Guest viewing is limited

TKR Brownie's Good, Bad, & Uglies

Status
Not open for further replies.
Thank you so much everyone. I have been so tired and worn out and haven't been signing on. When I do I feel so uplifted. I need to do it! RestAssured it helps so much to read your story with the osteo. My pain was so bad today and I don't feel like I am improving. Putting weight on leg is awful and takes about 30 minutes to recover, just doing the 2 steps up to get out of stepdown living room exhausts me. I called the doctors office, will run out of Percocet on Sunday plus it's not controlling the pain enough anyway. I have a new pain on the medial side of my calf,bone pain, that is the worst when I put pressure on it. Then the lateral side of my incision is hot and a little discolored. The area is so swollen that between the sutures it looks like little pillows. Temp is 99.4 this evening. I know that's not much but...I have pitting edema on the top and sides of my foot. Okay I am a wreck and I worry the osteomyelitis has invaded more bones and that maybe I have stress fractures. My fears are huge. Sonja telling me and other stories of surviving osteomyelitis reallly give me hope.
I hope tomorrow is a better day. I have decided not to sit in the living for the weekend and just stay in bed with my leg elevated better.
My "home health team" is still really lacking. They forgot to send a nurse yesterday. And they only showed up to draw my vanco trough level this am because I called and reminded them that it is due. I have had 5 different nurses now. They don't let you know who's coming when. They do the schedule one day in advance. I have an LVN case manager so it makes sense that she doesn't realize the importance of the getting vanco levels. No one showed up for it MOnday morning. My level was too high and that would have been caught earlier if they followed the orders. A nurse showed up once over the 3 day weekend. then yesterday another no show. So I have been trying to report what's going on but the supervisor won't call me back. So I called UCLA to let them know I am not getting good care, so then they did better for 2 days now we are back to the SOS.
I seem to attract incompetent care givers don't I? I really liked a couple of the nurses but it hasn't helped to request them since the schedule is done by the supervisor (who won't call me) the day before.
I have no idea when I might start to see an improvement. I saw a post back that I said the pain seemed better but yesterday wasn't so good and then today was awful. Not much I can do about it.
I have good friends and all of you to help me through and I am so thankful for that. :)
 
Marianne, I'm so sorry to hear what has happened to you! I've been away for most of August, but must say I haven't been keeping up with much here all summer. I pray this goes as well as it can, and that you will be pain free in the future, but I am so, so sorry you are in such pain now! I have to go back and do some more reading here...
 
Brownie,
Sending prayers your way for better care. We are all on your side, and want all the best for you.
Call your new OS and let him know what your leg looks like, they can reassure you everything is OK.
 
Brownie,

Vancomycin is so rough on the body! Plus the fact they had to get me off of it within 5 minutes of starting it did not help either! I had a horrible reaction to it, and the dr. Said if they hadn't gotten me off and started pushing the Benedryl I would have had a bigger mess.

The pain that you are in sounds awfully familiar! I felt like I wanted to die! You are doing better than I was; I had no oomph to even think about sitting up! All I wanted to do was lay in bed. My home bound PT's got me out of my funk. I was so down! Infection and the after effects are so tiring! I am still here and I am listening and praying for you! :angel:
 
Brownie, is it possible to contract with a different home health agency? Here in the Kansas City area we have many to choose from. Of course when you are released from a hospital, they try to put you with the one they are affiliated with. But I think you should be able to change if you prefer. You might look into it if you aren't getting proper care. It's a VERY competitive business!!! I know you don't feel well, but keep giving calling to complain about the missed appointments and any inept care. This is critical not only for you, but also for any other patients who might fall victim to poor service. YOU are paying for this, so YOU have all the leverage. Be the squeaky wheel and don't feel one ounce of guilt about it!!

God bless you, hon. You're in my prayers every single day.
 
Hello Marianne, I was so pleased to see you had posted.
I am so sorry to hear that things are not good at the moment. Despite it all you sound remarkably upbeat.
This ongoing terrible pain must be quite exhausting for you. I can also see why you are feeling worried about your swelling and new areas of pain.
It really doesn't help that you are not getting good care from the home health team.
You are so vulnerable at the moment that you need to feel well looked after.
I do hope that something gets sorted out with your home health team.
Can you see your doctor soon to have your leg looked at so they can check it over?
It must be like an unending nightmare.
You are in my thoughts and I keep hoping that you will turn a corner and things will start to get better.
Rest and recover and know you are in our thoughts.
Sending you more hugs and a hand to hold in the dark times,
Toothfairy x :SUNsmile: :console2:
 
Marianne,

I agree with Jamie! I was staying in a small town about 22 miles from a big city where my mother lives. I had home health agencies to choose from, before I left the hospital, and my OS said if they weren't good, call him and he would recommend someone else. He said the crew I had chosen, both nurses and home PT was "top flight!" He was right! I could not have gotten better care! When I came home from Dallas, a home health care in Dallas had already started with me and I loved those medicine balls, that I could throw in my pocket. They shipped them to me, and contracted with a health care company to take over my care. They were here the day after I arrived. They called while I was still in Dallas and set up the schedule. Transition was easy! :happydance:
 
[Bonesmart.org] Brownie's Good, Bad, & Uglies


This is one of the toughest battles you will face Marianne! But remember, we are all "stepping" with you! :friends:
 
Dear brownie,
I am so sorry you are in so much pain :console2: it doesn't seem right in this day & age that pain relief
Can't be controlled.
My :angel: are with you. Hugs & healing thoughts coming your way.
Please call your new o.s & tell him what is going on with your care.
Thinking of you always,
Diana :flwrysmile:
 
Hi Brownie
Sorry to hear that you are in so much pain and that your home care team are not doing the job properly :yikes: :gaah:
Can you contact the OS office and get them to sort it out for you? Is there a way to go higher than the supervisor who never returns calls?
Do you have someone who could help you make the calls for you? as I understand that you probably don't need this aggravation when you are feeling so bad and in pain :console2:

Take good care of yourself :friends:
 
Brownie51,

If you need any help with getting your home care moving, I'll be happy to help if you would like! :happydance: I have had a "little" :heehee: experience in that line, and the "care" they are giving is inexcusable! Call your OS, talk to the nurse, ask them who THEY would use if it was their family member! You would be surprised at the help you get then. It personalizes the situation, and you become "more than "just another patient!" :whistle: :friends:
 
RestAssured that is a good idea.

