UGH!

I am frustrated! My Dad recently moved to a nursing home, and my sister and I thought that this was it...finally he would settle in somewhere, home at last, the final frontier.

But, alas, I was wrong. What would have made me think this move would be any easier than anything else in my life??

First of all, they were not feeding him. Now I know the idea of a resident having a feeding tube might suggest they do not need to receive food orally, but this is not the case with my Dad. He was receiving 3 meals a day in addition to his nightly tube feedings prior to his move to the nursing home. So when I straightened out this misconception, they were kind enough to feed him ONCE per day, at lunch. Guys! Your killing me here! Then they decide that he is choking on his food, so they stop feeding him again in order to get a swallowing assessment done.

So I ask them, how is he getting fluids in the interim? Through his feeding tube, they reply. And anyway, it's a total meal replacement system, so he doesn't need anything else, right? Wrong again, I tell them...lets do the math. If his tube is flushed every 3 hours with 20 cc's of water his intake of fluid is 160 mls per day. Does this seem a little on the low side? Cause it does to me. So, they tell me "we'll look into it". I think, personally, this is code for "Get off my back", but I'm not certain yet. Later clarified, I am informed that he actually receives 440 cc's of water through his tube in a 24 hour period. I think this was supposed to make me feel better.

So this morning I go to see my Dad. He's up in his chair in the TV room. His cheeks are flushed, and you can feel the warmth radiating off of him. I cart him back to his room, and ask the PSR to check his temp. Well, apparently she is not allowed to do this, so I ask her to get me the thermometer and I will check it myself. Apparently that is a no no, because she had a horrified look on her face and said she couldn't do that either. So I ask her to get the nurse, but it would appear she is on her break, returning in a 1/2 hour or so. No, I tell the PSR, she is coming back now to check his temperature. A staring contest followed, but in the end I was victorious.

Guess what? He had a fever. ..39.5. Not enough to kill him, but certainly enough to treat, given he is normally a healthy guy. I debate the causes with the RPN..urinary tract infection, chest infection, DEHYDRATION??? Gee, look, his mouth is dry, and his tongue is cracked and coated!

So off the RPN scampers to get a Tylenol suppository, and in it goes. Well, she says, I guess that's it. Wrong again! What is with these people? I ask if perhaps we should try to determine the cause of the fever, before it gets out of hand, and she promptly offers to have the on call physician come in to see him...on his rounds...on Tuesday...

Bottom line, with gritted teeth and a spectacular amount of restraint on my part, I convince the next nurse to check his vitals, and low and behold his blood pressure is 84/62...a tad low for him. We collect a urine sample to be sent off, and the on call Dr, who has now been notified starts him on Cipro. And they start to give him extra fluid through his feeding tube as he is just a little too lethargic to be fed.

This evening, his blood pressure has improved, but his temperature is climbing again. I am assured that he will have his vitals checked every 4 hours through the night, but I am certain I will be setting my alarm for the wee hours to ensure he is OK.

It's an ongoing saga, my life, and it is getting a little tiresome....