Hi All,
Have just finished going through the 200 plus em's awaiting my return to
the computor.
I've been away for 12 days-having been called to my dear Dad's bedside
following his admission to hospital with an acute illness. In fact it
was a drug induced nightmare (he was on A/B's for a tooth abscess-
repeat by one) and developed a profound thrombocytopenia. Admission
platelet count of 100 (no NOT 100,000) and bleeding from mucosa's. What
a bloody night mare that little journey was. Essentially my greatest
sadness comes from being around the most appauling nursing care I'd ever
seen!!. What has become of good general nursing care? It was not just
the three medication errors of my dad's first 4 days in hospital but
more the neglectfull, disrespectfull, humiliating treatment that the
other old folk received in the ward he was in. I suppose I feel like I
have allways (the last 14 years anyway) been actively involved in
political action for maternity choices, women's rights ect (yes I payed
the $10 to get the senate inquiry submission delivered on time- I lost a
day travelling down to see dad) and I've done my bit on a local level
for years. But now I realize that there is another sector of society-
middle aged/older men who are also being abused by our health system!!
I just feel so very very sad about the lack of humility, undertanding
or even basic care shown to my dad's room companions by the staff. It
was interesting that the only health worker that offerred what I believe
to be reasonable care was a young woman RMO. When it got to the stage of
no improvement for dad- we'd exhausted platelet stores (he had 47 units
infused) high dose steroids were ineffective, 12 infusions of intragam
ect wasn't helping -her atitude was humble .....
(medical management can cause damage that they are unable to repair) and
she asked my dad to call on his own healing abilities, to use his
thoughts, his own will, to focus on his body's ability to turn back the
harmfull process that had become established. She responded to my dad's
cynical, weary reply with such deep affirmation of him that I feel a bit
teary when I think of it. And yes from the next day things began to
change, and change for the better. Not that I was happy with many other
incidents along the way, or his discharge with a platelet count of only
500. But that RMO was a bit of a light in what was a gloomy setting for
healing and yes death that occurred in medical ward 3. For me I say
shame on those cruel staff and I prey/ask for their movement back into a
heart space during their important work. And in many ways I feel
gratefull for having had a chance to be midwife to those older men- sit
them up so they don't drown in their sputum, or sit them up so they can
drink their cup of tea without spilling it and scalding themselves, role
one on his side and wipe his face so he didn't choke on his vomit
awaiting a nurse to respond to a call bell, or actually putting the call
bell in reach so help can be brought, or the bottle in reach, or the
triangle in reach so some mobility is possibility and so on........
Enough for the moment! I'm having to consider coming off the list for a
while-It seems nearly impossible to fit in the time to read/respond to
the list's fantastic diverse discussions.
I'll close for the moment as I need to pack/check my birthing kit for an
impending homebirth. I'll offer some closing responses tomorrow, and
then it will probably be goodbye for a while.
Thankyou for being a place to share my recent experience- so different
to the wonderfull home death story I 've just read. Once again the
shadow and the light.
Heather Gulliver.
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