Right now it looks like things are coming around but I have to stay on top of it. I tried the "what would you do if I was your mother" routine on my new OS and he said he has only ONE opinion and that it's much better than having one set of opinions for family and one for his patients! This is the only time I have heard THAT!

Anyway I feel like I am training this agency. I have to stay on top of them. Again I would not have had a trough level done today if I hadn't arranged it. Ha! But I am very happy with the nurses that I have and it looks like I might have the same one M-F then maybe another one on the weekend.

Today feeling low. I hope I can get out of this mood. Just having signed on,had a bit of a cry and now talking to you all I feel better. Knowing Sonja made it out from this awful diagnosis gives me hope. My foot is less swollen today and over the weekend I had a decrease in pain but it's still so miserable.

I had called the dr's office and told his "assistant" that the Percocet, taking 2 wasn't holding me but for 3 hours. Plus I would run out (taking it every 4 hours) on Sunday. So they sent me an RX for oxycodone 10mg q 6 hours. I don't know if that was meant to be for break through pain or not but I am out of Percocet. Oxycodone 10mg is what's in Percocet so that would mean I could only take it every 6 hours when here I am with it not even holding me for 4 hours. So I didn't get it filled because then I couldn't get anything more.

I decided to start taking my left over Norco and it's working pretty well for me. I hope my primary doctor will do my pain meds again because then I can talk to a real doctor instead of the clerk/assistant (not a nurse) that works for Dr. Cyran. I think the message for pain meds needs to be patient to doctor unless the doctor has someone who really understands the meds/breakthrough pain etc. The supervisor still has refused to call me.

Right now I am trying to get the courier to pick up my blood. It was drawn at 7:30 am and it's 11:00 and no one has come for it. I've called once already and nothing has happened. So I just called the nurse and she will call Regina my incompetent case manager. OH WELL!!!

My swelling is so much less on my foot, but there is a large area to the side of the incision that is raised up and discolored, not bright red but a weird dark reddish area. It's about 4 inches by 3 inches. I bet it was always there but I couldn't tell when it was all so swollen. I sure hope all that is going to go back to normal. Even just touching my top of my foot hurts and it still has crepitus. I thought that was from the swelling but now I am wondering if there is osteomyelitis down there on my foot. The home nurses don't seem to know much about that. I wish my appt with the Dr was sooner. It's on Monday. I will just watch the incision and see if that area is resolving.

Thank you all!!! Marianne
 
Marianne---you are an amazing woman!!! I am not sure that I could have done all of this as competently as you have. What a shame that the home health is so bad! I agree that another agency might be better---the surpervisor seems to be the problem.

I do so hope that your pain will resolve to something bearable. My heart is with you.
 
Hi Marianne, good to see your post today.
It is good to hear that you have good nurses and that despite all your pain and worry you are managing to keep on top of things.
What a star.
Hopefully things are beginning to go in the right direction for you, I really do hope so,
Hugs and flowers coming your way with a sprinkling of fairy dust,
Toothfairy x :SUNsmile: :flwrysmile:
 
Marianne, yes you will start to see small improvements everyday! They are small but look at them as stepping stones! I am so proud of you for handling this situation the way you have! Now, if you would kindly lend me the case manager's phone number and the supervisors phone number if they are two different people I have a few words I would like to say on your behalf!:rotfl: Seriously though, you are doing remarkably well, and you will make it! I know you can do it, you are stronger than you think!:happydance:
 
I agree with Sonja. You are handling all of this so well and in such an organized way. I'm so proud of you!!! All your attention to your health details will start paying off soon, hon. In the meantime, come chat with us. It's so great to hear from you any time you feel up to writing!
 
Hi Marianne! Glad to hear you seem to have some improvement. No matter how small you think it is, run with it! At this point you need any morale lift you can get! :yay:
It is good you are avoiding your living room for a bit.... I chalked my great recovery last year (we were the same day) due to my stubborn insistence on staying in bed with my leg elevated and iced for the first 4 weeks, only getting up to bathroom and get something to eat or a coffee. Then I started slowly taking on my shorter household duties and then back to my bed with the first sign of swelling. My youngest daughter told me I should do time in the living room with my family but I did not move my set up to the living room until 6 weeks or so. I think she missed me.... or she was tired of listening to Dad ramble on about his day at work. :rolleyes:
I know you are thinking you have nothing to smile about but it is proven that smiling produces endorphins that lessen pain and make us feel happier..... Start smiling Sista!:SUNsmile: We need all the help we can get when hurting and feeling low..... Refuse to be beaten and keep on going, one baby step at a time. I know you can do it. Look how far you have come!:thumb:
I must go.... You take care and do not put up with anything but the best.... life is too short. Call the company's CEO and get a contact above the unsuper supervisor. :hairpulling: That might straighten out her attitude! Otherwise get a new company. Real simple..... You come first!!!! I will be thinking about you.:friends:

Your grinnin' idiot friend :snork: , Joy
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Corganics CBD
Active Antimicrobial Hydrogel

Members online

Total: 1,683 (members: 1, guests: 1,682)

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom