Release!

I awoke this morning at 5:28 a.m. to my phone ringing.  When I left last night, Derek was second case.  They had an opening and moved him to first case, so LT Kristen Josephs called me.  She knew I would want to be there when he went to PACU.

Make nice to the nurses.  They are your connection and your lifeline.

On the way to PACU, Janea, his nurse, looked down and Derek had his remote tucked tight under his arm, up against his chest.  God forbid he lose that remote!

Anyway, I got Derek off to surgery and actually left base.  They wrested control out of my fingertips with me yelling and screaming!  It was awful.  Don't tell anyone, (*shhhh*) but it actually felt good to get away for a little while.  I was a nervous wreck and checked my phone every few minutes for updates, but I knew he would be in surgery for a few hours, and then PACU, and Krystina was there.  He was back in PACU when I got back.  I still like to be there to hear the updates for myself, though, so I did rush back.

It's good to get away once in a while.  When Derek was in ICU, I made sure we got off base every night for dinner.  He was unconscious and then semi-conscious, and the doctors came around on schedule.  He is aware now and likes our company, and the doctors come around at all hours.  It's a control thing.  I admit it.  I'm a control freak.

"Control Freaks Anonymous?  Hi, my name is Siobhan, and I'm a control freak."

But i did get my hair done today.  Cut and colored.  And now "they" (and you know who you are!) can get off my back for another couple of weeks.  I did something for myself.  Can you be quiet now?  Thank you.  That other thing we discussed?  I'm working on it.

As for Derek, surgery went great.  He got his arm back!  Still not functioning, as that will take another couple of surgeries, but it is no longer attached to his chest!  Woot!  He was smiling ear to ear!  No more telling everyone to watch the arm.  No more having to worry about moving the arm and killing the flap.  When he has his CT scan this week, I can relax and not worry so much!  Not as much, anyway.

They also restitched the J/G tube in place since that came undone.  Dr. Bograd replaced the wound vac on the one wound that reopened and said that will just have to heal on its own fromt he bottom up.  And the incision that was made in the hip was closed. 

Dr. Cliffords is coming along.  We will have him trained up nicely before he moves on.  He is a cute kid.  Love his smile.  We have to get him to smile more.

Magnesium is low, potassium is fine.  They are going to do an electrolyte abnormality test tomorrow for an adrenal gland insufficiency.  Oh well.  The cha cha continues.

Dr. West didn't come by today.  Did I scare him off?  He has come by on other surgery days...  Yesterday he was all flustered, putting on his yellow gown upside down, "I am all discombobulated, go away for three days and come back and I'm on the list!"  Damn straight!  Angela mentioned she was worried about me (no need, I'm fine - stubborn, but fine), and he went in and got Derek to gang up on me!  He's on the list.  Apparently, the docs are afraid of being on my list!

I'm not that scary.  I'm out of my element and just trying to do the best I can.

We received some excellent care packages today.  They are very much appreciated, because even though I got out today, it isn't very often that we can get out.  Everything is very much appreciated.  The shampoo and conditioner will keep us smelling good, and the utensils and straws will keep me off dietary's case for a couple of days!  Well, maybe not... the other guys on the floor still need stuff!

Thank you to Mount Saint Dominic Academy in Caldwell, NJ, JoAnn Godshall, Erin McGahuey and Nancy Warner Pedersen! Those care packages and cards really make our day!  I hope I didn't forget anyone!

While reading Derek his cards, he told Krystina, "Stop! Hold on!  They are talking about Chef Boyardee!  He was a real person, you know!"  He gets so into his television.  Loving those zombie shows...

Later, Krystina told him to act his age not his show size.  He said he was.  She asked him what his show size was, seven?  He said he didn't have a shoe size!  "Get owned!"  I love his sense of humor over the whole thing!  This is what is going to get him through this.

Tomorrow the Commanding General from Fort Drum is coming by, Derek has this test scheduled and some friends from NJ are scheduled to come down.  Other than that, we are hanging in the room and working on the healing.

God bless and climb to glory!  Thank you for the continued good wishes and prayers!

~My Big Mouth Makes Waves~

Derek's squad leader came into the room today and marched up to me, "WHAT did you do?  WHO did you piss off THIS time?  WHAT happened NOW?!"  I stared at him dumbfounded.  I had no idea WHAT he was talking about!  He told me he had been summoned.  He was told to be there at 14:00.  Apparently, so had the liaisons from the 10th Mountain Division.

Our Congressman from 11th district in New Jersey, Rodney Frelinghuysen reads this blog.  Apparently, he read something this weekend he did not like and decided to make an appearance today.  Wow.  I made waves.  I love it.

He wanted to meet the fabulous Dr. Ben Bograd, but he was in surgery.  :-(  Dr. B came later and was disappointed he missed meeting the great congressman. 

We had a great visit.  Congressman Frelinghuysen talked to Derek at length about everything that has been happening and even discussed some personal things with me that have not made this blog.  He will be assisting me with that, and some day I will address them here... maybe. 

Making friends in high places.  I never thought I would have ties to Capital Hill but here I am.  They say when God closes one door, He opens another.  This trip in the hallway is certainly no fun, but we have our faith and we have each other, and we will make it to the next door.  I see it up ahead, and I know we will make it.  I don't know what is through that door, but I have always landed on my feet.

Thank you, Congressman Frelinghuysen.  I knew my vote for you was well placed!  And thank you to Derek's Squad Leader for being a pain in my butt.  I will get my hair cut tomorrow.... I hope.

The rest of the day went relatively uneventfully.  Derek got into his wheelchair for a while and we had the revolving door of doctors, social workers, visitors, etc.  His blood work is still coming back a little quirky, so on Wednesday, they are going to test his some hormone level by giving him an IV medcine.  Due to the take down of the flap tomorrow, replacement of the supra pubic and restitching of the J/G tube (stitches came out), they are not doing it tomorrow.  Dr. Cliffords hopes that it resolves itself on its own and they don't have to do the test, but if the potassium levels keep seesawing, and if the other labs keep going quirky on them, they will need to run the tests on Wednesday.

We are finally breaking in Dr. Cliffords!  He is the intern who replaced our beloved Dr. Goodlett!  He actually cracked a joke with us tonight.  This test that they want to do involves a hormone that goes quirky when the body is under intense stress.  He said to me, "Maybe we should test you."  Love it!  Then tonight he walked into our room, "How's my favorite patient?"  He's learning!  And his dimples are really cute.  His wife is a lucky lady.

I was also hassled to take care of myself and get out of the room, par usual.  People need to realize that I feel better when I am in that room.  I am not there to socialize, find a date, flirt, get pampered, etc.  I am there solely to make sure that Derek's needs are met.  I am eating and I am sleeping just enough, most nights.  I will catch up. 

Right now, I am concentrating on doing what I need to do, making nice with whomever I need to, and getting whatever I need to make sure that Derek's care is the best.  There are some of the best doctors in this hospital, but it is also a teaching hospital, which means interns who do not know what they are doing yet.  Some of them are allowed unfettered access, and THAT I will not allow.  They can say no harm will come, but I will make sure that they do not harm.  I did speak with Dr. Perdue about what happened this weekend and he said he would check on it.  He did follow up on the ICU decision from a couple of weeks ago, so I believe him.

In the meantime, there are other things on which I can concentrate.  Like getting more comfortable chairs in the rooms, internet for the patients, increasing patient safety, a stocked pantry, etc.  Family members sit on uncomfortable chairs that break our backs.  New mothers have to rock their babies to sleep in hard chairs.  There is no internet on the fourth floor.  When they moved the guys downstairs from the fifth floor, they did not hook up the internet.  The doors are so heavy that the guys in their wheelchairs cannot open them.  A lot of the doors around the base are too heavy, and the ramps are too steep for the manual wheelchairs.  The pantry on the fourth floor is always out of cups, plasticware and straws.  Some of the guys are on their backs and need bendy straws, but the kitchen supplies straight straws that break.  These are the things I am fighting for right now.  It gives me purpose.

As for us, our humorous Derek is back.  He has a little dance that he started.  He shakes his hips and kicks out his leg.  Considering the condition that he is in, it is amazing to see him move like that!

In a serious talk today, Derek said to Krystina, "When we get married, we are going to be extreme couponers like in the show and have a basement stocked up with food & weaponry...in case of a zombie apocalypse. Now let me have a sip of my tasty beverage."  I blame the TBI.  Krystina says he is just insane. 

Derek asked me today if Derek Jeter makes my bottom gurgle!  He told me he (Derek) makes Krystina's bottom gurgle!  Considering the medicine that his nurse has been giving him, we told him Angela makes his bottom gurgle!!!

Derek also seranaded Krystina tonight with Aerosmith's "I Wouldn't Miss A Thing."  Had the nurses in stitches at the nurses' station.

So that's all for tonight.  Up extra early tomorrow for surgery day and I hope to get my hair cut.  Sort of said I would, and since Dr. West and SSgt will be looking for the new haircut, unless I plan to cut it off myself, I better run off base and find somewhere to get it done! Oh, and Jones wants to me cover the gray.  Nice guy.

God bless!  Climb to glory!

Vindication

I am not medical.  I do not have a medical degree or any medical training or background.  This is so foreign to me.  This is not where I thought I would ever find myself.  I sometimes feel like I am adrift in a sea of molton lava with only a log to keep me afloat.  I rely on the training of the professionals around me to educate me and take proper care of my son.  When they let me down, I feel like that lava is splashing over the side of the log.

This weekend, the lava spashed.  When lava spashes, I doubt myself.  I question everything.  And I do tend to jump.  I get nervous.  I listen to everything I am told, and when other doctors come in and say something different, I tend to go with the doctor I know and trust.  It doesn't mean the new doctor is wrong, but I want to go with the original doctor, so I object.  But then I doubt myself.  In objecting, am I causing harm?

These thoughts went through my mind all weekend about the erythromycin being changed from IV to J-tube and the water flushes increased. both of which I asked to be changed back because both time the changing doctors were unknown to us and had not examined Derek.  Had I made the right decision?  These thoughts weighed heavy on my mind all weekend.

Today, Dr. Bograd walked in and said, "You had a rough weekend, Mom.  I'm sorry."  He then told me I had made the right decision and supported my choices.  He did this last Sunday, as well, when he said I had good instincts when I told Dr. Mickeymouseowich to get out of CT scan when he wanted me to remove the dressings on the flap and tape it into place.  Um, no.

It felt good to have the doctor I trust second (Dr. Perdue is first), tell me I was right to trust my mommy gut (thanx for that term, Jessica).  The doctor taking over for Bograd next week has mighty big shoes to fill.

This morning they sent a doctor from internal medicine in to examine Derek due to his potassium still being high and blood pressure being too low.  The doctor put down his stethescope and tried to left his arm!  I told him the arm did not move because it was STITCHED TO HIS CHEST!  Wouldn't a doctor, I don't know, ask the PATIENT to move his arm if he wanted to listen to his heart?  I told Bograd and he shook his head and said, "That's why we don't usually invite internal medicine to the party."  I love him.

And as of right now, Derek is scheduled to have the flap take down on the 23rd, the supra pubic changed on the 28th and the x-fixes possibly removed on the 1st.  No.  Urology has to get it together like they told me they would and piggy back on to one of the procedures on either the 23rd of the 1st.  He is not going under again on Friday.  Not happening.

Krystina came back today!  Yeah!  I missed her!  Derek missed her!  She went home for a few days and her presence was sorely missed.  My Dad was here for a few days from Tuesday until Saturday morning, and Krystina left from Thursday until today.  It was good seeing her Dad on Thursday and her Mom today, but losing her those few days was hard.  Derek was very quiet when she was gone.  When she returned, he brightened!

We received a special visitor tonight.  A blast from the past, if you will.  Doug Mead went to school with Derek and Michael at West Essex and graduated in 2006.  He is a 2LT in the Army now and we wish him the best of luck and to come home safe.  It was nice visiting with him, and Derek wished he remembered to get him to sign his flag before he left!  Doug gave him a card, so he is going to hang that on the flag!

Big things happening this week.  Flap take down and more!  Stay tuned!

God bless!  Climb to glory!  Never give up!

Hanging Tough

Happy 9 months alive day to Chaz!  Team Derek loves Team Allen!  You are our inspiration.  Tomorrow is Derek's 3 months alive day, and he has come so far.  It has been a battle, and Team Derek is tired, but we are hanging tough.  With inspirational mentors like Jessica and Chaz and the many other wounded warriors and their families we have met, and with Derek's fighting spirit, we know we will make it.

Today was a sleepy day for Derek.  He just did not feel like himself.  Gee, I wonder if it was all the mucking about with his orders by doctors unfamiliar with him that did it?  Maybe not, but my suspicions are there.

A doctor finally making his way to our doorway, but it was someone I did not know, and most importantly, he did not know Derek.  I asked him if he was familiar with Derek, and he said he was not.  I asked him if he was familiar with the particular J/G tube that Derek had, and he said no.  I asked him if he knew why the orders for the medication was changed from IV to the J tube and why the order for water flushes was increased, and he said he did not.  I told him then there wasn't much he could help us with and thanked him for taking time to come up.  He said he would change the order back to what it was before the little intern mucked it up and allow us to wait for Derek's primary doctors to return.  As long as that will not cause him any harm, I am okay with that.

So the day progressed with relative peace and quiet.  Derek slept a lot, which is good for wound healing and overall body healing, but he should have gotten up into his chair and just did not have the energy.

We have a dream team tonight.  My favorite overnight person is in with him, Spratly, he has an awesome nurse, LT Michelle Bennett, and the fantabulous Dr. G is back on for the night!  Also, Dr. Randy Mielke is on duty for the night.  Now if only the potassium level would stay down and keep us out of the ICU for the night, all will be well in the land of Team Derek.  I hope the phone does not ring with the news that we are on the way back to the ICU.  Dr. G is giving meds to flush the banana blood out of his system, but there are certain meds that can only be given in the ICU.  Pray it will not come to that.

As for mom, I am tired.  It is exhausting waging this battle every day and being hypervigilant.  In talking to some of the other families, they trade off and have shifts.  Derek doesn't have another parent who can do this.  Krystina is awesome, but she is young, and the doctors tried to push me aside in the beginning... I am afraid they will completely bowl over her.  My sister helps when she can, but she is picking up the slack for me at home by caring for my other three kids.  So for now, I will wage this war on the homefront by watching the meds and orders and making sure that Derek gets the best care possible.  He deserves no less.

Good night, God bless.  Climb to glory.

Continuing

 

I love how some doctors think it is okay to enter orders without having ever laid eyes on the patient. Three times today doctors entered orders without seeing Derek. Two of those doctors I did not know. One was the little intern I threw out of CT scan for being an idiot. He told me to take off the dressing on the arm and tape it in place. Ummm, no. Dr. Howard laughed when I told him. Dr. Bograd said I had good intincts to tell him no.

This morning, Dr. Mickeymouseawich (his name is something like that and I cannot remember it) decided to change one of Derek's IV meds for gut mobility to have it go through the J-tube.  The orders specifically say that nothing is to go through the J-tube except water and the tube feeds, because it makes Derek sick, with the exception of specific meds ordered by his primary team.  Dr. Mickeymouseawich is NOT part of his primary team.  He had NOT come to see him.  He took the recommendation of the pharmacist, who had also never seen Derek. 

I saw the nurse start to give the meds and stopped him.  I asked him to hold off until one of Derek's primary doctors came and spoke to me.  I am still waiting.  Finally, at 22:00 tonight, another doctor who had never seen Derek, responded to the nurse's request to reinstate the IV meds for gut mobility.  I do not have a problem with that because he was simply reinstating a previous order at the nurse's request, which was at my request.  If the primary team comes and tells me that it is a good move, then I will go with it.  My problem is doing it without seeing the patient and without knowing the effect it might have on him.  Meds through the J-tube make him sick.  They had to give him something for the potassium problem through the J-tube and he got sick from it.

The other doctor I am not happy with it the one who increased the water flush of the J-tube.  Why?  What is the reason?  This J-tube is very finicky and has already failed once.  Does this doctor know this?  Has this doctor seen this tube?  Does this doctor know that this is not a regular sized J-tube and cannot handle a regular sized flush?  Does he know Derek's history?  Why the increase?  I asked the nurse to find out the whys before doing anything, and she said she would hold off until the morning when the primary team could review it.  The last thing we need is the J-tube to fail because it it blown by an overzealous doctor.

Why can't doctors simply examine patients before they enter orders for patients they do not know?  You would think that would be the right thing.

But the good news is that Derek no longer has banana blood!  The potassium levels are normal and we are back on the ward. 

