Interim report, sorta
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 09:11 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rolanniEDITED TO ADD: The elusive doctor showed up in Steve's room about an hour after I left for the day-job. Steve hit autodial on his cell and stuck it under same doctor's ear, with "Please talk to my wife. Her name is Sharon." So, we talked, and I now have information. It appears that there is More Than One Thing Going On -- hence the "doctor scrum" reported by Steve on his FB page yesterday. I think I have a clear understanding of what this doctor is about, and have a phone! number! in case I have more questions.
The release date apparently hangs on a question of how long Steve's fever has been low enough to satisfy the other doctor. Who I will now commence to stalk.
Thank you all for your advice and caring!
Steve is still in the hospital. (I realize that it's only been since Sunday night, but it seems much, much longer than that.) The in-house doctor has mixed his drugs around and seems to have backed off from "you can go home Wednesday" without offering another release day. This is...troubling.
Even more troubling is that I have not myself seen or spoken to the in-house doctor, whose schedule appears to be insanely erratic. He arrives and talks to Steve, but Steve is in the hospital for a reason, and I'd really like to hear what the man is saying from himself, and clear up some questions I have, based on Steve's interpretation. I tried this morning to find out when the doctor might be on the hall so I could be likewise, but the nursing staff wouldn't/couldn't commit. Steve's day-nurse did promise to call the doctor's office to see if they knew when he might be about, but she was not sanguine.
We've been very, very lucky so far in that our experiences with hospitals have mostly been limited to day surgeries and emergency room visits. I know that this has not been the case with some who read here. Strategies for coping with hospital/doctor culture are very welcome.
In other news, Hexapuma at 2 a.m. wished to report to the World and Beyond that Steve was not in the bed, he was not in his office, he was not in the basement, or the living room, or ANYWHERE. I gather that a Strong Letter of Protest will be or has been posted to the Maine Coon Cat Northeast Regional Office and that I can expect A Call.
Fans of the day-job will be delighted to learn that all data entry in hand for the deadlined search has been completed, and all filing ditto.
I don't think I mentioned here that Toni has read Ghost Ship and requested expansion of a couple scenes -- nothing too strenuous, really. Which is Good.
...and that's all the news that's fit to print.
The release date apparently hangs on a question of how long Steve's fever has been low enough to satisfy the other doctor. Who I will now commence to stalk.
Thank you all for your advice and caring!
Steve is still in the hospital. (I realize that it's only been since Sunday night, but it seems much, much longer than that.) The in-house doctor has mixed his drugs around and seems to have backed off from "you can go home Wednesday" without offering another release day. This is...troubling.
Even more troubling is that I have not myself seen or spoken to the in-house doctor, whose schedule appears to be insanely erratic. He arrives and talks to Steve, but Steve is in the hospital for a reason, and I'd really like to hear what the man is saying from himself, and clear up some questions I have, based on Steve's interpretation. I tried this morning to find out when the doctor might be on the hall so I could be likewise, but the nursing staff wouldn't/couldn't commit. Steve's day-nurse did promise to call the doctor's office to see if they knew when he might be about, but she was not sanguine.
We've been very, very lucky so far in that our experiences with hospitals have mostly been limited to day surgeries and emergency room visits. I know that this has not been the case with some who read here. Strategies for coping with hospital/doctor culture are very welcome.
In other news, Hexapuma at 2 a.m. wished to report to the World and Beyond that Steve was not in the bed, he was not in his office, he was not in the basement, or the living room, or ANYWHERE. I gather that a Strong Letter of Protest will be or has been posted to the Maine Coon Cat Northeast Regional Office and that I can expect A Call.
Fans of the day-job will be delighted to learn that all data entry in hand for the deadlined search has been completed, and all filing ditto.
I don't think I mentioned here that Toni has read Ghost Ship and requested expansion of a couple scenes -- nothing too strenuous, really. Which is Good.
...and that's all the news that's fit to print.
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no subject
Date: 2010-10-20 04:44 am (UTC)My thoughts, added to those before:
1) make sure the staff and physicians know they are permitted to talk to you. People are often worried about potential repercussions of information being given out (HIPPA may have been good for insurance, but it's had a Miserable effect on communication).
2) Depending on whether the doc is an 'in-house only' (aka hospitalist) or does both in/out-patient care, (s)he is likely to do rounds at different times.
a) if a hospitalist, will likely be by around the same time daily - BUT will usually go the sickest patients first. So, if there are sicker patients, you will be seen later (and this could be much later).
b) if doing both in/outpatient care, usually stops by either before or after office hours
3) Tape recorders are good (but may be annoying for the doc)
4) Notebooks work well; copies of labs/test (ALL of them) are good. Specific diagnoses, or a list of potential problems can be useful - but don't spent too much time on the internet looking them up: there's a lot of not-so-good information out there.
5) Getting the nursing staff on your side is essential.
6) Patient advocates can be very helpful. A caveat: in some hospitals they are used mainly to deal with confrontations, not communication.
7) What Steve did with the phone was Excellent. That way you both heard what the doc said at the same time, and can cross-check each other's interpretation of the conversation.
8) Camping out works; but is often not practical. (See #5 above)
best wishes to you both (and the cats).