11/27/2023
From my point of view Caregiving is knowing what you can fix and knowing when you need to get more help for your loved one. We literally went from a fun dinner laughing to the ER in less than 12 hours this weekend. No signs, no warnings.
Sometimes things happen out of our control, but grateful for my background and experiences that help me listen when I need to, but also advocate for my mom when another health professional is dismissing my concerns. This time we got lucky with some amazing ER nurses that heard me and the staff that helped my mom when she was moved and then moved again after another episode of symptoms tonight. She is stable in the Neuro ICU to monitor her symptoms and help fight the infection she has and control her Blood pressures. Thankful for the doctors that collaborated today and the rapid response team that listened to me and acted fast to get my mom the urgent attention she needed.
I went into this hospital not trusting anything or anyone yesterday because of past poor experiences here. The ambulances go to the closest hospital. But, I drew a doctor team that heard me loud and clear and actually thanked me for being so proactive with my mom’s information, her past medical history and current symptoms, baselines, etc. I had one staff member dismiss my concerns and before I had to move beyond yelling to be heard another nurse and an amazing PA stepped in and handled it and took excellent care of my mom.
Caregiving has made me more empathetic and quite frankly tough as nails- I have also learned to pick my battles and it doesn’t happen often but- I know when I need to make myself heard- I can rest a little easier tonight knowing she’s in the hands of a great icu neuro team and that I can see her again in the morning. Makes me feel a little more at ease that the experience this time is much better.
And as always, we are so thankful for our village.