We were supposed to be first case in PACU for the dressing changes this morning, but they never called for us, so Dr. Bograd came to us in SICU.  He offered to do the dressing change there, and Derek asked to remain awake, since he hates anesthesia.  They gave him a little versed and dilauted, and he handled it.  I wasn't kicked out, like I would have been in PACU, and Dr. B said he doesn't mind me being present because I am never in the way (ha!).  I helped by handing them supplies and silencing alarms, and I do have a stronger stomach then I thought.  The wounds are deeper than I thought they were, but they look pretty good.

Dr. B and I discussed what he did to get on my list in the beginning.   He actually remembered!  I didn't have to remind him.  He is a great doctor, although I still think he should have given the option before jumping in there to stitch without the lidocaine back then and I told him so this morning, and I am upset he didn't come talk to me like he said he would this afternoon, but I will await his explanation tomorrow before putting him back on my list.

The nurse came in and told me the minions had arrived for the dressing change on the flap, but Dr. Howard was not there.  The man himself showed up shortly thereafter.  He allowed me to stay, as well, and the flap looked great!  Derek watched Dr. Howard manipulate his arm and even asked if he could remain awake in the OR on Tuesday when they take down the flap!  The crazy doc said he might consider local anesthetic! 
Dr. Howard also told me he would have allowed me to stay in PACU for the last dressing change but then this bitch got nasty with me to leave.  I was glad he noticed that and it wasn't just me.  Krystina and I were standing off to the side talking to Dr. Bograd, about two beds away from Derek when Dr. Howard wanted to start the dressing change.  The anesthesiologist said in a nasty tone, "I am waiting for the family to leave!"  I replied, "I am talking to the doctor and not near you!"  I then turned my back and continued my conversation.  Bograd rolled his eyes and we didn't move.  She shut the curtain loudly and they began.  Bograd laughed and we finished our conversation.

Sorry.  I am not here to make friends.  My life at home is not falling apart so I can make new friends.

But the world didn't end today!  So much for Harold Camping.

Derek did get his hair washed!  First time in three months!  We love you, Sam!  Thank you!  She got drenched getting into the shower in her scrubs to help out, but he was in heaven!  It's the simple things we take for granted every day that these guys miss.  Simple things like taking a shower, washing your hair, brushing your teeth, or even feeding yourself is a chore.  Derek cannot feed himself right now and must rely on others for everything.

And there were more medevacs tonight.  Every siren sliced through me like a knife.  It brought back the memories from twelve weeks ago tonight when the bus rolled up with Derek on board.  I will never forget the fear, heartbreak, and simple relief when I finally got my eyes and hands on him.  My heart was breaking for the families of the warriors being admitted tonight as I sat there listening to the sirens as they got closer.  Three times a week they arrive.  When will it end?  I am tired of hearing the stories of Tom, Todd, Paul, etc.  I do not want any more young lives altered forever by these injuries.  It needs to end.

DC'd!

 

I have dc'd a couple of nurses, but one has never walked out on me.... until today.  Made my day.
This morning dawned at 03:00 so I could get to the hospital in time to see those doctors who like to wake patients way too early.  I discussed this with Dr. Bograd, and he agreed to put Derek on "sleep hygiene."  That means no one will bother him from 23:00 until 05:00 a.m.  It's only six hours, but it's the best we can get right now.  And we can push the respiratory trach care off until later in the day and not do it at 05:00.  That really is a rude way to wake up.

This morning, however, Dr. Cliffords walked in and announced that we had trouble.  Derek's potassium level, which had been so dangerously low that they were giving him IV and oral supplements every two hours was now so dangerously high that they were concerned about it affecting his heart.  I wanted to discuss this with Dr. Bograd, and he came right in and sat with me.  They wanted to move him to the telemetry ward for monitoring, but telemetry wanted him to go to SICU where they have one-one-one care.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to SICU we go!  Third times the charm?  Hopefully we will not have to go back again.  I did love the SICU nurses and care he got while there, but we really hate the sounds of the SICU.  Those beeps and blips are maddening.  And Derek hates all the wires attached to him.

However, the nurse we had when we first arrived was the one from several weeks ago who was so scatter brained I had to keep reminding her to gown up, glove up or mask up every time she walked into the room.  After having been advised of the extreme importance of the monitoring and medication regimen and the need for the SICU vs. the ward or telemetry, I was a bit nervous to have a scatterbrained nurse.

