Went to the hospital today....to learn how to give the Lovenox shot to Michael in his belly....now, I was not comfortable doing this...but quite frankly was belittled into it by all the Doctors telling me how easy it was.....Well...it was easy...but still uncomfortable....After all I am the girl who was asked to consider another career choice when I was in nursing school as I had a hard time giving a shot to a comatose patient! (the truth, I swear....and I did choose another profession!) Anyhow, FINE ...I can give a shot now...under the understanding that he could only go home if someone was able to do this...FAST FORWARD....we were told he could not go home till Monday because the VA could not get the Coumadin that he needed till Monday....OK....FAST FORWARD....VA notified the hospital that this hospital stay would NOT be covered by them as it was NOT directly related to his cancer....FAST FORWARD....The hospital decides they need to release him as they will not be getting paid....So after 6 hours of going back and forth...they released him....gave him 3 days script for the Coumadin....I got 3 days of Lovenox from his Oncologist....and we will go to the VA on Monday to try to straighten this all out....
Here is what I read tonight about Bilateral Pulmonary Embolism...
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is an extremely common and highly lethal condition that is a leading cause of death in all age groups. A good clinician actively seeks the diagnosis as soon as any suspicion of PE whatsoever is warranted, because prompt diagnosis and treatment can dramatically reduce the mortality rate and morbidity of the disease. Unfortunately, the diagnosis is missed more often than it is made, because PE often causes only vague and nonspecific symptoms.
Plus....
* PE is the third most common cause of death in the US, with at least 650,000 cases occurring annually. It is the first or second most common cause of unexpected death in most age groups. The highest incidence of recognized PE occurs in hospitalized patients. Autopsy results show that as many as 60% of patients dying in the hospital have had a PE, but the diagnosis has been missed in about 70% of the cases. Surgical patients have long been recognized to be at special risk for DVT and PE, but the problem is not confined to surgical patients. Prospective studies show that in the absence of prophylaxis acute DVT may be demonstrated in any of the following:
o General medical patients placed at bed rest for a week (10-13%)
o Patients in medical intensive care units (29-33%)
Last September when Michael was in the hospital he was in Intensive Care for 5 days.....Now, no one can tell us when he got this...how long he has had it....as it could of been in his leg and traveled up to his lungs....
I am mad as heck!! What do they mean they will not cover the medical expense of this....
Dealing with the Government and RED TAPE...is not often an easy thing to do....but this one I will FIGHT! I am going to get a copy of the hospital bill on Monday....then take it to the Oncologist Office BEFORE I go to VA....I will have her write a letter saying that the hospitalization was a direct result of HER telling us to go as part of his treatment for the cancer...
I will submit it....I will fight it....I am mad as heck!!
So now we have to see what will be done about this U-TURN....this new development...
Remind me next time to take a longer vacation!!
rambles from the shadow side of life...About living...about living with dying....This is where my heart will pour forth...this is where my shadow will be exposed...this is where I will cry...where I will laugh...where I will become one with that shadow of life...
1 comment:
Your darn right...Dan's blood clots were a result of his ports, which, of course were there because of the chemo and constant blood tests.
I worried about the clots whenever they found he had them, because often he was home and we were responsible for his care. I never read about them medically and I'm kinda glad I didn't.
The first two years we were fortunate enough to have a friend of Dan's that is a nurse come over every night and give him the shot. When she was on vacation she found a substitute, a former nurse that had cancer herself and through hers and Dans coming together they formed a close friendship. It turned out that Dan could talk to her in a way he could not talk to me or others around him because of their bond of cancer.
Last year Ray learned how to give the shots. Ray hated it too because more often than not it hurt and it was hard to find a location on his skinny midsection.
Please take heart and give up worrying about the downside of clots. We will pray for Michael and visualize him getting past this.
Fight the VA on their refusal to pay, because you are right on, Michael would not have blood clots if it weren't for the cancer.
We are thinking of you both and praying for your continued strength.
Pat
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