Laughter is ineed the best medicine...

[Kanza]

...especially when you are in the hospital! Sometimes it's the ONLY medicine Take for example my husband's on-going experience:

Last week...from an emergency visit to the doctor...to a visit to the emergency room...lots of tests are taken and he's admitted to a room...all well and good, right? Pretty standard for day 1...now comes day 2 and nothing gets done...fast forward to day 3 and nothing is still getting done...now we arrive at day 4 and all breaks loose!

My husband: I gotta get out of here! I have a class to teach tomorrow, one the day after and one the day after that!
His doctor: No, can't let you do that because we want to keep you 4 more days without doing anything until Monday rolls around (okay, I paraphrased...but that's what they were asking for)
My husband: Fat chance! I'll go AMA!!! (that's "against medical advice" or stupid talk for I value something else more than my life right now)
His doctor: You will have a heart attack and die immediately!
My husband: No I won't...I'll have my wife drive me everywhere and wait on me hand and foot!!!
His doctor (and the hospital floor doctor, risk management specialist, personal physician, intern, resident, duty nurse, insurance company...looked like a rugby scrum): Well, in that case, be sure she carries you around on a pillow, too!!! We'll let her do all the worrying while we play golf!!

Now comes Saturday...after his last class...and after informing all classes about his impending return to the hospital and he's readmitted...and...nothing gets done and nothing gets done and nothing gets done and then something TRIES to get done but they gave him the wrong medicine so nothing gets done until today!

1st doctor: No, think we can treat this with diet but we'll run tests to be sure what's going on
2nd doctor: No, think you need a pacemaker.
3rd doctor: No, think you need stents and probably lots of them...or maybe just one <shrug>
Husband: So long as I can continue to dive!
4th doctor: We'll wait on the electro-pulmonary specialist so nothing will be done for the rest of today.

Earlier today -

Husband: OUCH!
Everyone: Is it an attack???
Husband: GOUT!!!! I want my wife, she knows what to do!!
Everyone: Sounds serious then!!!
Husband: It's called "the professors' disease" for a reason!! I want my wife!!!!
Everyone: Okay, we'll wake her up in the middle of the night for you!

Later today -

Husband: Honey, it's gonna be a pacemaker but I gotta research which one I want.
Me: Won't the doctor be the one to advise you? They usually know what is best....
Husband: NO!!! I wanna dive and you said they had special ones that will let me do that!
Me: I said SOME have higher pressure ratings and will allow you to dive to greater depth but it was still all up to your surgeon!!
Husband: Well, I am going to pick the one I want!!
Me: Your surgery is tomorrow, do you think you should give them a little notice, hmmmm?
Husband: Oh, yeah....

Still later today -

Husband: Well, I might not get out Thursday in time to teach my class!!!
Me: Your surgery is on Wednesday, they usually like to OBSERVE afterwards.
Husband: But my classes....
Me: Didn't you tell them you might miss them?
Husband: Yes, but I don't want to...

A few minutes ago -

Husband: Okay, it's all decided!
Me: What is? <shudder>
Husband: If they can't get me out by Thursday afternoon, they will let me come home and be readmitted in a week or two or three...when I feel like I have the time. They don't mind because they know you will take care of me!
Me: <SCREAM>!!

Welcome to modern medicine...and thank you for letting me get that off my chest and rant at the same time!!! My husband is an incredibly brilliant man and among the top of his field but SOMETIMES I get the idea that he doesn't have the sense to come in out of the rain...

 

[AG51]

Oh Kanza !!! How come I never met ya'll at the family reunions I just don't understand it. Did you get the wrong directions to it It seems that you're husband is MY husbands long lost TWIN !!!!!! They have to be related to be so much alike ya know I feel for ya honey more than you realize

 

[TomCatt]

Save us from the fools!

 

[AG51]

Save us from the fools!

...yeah !

 

[SAG]

Oooh Kanza! That's funny - but it's not! I hope they get it all worked out for you SOON. I definately sense your frustrations with the ups n downs. Maybe you could tell the doctors what the game plan should be. LOL. You'll be in my thoughts. Please keep us posted.

 

[Kanza]

Anita, my husband was adopted...and I insisted he was from the "monkey" line of mankind! He is smart...scary smart...but also sense stupid Like when he was talking to me and we got lost in our own neighborhood looking for our house...which was right around the block from where we were! Or...and this one is a classic because it happens soooo often...he runs out of clean clothes RIGHT before a lecture because he never puts anything in the hamper. Oh...here's one...graduation time and he is in the academic procession (as always, not like this is new) and decides to wear swim trunks under his robes...with shoes and socks!

 

[Kanza]

Thanks, SAG, I'm off to do just that...sort of...we're going to watch the Bulls playoff game...unless he got the date and time wrong again

 

[Morandir835]

Ms. Kanza he better be glad you have a sense of humor. My wife wouldn't be laughing at me, I'd be dead by now....

 

[AG51]

There ya go...Knew I knew him frum sum place...LOL LOL !!!

 

[keyzygirl]

I so feel for you!!I say this as I wait on my Hubs hand and foot.Make him just get it done and then at least you only have to serve him while he heals.Better to be safe and not take chances.Tell him to stay in the hospital and do what they say.Ill be praying for his health and your sanity!

 

[jbmcdan]

hang in there,kanza!

 

[keelalagirl55]

3 words.....drug induced coma!!!!

or Big Wooden Club.....

That is what my hubby would endure....knock him out...do what ya gotta do and then wake him up again.....lol

I am right there with Morandir's wifey!!!

 

[Mary Kay]

Kansa..I hear you! My hubby expects me to reseach all his health issues. I should have a degree in several specialties by now.Or at least a hat! Men are just weird!
Keysy...are you still waiting on him..give me a break! Get that boy off the couch already!

 

[waylonjessi4ever]

Thank you for this Kanza and all the best wishes !

 

[Kanza]

Just got back from the hospital and, as expected, the deal may be OFF! I can't blame him, however - the doctors were not giving him answers to his questions and gave him less than 24 hours to consider all the limited amount of information they did gave him. Needless to say, it comes down to diving...and one doctor's threat of, "what makes you think we will clear you to dive?" was met with, "if you don't give me a good reason to believe I will still have a high quality of life, why bother?" An empty threat on Bob's part but it did give the doc pause to think!

What's really at issue, dear friends and family, are your rights...know your rights as a patient...know how to demand the answers you want from your doctor...know that they have to spend the time with you to reassure you! The list goes on! Above all else, do NOT let them talk down to you or make you feel uneducated or foolish! You are simply unlearned in the field of medicine but deserve to be treated with dignity and respect!

As things stand, I expect him home tomorrow afternoon...and with my full blessing He wants to believe in a future where we continue to hold hands underwater while exploring reefs around the world and I want to believe in that, too If he had only one choice in pacemakers, it would be different and I would be eternally grateful for every second left for us but that's not the case and his doctors have to yield to his considerable research and intended lifestyle

Besides, they said as long as I continue to drive for him and wait on him hand and foot and carry him around on a pillow, they were cool with delaying the surgery for weeks (if he felt like it)

 

[SAG]

Right on Kanza!!!

 

[Mary Kay]

Good for you both! I hope you get the answers you deserve!
I participated in a medical ethics quiz at a hospital. They wanted to see what "real" people thought. One of the questions was: Should Doctors inform you of every procedure or treatment if they feel you wouldn't be able to understand the reason or the technical aspects. The Doctors said NO. The Nurses said YES and us "real" folks said YES. You aren't doing jack that I don't have the right to approve first..except in an emergency that I am not awake or aware.
I often tell my Doctors when they want something that I refuse..I hired you, you are my employee. I will take your learned advice into consideration and decide .

 

[Kanza]

Mary Kat FTW!!! You are the employer and entitled to know every little detail! You pay for them, don't you? Then you should be aware of those little details and what they mean and be told about them in a respectful way And how wonderful that should be asked in a medical ethics questionnaire That's exactly where it should be!

On a personal note, I continue to suffer from problems from early adulthood because a doctor felt the technical aspects were beyond my comprehension...without either knowing me or knowing what I could or could not understand, he withheld information from me for no other reason than an erroneous snap judgement! <growl>

Needless to say, when my husband got in the face of one of the doctors...the doc quickly changed his tune Bob can be quite scary...even when dressed in that hideous hospital gown

SAG, thanks for the encouragement...it means a lot to me

 

[keelalagirl55]

Bravo Kanza! Nothing angers me more than Doctor arrogance. I am very picky in my choice of physicians, and that is on the top of the list of Docs never to see.

As for the questionnaire....yea....docs are gonna say no cause they have to take the time to explain it....nurses say yes, cause when the docs don't, they have to try to and it is very unfair to leave them holding the axe (especially when they don't agree with the doc, but can't really talk against them either...or just plain don't know why the doc is suggesting/prescribing what they have). Sorry folks.....sore subject on so very many levels (can ya tell I defend the nurse...lol)


As for my prior post....I appologize, I thought your hubby was bein difficult too

 

[Kanza]

Keelala...no need to apologize because he WAS being difficult in his own way Maybe not in this particular instance but in plenty of other times in this on-going saga And tomorrow should be a real fight when (I am certain) he refuses surgery until he can find the right pacemaker for himself! This one doctor wasn't used to that but maybe he'll be a better doctor now because of it