So, I admit, I did not start with the best attitude.  It was made worse when she did not hook up the PCA.  I told her it was not hooked up and she argued with me that she hooked it up.  I looked at the wire on the floor and I knew that when Derek hit the button there was no beep.  I picked it up and asked her what the wire was.  I then connected it.  She rolled her eyes and walked out.

The PCA started beeping "low battery" and I told her it needed to be plugged in.  She said it only neeed batteries, because they did not send her the plugs.  Too tired to argue with her, I plugged in the PCA with the cords that were attached. 

I asked three times for the pain meds that were in addition to the PCA.  I asked three times for the yanker for the sunction machine so that he could suction the flem and not swallow it or spit it into the napkin.  She then went to put the yanker in the sleeve that was already attached to the bed and said, "This looks clean."  I told her it was there for a couple of days, and she threw the yanker on the bed. 

She started humming and huffing and puffing and I said to our OT that we really did not need the vocal chorus, and she turned to me and said, "I think you need a new nurse because I will not be bullied!"  I didn't think asking for the patient's needs was bullying, and neither did the other four people in the room, but whatever.  I had never been fired by a nurse!  Made my day.

She was replaced by a very nice guy, who, I admit, I did jump on at one time, and when he pointed it out to me, I apologized right away.  Extremely stressful day.  Ryan was a sweetie and even covered me with a blanket when I fell asleep in the uncomfortable SICU chair.  I guess I'm forgiven for jumping on him.
After several different meds, some of which upset his stomach, the potassium level did come down, but not low enough to satisfy the docs and get him back to the ward.  So much for Bograd's promise to have us back by noon.  A very unhappy Derek had to spend the night in the SICU. 

The only redeeming point is we have one of our favorite nurses, the crazy Peter, who tried to fire me tonight, but I wouldn't leave.  He said he would keep Derek, but I had to go.  I clung to his arm and gave him the lip, and he hugged me and said I could stay the night if I wanted.  Score!  But since I only got two hours last night, I think I'll rest tonight for a few hours and return tomorrow.

I talked to Dr. B today about when he got on my list.  He actually remembers what he did!  And I am shocked that I didn't write about it but a review shows me that I forgot.  He was changing Derek's central line and went to stitch it in place without numbing the area.  Okay, so there is some debate about whether the lidocaine hurts more than the stitching, but give the patient the option!  I do love Ben and he has more than redeemed himself.  I do not hold grudges as long as my kids are okay. 

I don't know if the ortho department will ever get off the list, though.  They are pretty ingrained there.
Hopefully Derek will be out of the SICU tomorrow after the dressing change in the PACU tomorrow.  He has asked both Dr. Howard and Dr. Bograd to let him stay awake during the procedure, and they agreed to let him try it with local anesthetic if needed, and sedation only if necessary.  He really hates any type of anesthetic or sedation.  The procedure is for the dressing change on the flap, along with placement of an elastic to begin the take down of the flap, and the wound vac and dressing change on the one wound that reopened.  Hopefully he will be able to tolerate it.

So, day 83 comes to a close, but who's counting?  Good night and God bless.

A Calling?

 

Ever wonder how and why decisions are made about your care in the hospital?  Do you ever find yourself wondering why something was done or changed and no one coming to talk to you about it?
Communication.  The one thing I have been complaining about is communication.

Yesterday morning, an intern came to see Derek.  He asked if Derek was having any problems, and I told him pain the graft site.  He asked me, "Oh?  Where was the skin graft?"  The nurse was standing beside me and simply grabbed my shoulder and shook her head.  She knew what was coming.  I responded, "Where I would be talking to YOU about it and not another team."  This intern was on a specific team.  Limited.  Specialty.  Common sense should have told him if I mentioned it to him, it would have been in his area of study.  He told me he had not yet had a time to review al the notes.  I told him he would do that BEFORE he did his rounds to see the patients.

How is it possible that the doctor doing the rounds does not know the patient's condition?  What good does that do the patient if the patient needs to discuss a problem?

But further, please think about how you would answer and what you would say if you were awakened from a deep sleep and asked several questions.  "Any problems?"  "Any questions?"  "Any pain?"  The only pain right now is you, buddy, so get the heck away from me!

