Cousin P, surgery, and clairvoyant

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Cousin P fell on Friday and broke her hip.
Within 12 hrs, she had a new hip. It was a loooong day for both of us.
husband and I visited her Saturday and brought flowers and stayed for 2-3 hrs.
I did not go at all yesterday. Too much stress with-difficult child/Difficult Child.
About 15 min ago, she called me for the first time in ages. She doesn't even remember how to use a phone. Maybe the nurse helped her.
She wondered why I wasn't there and she hadn't seen me and did I know she was in hospital? I told her to look for the flowers, and said that I was there with-husband and we gave them to her. Oh.
And that I was there for surgery.
Oh.
She said she had a dream about me and was awake half the night ... I was in trouble and depressed and in pain and had money problems, and there was another person involved but she couldn't remember who it was.
!!!!!
I have not said a word to her about difficult child/Difficult Child. :eek:
 

Calamity Jane

Well-Known Member
That's just spooky, isn't it? It's even weirder when someone who's "out of it" intuits your troubles when you've not said a word. Amazing.
I hope she's feeling better, and whew, you need a vacation from all this craziness. A big bear hug is coming your way...
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
She was extremely incoherent tonight.
However, she had one lucid moment, and of course, it came at my expense.
Her behavior was exactly like what the nurse described would happen when Cousin P would come out of surgery. But that never happened. It happened now ... 3 days later.
No idea which room she's in, which bldg. she's in, wants to get out of bed and go upstairs right now, is terrified that the pain will come back, agitated, shaking, incoherent. Fingers picking at the sheets, blankets, between her legs. Trembling. She said, "I am so incoherent, like I run into a wall with my words."
I said, "Now THAT was coherent!"
She had the catheter removed this a.m. and was having issues using the bedpan. Said she felt the urge to go but nothing would come out. It made her scared. She had lost muscle control. And she can't move her legs.
("Ummm, that's because one is broken ... ")
Then she said she hated the plastic tubes and couldn't put up with it any more. I said, "You had the IV removed and the Foley catheter removed this morning, so you shouldn't have any tubes. That's what they do after surgery."
She gave me this really strange look and said, "I said PLATITUDES. Not plastic tubes. I hate it when the staff dismisses my concerns and gives me platitudes."
:rofl:
I burst out laughing, and no matter what she said after that, I kept laughing. I. Could. Not. Stop.
OMG. She laughed for a bit, and then she wanted to get back to complaining about the tiny scoop of rice and the crust of bread on her plate, like she was an inmate.
Also, I brought her a Hershey bar, and she just kneaded the piece and couldn't eat it. That's when I know she's got a problem.
I told the nurse that Cousin P needed pain medications and Ativan. He was definitely going to check on the Ativan.
Oy!
 

Confused

Well-Known Member
Sorry about your cousin, praying for a quick recovery. Its amazing how "they know" things! I read "platitudes" twice and am also smiling! Hang in there!
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
They totally overdid it with-the pain medications.
First, they took her off of everything, and I mean everything, incl. her psychiatric medications, because her blood pressure was so low.
You can't just completely go cold turkey off of psychiatric medications. So many of you here know that from personal experience. Add to that the fact that she is elderly, and it's a recipe for disaster.
Add to that, putting the medications back in, and it just gets worse.
I visited her twice today, once when the ambulette brought her back to the nursing home, and she was totally spaced out, and the second time much later in the afternoon, and she just would not wake up except for a few seconds of garbling and mumbling. I'm concerned that her fluids will get so low, that will send her into a tailspin.
I always sleep with-my cell phone nearby ...
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
Garbled speech slightly better today. Very sleepy. Long talk with the PA helped explain a lot.
One day at a time.
Not looking forward to spending spring break in upstate NY at a military cemetery, but waiting for the other shoe to drop. Just in case.
 

TerryJ2

Well-Known Member
No improvement today. In fact, I think she is backsliding.
Her head lists to one side. That really looks like stroke to me.
The nurse gave her a shot for a blood thinner today, in addition to regular medications.
I brought our Scottish terrier, and put him on the bed a couple of times. He licked her hand. A few min. later, she insisted that her cat was there. I put the dog back on the bed to clarify and she understood ... for a minute or two. :(
I don't think I'd be out of line to guess that P will never walk again. She's in diapers and I don't think that will change, either.
She squinted a lot but did not want me to close the blinds. (It was finally sunny today.) She mumbles and I understand every other word. Wish she'd just say yes or no instead of long, rambling paragraphs, but then why would she change her behavior now? :)
One day at a time.
 
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