My last diary was about my mother's fabulous health care, due to my dad's long service (as an electrical engineer for a major DOD contractor). Her experience opened my eyes to many things: How if you have the coverage, you are given a "gold-card" in service. How easily she checked in and out. How simple the paper-work has been, althought it is paper-work.
Nothing is for free, but her coverage nearly is. What's crazy is that she expects it. Seems normal. I guess I live in another world.
But not so much, as you will see, below.
My Mother broke her elbow. She didn't lose her balance. She was way too busy, missed a step, and went flying across our tiled-over-cement basement floor.
My Mother is the head of any and every thing pretty, elegant or socially useful. She isn't a lite-weight, although she weighs a mere 115 pounds. She knows the Chairman of the Hospital. She has the clout people who spend their time cultivating people, nicely, do.
She was over-medicated.
She was given opiates that would make a dealer drool.
For a broken arm (elbow).
The poor dear was kept in the excellent hospital for five days (don't they eject birth-mothers after two days?) for observation. She was delusional. Wanted to go "up-stairs to her bedroom" when she was clearly in a gorgeous hospital room (that looked a lot like her basement entertainment room). She had continuous dreams of "us" going to the theater, and specific requirements of our attendance.
She was over-medicated and dreaming.
Then she was abused - by "patient sitters" desiring to 1.) save her from dream-walking into killing herself and, 2.) a nurse who had no business taking care of someone in such a drugged-out state.
Upon serious reflection we found mom is just fine (the drugs worked their way out once she stopped having them pumped into her) that she had been given multiple doses of morphine compounds: Morphine, itself; Vicodine, etc. She had not complained of her elbow - but that her cast was too tight around the thumb. Once that pain was removed, the issue should have been recovery - but FURTHER OPIATES WERE GIVEN.
By brother flew out, with power of attorney. She was uncontrollable!
My mother, so aware and in control, was told that she might require "feeding tubes" due to a prior condition.
Oh, Heck.
Where does this insane disregard for humanity end!
My Bro few out and we sprung her.
She was woozy, but increasingly in charge of her faculties.
She was an individual: Alive.
It was great that she had a wonderful room.
It was fabulous that they ordered x-rays of her chest and CAT scans of her brain. We can use those things to base-line future incidents.
But, what's great is to have mom back and healing her injured arm.
That was the whole idea.
Wasn't it?
Yeah. It was.
Seems we could handle this whole thing a little better.
I'll write more on this.
illyia