We were wondering why Derek has gotten such deep circles under his eyes.  I found out tonight.  Between 04:00 and 06:00, several doctors are coming in to examine, turn, question, etc.  No wonder when I would see them later they would say I was telling them something different than Derek told them.  "Well, Ma'am, Derek said he was having no problems."  If you woke me at 04:00 from a deep sleep, I would tell you the same thing to get you to let me go back to sleep!  Plus, who is even thinking when they are just awakened?
Sleep hygiene.  Derek is not getting anough REM sleep because of all of the disruptions.

Guess who will be there tomorrow morning at 04:00?  Hook up the IV drip of caffeine.  I'm going to need it.

The intern who I chased away Tuesday morning showed up at 04:00 and peeked into the room.  When he saw I was not there, he gowned up and came in.  At least that's the version that makes me laugh!  I don't know what was really going on in his head, but Derek's one-to-one for the night said he peeked into the room before coming in and it looked like he was looking for someone.

But I seriously wonder how they are getting accurate information by questioning patients from a deep sleep.  I understand that they have surgery and a lot of patients, but surely there are interns and residents on the service who are not in the OR and can come at a decent hour.  It might even help them develop the novel concept of a BEDSIDE MANNER!

Also, I have nothing again learning, but sending a brand new little doctor into a patient's room when he does not understand what is going on with the patient is just wrong.  A doctor should not have to ask the LPN how the J/G tube works.

I've been told by so many nurses that I need to use my legal background, go to nursing school and get into patient advocacy!  But do I really want to go back to school?  It's possible.  I've gotten really passionate in not only arguing for Derek's sake, but in championing causes for all of the guys.

A minor cause is keeping that darn pantry stocked.  I called every day this week, the charge nurses called, but dietary STILL didn't restock with plasticware, cups, bowls and straws.  The juices and milks were getting low, too, but the other things were out!  We have patients lying on their backs and unable to sit up, like Derek, and they really need simple things like bendy straws.  All it takes is dietary bringing them up.
Yesterday, Derek had his dressing change in the PACU and had difficulty breathing afterward.  The doctors stuck around and made sure he came out of the anesthetic okay, but about a half hour later, his O2 dropped to the low 90's and high 80's.  He had to be monitored closely.  The breathing is getting better, but it is still an issue.  When last night's nurse was told by Derek that he wanted to be suctioned and the nurse said he would call respiratory, I flipped.  Why are we going to wait an hour for respiratory when he needs suctioning now?  I asked the nurse why he couldn't do it, and he said he felt more comfortable with respiratory doing it.  First and last time we had that nurse.  But for the one-to-one Derek had last night, I would have stayed the night.  I like Jon.  He jumped up and said he would do it and gave me a hug, instantly calming me down.

Dr. Howard came around and showed us pictures of the flap.  Cool.  Maybe I do have the stomach to be a nurse.  For some things.  For others, I don't know.

Could this be my real calling in life?  They say everything happens for a reason.  Derek doesn't seem overly bothered by what happened to him.  He is accepting of it and really ready to get moving!  He has been looking for videos of guys getting their shorties and getting up and moving on their prosthetics, and he cannot find any.  He said he wants to videotape all of his progresses on the prosthetics and post them on youtube for guys in the future to be able to watch.

Jessica Allen, God bless her, came and talked to Derek at length today about different prosthetics, different guys who she knows and how they did, what the process will probably be for him, etc.  It helped him SO much.

And I love her daughter's idea for a new toy, with Jessica's caveat to donate all proceeds to the Fisher House.  I won't say what that idea is here, because it is hers, and I am not going to leak it but it's really awesome.

Gen. Dempsey's wife, Deanie, came around for a visit today.  Such a nice lady.  Gen. Dempsey is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  Good to make contacts.

Derek is a terror in his chair!  He was chasing me down the hall, growling at me!  I had to run into someone's office to avoid him!  And he trapped Krystina in the corner and wouldn't let her out!  He is dangerous!

That's all for today.  Since I have to be back in the hospital in five and a half hours, I best get some rest!  These doctors are killing me.  But some are awesome, and I do love Dr. Perdue, Dr. Bograd and Dr. Howard.

Good night!  God bless!