the nurses, respiratory therapist and aides had all come into her room together. They woke her up. They had little red lights. (The equipment that they now used had a scanner attached and every time they did a procedure or gave mom medication, they would scan mom's I.D. wristband. This would look like a flash of red light in the night but not be noticeable during daylight hours. This was the very first week in which the hospital was using this equipment, so this was a new experience for mom during this hospital stay.)

She said that they came into her room and shot the red light at her. This woke her up and she did not know if she was dreaming or if they were trying to hurt her with the light.

They wanted her to do a breathing treatment and tried to force the mask over her face. At the same time, a nurse was insisting that she uncover mom to change her adult diaper. Mom was telling her "No. I am not wet". Mom was embarrassed and did not want to be exposed with all those people in the room. (By this time, the lights had been turned on.) At least one of the people in the room was a male and Mom always requested "female only" attendants during any of her hospital stays as well as at her assisted living Facility. Mom was very modest and did not want to be exposed in front of men.

Her request was not honored at this time and when the attendants uncovered and exposed her, she fought back to cover herself. The attendants deemed this "Combative" and the Physician on Call was contacted. Mom said that she was now surrounded by a group of people (males as well) who were trying to force her to comply with getting her adult diaper changed. She kicked at them and screamed. Next thing that she knew, her arms were restrained and she was being injected. She was getting groggy again. That is when she "Demanded to talk to me, as I was her power of attorney". That is when Nurse xxxx called me at 6:07 AM.

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Why? Why did they continue to disrobe a patient who is clearing stating that she is not wet and does not want to be disturbed in that way.

Is this not a violation in itself?

Wednesday May 30, 2007

Mom is awake and miserable. Being unconscious for so long has caused an abnormal amount of congestion. Her body is extremely weak. Her cough reflex is weak .She has to struggle to clear the mucus from her windpipe. It is almost unbearable to watch her suffer and struggle. The Doctors were in. Cover my butt mode is still in effect. We realize how negligent the Hospital, Staff and Doctors were. We do not expect the Cover my butt mode to end. We are not saying much as well. Why ask questions at this point. We know what has happened and what is happening.

( Lost muscle reflex can be a side effect of Haldol, especially in sensitive, elderly patients.)

Mom has also lost all muscle control of her legs. She has tried to get out of bed and into the chair, but cannot stand on her feet.

The staff tries to lift her onto a chair. The Physical Therapist that Mom loves so much comes in and tries to help. It is not happening. Mom is pit back into bed.

A speech therapist is called because Mom cannot clear her secretions in her throat. The therapist recommends a swallow test. She tests moms' Gag reflex. There is none. ( this can also be a side effect of Haldol in the elderly)She orders that all Moms' food must now be served in a pureed form. Even though the hospital had lost Mom's denture a week ago, they continued to send meal after meal with food that needed to be chewed. We were constantly mashing her food or sending it back.

Dr. xxxx (nose and throat specialist) also comes in to do a scope of Moms' nose and throat. It is determined that she has a thrush infection. Thrush is in her mouth, nose and throat. He prescribes Diflucan.

Even through all of this

Mom is actually starting to improve again.

Although her lung condition has been greatly affected by the torture that she has endured.

Thursday May 31, 2007

Mom is still very congested .Coughing is still a struggle in her weakened state. Her arms and legs are weaker than the previous day. She is very discouraged.

We have not said much to her about her overdose, but she does state that she had felt so much better after her surgery last week and that the mistakes that the hospital have made with her medication was causing all the problems that she was having now.

I asked her how she knew that. She said she remembers them giving her something that they should not have. She asks me if the nurses who gave her the medications would be punished.

I told her that the hospital is investigating their actions, but in reality they were also covering up their actions, so I was not sure if they would be punished. She replied," How can this hospital do this to me. I have been a patient here from time to time all of my life. Things have really changed. It was a good hospital, now I think it is a terrible hospital."

Mom develops diarrhea during the night. (Possibly a side effect of Diflucan) It is bloody. She is having seven or eight bowel movements in a two-hour period. The nurse calls the on call Doctor. She also calls Michelle. Michelle goes to the hospital at 3:30 AM. They start an I.V. drip to replenish fluids. The problem seems to resolve itself over the next few hours

Moms' oral medications were always stopped during the times that she was unresponsive due to the Haldol.

As she became alert, the oral meds were to be re-ordered by the attending (primary care) physician. We were reading her chart as far as comments were concerned, but still trusting the attending physician in ordering Moms' meds.

This would prove to be the fatal error

Friday June 1, 2007

Mom is receiving her second bag of I.V. Fluids.

Her vital signs are better. Her entire family wants her out of This Hospital. I talk to the Patient advocate about the possibility of transferring her to xxxxx bbbbbb Hospital. ( A larger Hospital, close to the city and closer to where I live ) She agrees that is a good idea and contacts the proper department. KKKKKK comes to talk to me. We agree that if Dr. ( her Primary care) indicates that Mom will need hospitalization well into next week we will start the transfer process.

Mom is feeling better although she still cannot stand on her feet. When Dr. (her primary care) arrives, she is pleased with how stable mom's vital signs have become. I tell her of our plan for transfer. She tells us that it will not be necessary, Mom will most likely be able to leave the hospital on Monday or Tuesday and she will arrange for her to go to (The facility that we had arranged) Skilled Nursing.

We only agree to this because the idea of a move today seemed to make Mom very upset. Mom's heart rate became very fast and irregular as Michelle and I talked to her about moving to a new hospital. Dr. (Primary Care) jokes that My daughter and I are so involved with Moms' care that she will teach us what lung sound to listen for with a stethoscope. She asks us to stay aware for signs of trouble over the weekend as she is off for two days and will not be reachable, but will return Monday.

Saturday June 2, 2007

Mom has a very bad breathing morning. I am in contact with the nurse's desk. The nurses express to me that they are trying to help her, but nothing seems to work. I advise them to get Mom out of bed on a chair. I also tell them to use her nasal saline solution followed by sips of water. This seems to help her cough

My Daughter arrives at the hospital first. I call Mom's room to speak to her. She tells me that mom has coughed up the mucus and is breathing better. Mom is very tired. The nurses put her back into bed.

When I arrive, Mom is napping. She is breathing better. We notice that her oxygen has been increased from 2 liters to 4 liters. We talk to Mom during the times that she wakes up. Her blood pressure is low. 90/50. She asks for chocolate and chocolate milk. We get some for her.

After napping Mom decides to do some stretches, leg, and arm exercise in bed. She has been taught to do this by the Physical Therapy Team. When we uncover her legs, we observe that she is retaining fluid in her ankles and legs. It is alarming amounts of fluid.We ask the nurse in charge of Mom's care to come to her room.

We ask if Mom has had her Lasix today. She informs us that the computers are "down". She cannot tell us if she had that medication or not. We stress to her the importance of not allowing Mom to retain fluid. Mom's history this past year has proven that if she has fluid to the degree that we are observing. She will most likely go into Congestive Heart Failure by morning. ( This is Appr. 6PM)

The nurse gets Mom's chart. She reads the chart from present to past. She states, "I do see that your Mom was on Lasix 40 Mg. twice daily when she arrived and up until the oral meds were stopped. On May 24, there is a stop order from Dr. ( Primary care )for all oral medications. ( That was the day of the first Haldol overdose with unconsciousness )

When the medications were resumed, Lasix was not ordered. Your mother has not had any Lasix since then.

We are both shocked!

My daughter and I tell the nurse that my Mother has been on Lasix daily for at least 40 years. We insist that she call the Doctor covering for Dr. (Primary Care) and get an order for Lasix for immediately.

The nurse replies that Mom will be O.K. to wait until Doctors round in the morning. My daughter and I tell her that Mom will not be O.K. waiting until morning. We know what her legs are supposed to look like. We feel that by morning, Mom will need Lasix I.V. instead of a simple pill now. After begging, pleading, and finally getting angry, the nurse finally agrees to call the Doctor to get an order. She returns in about ten minutes to assure us that the Doctor ordered a Lasix 40 Mg. for that evening.

What would have happened if My daughter and I were not there?

Why was her Lasix not restarted on May 25 when her other medications were re-started?

Even if oral Lasix 40mg. is restarted now, Mom has had two bags of I.V. fluids pumped into her in the past two days.

How can this medical team be so incompetent?

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That night, Mom still felt well. The water retention was still in her legs at that time and did not seem to be affecting her heart.

She was doing so well, in fact, that someone made a decision to take some of the monitors off of her. Her O2 levels where not being monitored anymore and her "in the room" heart monitor was gone. Although, the nurses desk may have still been monitoring her heart.

Her legs and arms were getting stronger. Mom was now talking of her next step to a Skilled Nursing Facility and some rehabilitation. I decided to go home and get a good nights sleep, as did my daughter. We both knew that the next few days would be hectic in moving Mom and we were assured by the nursing staff that the Lasix would work quickly and drain the excess fluids before they caused harm.

Sunday June 3, 2007

I am trying to stay home today and catch up on some work.

Mom reports to me that she is very tight in her chest. She is struggling to breathe again. I call the nurses desk; I speak to Moms' nurse at this time. She tells me that Mom is not as bad as yesterday. I ask her to get Mom out into her chair so that she can cough. She informs me that they are still in the process of changing beds and washing patients. When the nurses are done, they will get her out of bed. It takes them until 12 Noon to get her into a chair .After sitting in a chair for two hours, My daughter, who has been staying with her while I get caught up at home, reports that Mom is breathing better.

My daughter calls me to report that Mom is retaining even more fluid. She has informed the nurse, but so far no one has responded to help. My daughter feels that the nurses are not at all concerned. I call the nurse's desk again ( 2PM ) and speak to Moms' nurse. I explain to her that Mom may not look too bad to them, but as her family, we know how her ankles and legs should look. The nurse tells me that a Doctor saw Mom before noon and he was not concerned. I asked her if that Doctor had ever seen Mom before. She said "no". I then explained to her what Moms' legs and ankles should look like. My daughter had described her water retention as three times more than normal. The nurse gets Moms' chart and started to see the problem. I insisted that mom receives treatment today. I requested Lasix I.V. To me time is of the essence..

We learn that the hospital did start Lasix yesterday, but only gave Mom 20 mg., not 40 mg. I once again get on the phone with the apathetic nurse. I tell her that if Mom can not be given Lasix I.V. until her Primary Care Doctor gets back from her weekend off, then at least give her the 40mg. that was her usual daily dose.

My daughter calls back in 30 minutes to report that mom is now back on Lasix 40 Mg. twice daily. My daughter also tells me that the nurse feels that it will take a few days to reduce her water retention, because after reading Moms' chart, she realizes that the Lasix had not restarted with the rest of her meds and that two days ago, Mom had been pumped full of two bags I.V. fluids. We ask to have the on call Doctor order lab work immediately. We need to see if Mom is in Congestive heart failure like we suspect. We are told that the on call Doctor will probably not want to order lab work. The attending Physician can order it Monday morning.

Heaven Help Us!

She is fillling up with water before our eyes and NO ONE CARES!

Sunday Evening June 3, 2007

My daughter calls me at about 9PM. She tells me to come quickly and that Mom is having trouble breathing. Mom is also complaining of stomach pain. The Staff now get an order from the on call Doctor to do lab work and an EKG.

I get into the car and start the 2-hour drive with a lump in my stomach and my heart tied in knots. I know that they waited too long.

When the results come, the nurses realize that there is a problem. Moms' potassium levels are elevated and her kidney function is impaired. Now she is in great distress and cannot breathe. My daughter comforts her. The nurses prepare two injections to help lower her potassium. One injection is administered I.V. One is administered I.M. Mom is also given some medication to drink.

With in ten minutes of receiving these medications, Mom passes away in My daughters arms.

My cell phone rings....My daughter cries, "My Nana is dead".

What Happened Here?

Why did it take so long to take us seriously?

I feel as if the past two weeks tells an account of a sweet, trusting woman, who came to this hospital for treatment. But instead was neglected, abused, injected with a major antipsychotic drug which was determined to be life threatening to her, and then injected with it a second time in double the dosage because no one took the time to read her chart. Even after attempting to kill her twice, my Mom fought back and was responding.

Then an oversight in her medications proved to be all that her worn out body could handle.

I am angry. I am in complete distrust of the medical community and its ability to make life-sustaining decisions.

I want answers that may never come.

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When I get to the hospital, I am ushered in by a security guard, as it is after hours. When I exit the elevator and head to Mom's room, I notice that her door is closed and staff members do not acknowledge me. In fact, no one will even look at me.

I open Mom's door to find my daughter weeping by her bedside. Mom is gone, although her body is still there.

The Hospital Chaplin is there quietly reading scripture. Mom and the Chaplin had formed a bond during the past two weeks.

She asked if she could pray for Mom (It was a Catholic Hospital) Mom would have said," It's of no use praying for the dead, as they are already in the hands of God." (Mom was Methodist) But knowing that a prayer might bring positive energy into this room and feeling as if the prayer would be as much for the Chaplin herself, I said "Please Do".

We sat awhile to say say our goodbyes. I apologized to her for not being able to make her last two weeks peaceful, as I'm sure she would have preferred.

Then my daughter and I left to spend the night together and make the appropriate arrangements at my daughter's house.

As I drove into my childhood hometown, the clock on the side of Main St. read 1:32 AM.

Monday, June 4, 2007

I enter the hospital for what I hope is the last time. This building represents negligence and miss-treatment to me, Not healing and hope, as it once did.

I am on my way to the Medical Records office to fill out the proper paperwork to obtain a copy of Moms' medical records. It is about 8 AM and I know that the offices will just be opening. My hope is to get the records quickly before any alterations can occur.

As I walk the hallway of the main floor, heading towards the elevator, the Patient Advocate Representative is directly across from the elevator.

I take the elevator to the lower level where the Medical Records Office is located. As I exit the elevator and start the walk down the hallway I will be passing the Physicians Lounge on the left.

At the very moment that I go to pass the doorway of the Physicians Lounge,out steps Mom's Primary Care Physician, Back on duty after her "unreachable weekend".

She greets me with a smile. "How is your Mother this morning?", she asks.

I am shocked! She does not even know!

I inform her that my Mother had passed away last evening. She says, "Oh No! What Happened?" I tell her that she forgot to reorder my mothers Lasix when she had re-started all of the other oral meds after the first Haldol assault. The other meds, according to my Mothers chart, were all re-started on Friday May 25, but not Lasix. I am not pleasant to her at this time and do not intend to soften the story in an effort to not make her feel bad. I can tell by the look on her face that she is distressed upon hearing this news.

She replies, "Well..I don't know about that". To which I reply..."Well I Do know. I along with a cooperative nurse researched Mom's Chart. When we discovered the error, we tried to get the On Call Doctor to reinstate the correct dosage of Lasix and I requested that lab work be done. Your nursing staff informed me that the Lab work could not be done until Monday AM (today). I told the nursing staff that Monday would be too late".

The Doctor who had cared for Mom for 20 years now had tears in her eyes. She replied, "I'm so sorry", and turned and walked away.

I proceeded to the Medical Records office to see what I needed to do to get Moms Medical records. They inform me that I am no longer Moms "Power of Attorney".

That ended when she died. I will need to fill out the proper request forms, pay the appropriate fees, and wait until I receive the records in 2 to 4 weeks. So much for trying to get them before they could be altered. I do the paperwork.

I head back to the elevator and take it up to the Main floor. As I exit the elevator, The Patient Advocate is exiting her office and heading to the elevator.

She looks at me with a smile and states," I am on my way up to visit with your Mother. She is such a dear. I try to see her every morning."

"My Mom is dead". I tell her. "Oh No! what happened?" she asks. She leads me into her office and I share the events of the weekend with her. She seems very upset and starts to cry. I am wondering as I watch her, how much of this emotion is real and how much is "show". She tries to console me, as of course now I am weeping uncontrollably. She tells me that The Hospital Board of Directors have been informed and are aware of the past two weeks and my Mothers unfortunate experiences with Haldol. She tells me that the hospital is already in the process of "changing the Policy" on how Haldol is administered. It looks as if the "New Policy" will be that a nurse will need the Attending Physicians Order to administer Haldol. The Doctor on call will no longer make that decision.

I tell her that I am happy to hear that other patients may be spared the nightmare that my Mother endured, but at this time it seems to be a little too late, as it will not help my Mother.

She request to be welcome at my Mother's Funeral, as she feels as if they had become quite close this past week. I tell her that she may come.

She hugs me and tells me to stay strong.

I head out of her office.

As I leave the hospital I

Expect to feel a little lighter perhaps.

That is not happening. I realize that this journey took me to a place that I never expected to be.

That place is the WORLD OF MEDICAL MISTAKES and negligence of our elderly population. If it could happen to a well loved Mother and Grandmother, who's family was in constant contact and present, how much worse can it possibly be for all of the elderly sick people in this country that may not have someone looking over their shoulder and trying to protect them?

This is my intention now.

To bring AWARENESS to the many sons and daughters out there who are not in daily contact with their elderly parents. And to the agencies who are appointed the care of our elderly population.

Our Senior Population is not a disposable population. They deserve respect and impeccable care.

Death with Dignity

Not death due to haste , indifference, poor judgements and negligence.

Doctors...Take the time to read the damn chart.

Isn't that a crucial part of your job discription?

Nurses ...Take the time to listen and know that a family member just might know the patient and their needs a little better that you do.We have been their caregiver, sometimes for years.

Hospital Workers....The elderly may become confused when you wake them up at night . They are in unfamiliar surroundings and are pumped full of your medications. If they get scared....COMFORT THEM...DO NOT CONTROL THEM WITH STRONG SEDATIVES JUST TO MAKE YOUR DAMN LIFE AND JOB EASIER. They are somebody's loved one.

If you are reading this post, you have my permissipn to cut,copy, and paste it and send it to as many people as you can. You can attach it to bulletins. You can repost it anywhere that you chose.

I am forgiving those who neglected and abused my mother.

I have to.

Forgiving is easier than carrying this with me.

However, I can forgive and not forget.

I can be FOR the respectful and dignified treatment of our senior population.

I am intending the sharing of our personal experience to make a difference.

I am sending it out there, into the energy of the internet, with a positive outlook for change and Love.

By the Grace of The Divine Source this will reach those intended to receive the information.

By the Faith of Knowing that I am part of a much larger Plan, I can be at Peace.

God will help this to mean something.

debrae132's Blog

Are Our Senior Parents "Disposible Human Beings"? A Medical Nightmare