Life's Horrors

DeD CHiKn · Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2014 6:36 am Post subject:

Sorry about your dad.

Greedy people are the worst. Greedy people who use sensitive topics to their advantage are something unimaginably evil.

mouse · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 20773 Location: under the bed

Yinello · Joined: 09 May 2012 Posts: 3455

So the fact that I'm so tired of my job is now catching up to me. My co-workers are noticing I'm coming in late often and some of my administration is sloppy. I feel bad for letting them down but at the same time, I'm just so done with this job. I just need to push myself a little more - just until August. I'm such a doormat.

Yinello · Joined: 09 May 2012 Posts: 3455

Perfectly on time, got everything arranged, succesfully booked a train ticket, a hotel room and dinners for the boss. He's happy, I'm happy.

Forgot to follow up on an invitation that was directed to someone else and now his mood is ruined. (Am I really that mad to assume that the other person's secretary would take care of it from then on?)

Thank you for reminding me again why I'm so done with everything.

I guess I'm more pissed instead of the client calling me to ask if I had received the invitation that I passed on, they called my boss. and oh geeze sorry that I didn't think it was that important to keep my nose pressed on it, considering it didn't concern the company.

I'm so sick of feeling guilty whenever I mess up.

DeD CHiKn · Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 9:36 am Post subject:

Last Thursday my dad went into the hospital with an infection in his surgical site. Not sure if it was caused by Lymphedema or is just called lymphedema.

Basically his leg above the knee was bright red and swollen, but the lower leg was so swollen the skin was stretched to the point of being taut and shiny.

He was supposed to go home Saturday, but something new every day is keeping him in. It's a week now.

He isn't on any narcotics, but is out of it when you talk to him. Everything is slow and calm, things don't register when you say them.

For a while I thought his cancer was worse than he is letting on, I'm fairly certain of it now. You can't get a straight answer out of him, and I honestly never see his doctor to ask. He is diagnosed as having stage 3 melanoma (and spots in his lungs) but they don't want to do chemo yet, apparently they just want to watch the shit in his lungs continue to grow until they do something about it, "another 6 months" is their favorite saying.

Also, my sisters wedding is this weekend, hopefully he can get discharged to go to it.

DeD CHiKn · Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 9:49 am Post subject:

Oh yeah, while he's in the hospital I got a call in the middle of the night of glass breaking at his house. So I go over expecting to run into the Black Guerrilla Family ransacking the place so the cops can cover it up for them.

The cops actually beat me there, surprising, and were leaving when I pulled up. "Nothing suspicious or out of place" they tell me an leave. Anyone want to do a walk through with me? Of course not.

That bothered me really bad, because his desk looks like its been ransacked, it hasn't it just always looks like it. We have a habit of being paperwork pack rats, I'm guilty myself.

Anyway, luckily nothing was actually missing, the back door was ajar, no glass. Where are the cats? I don't know where the cats are or were hiding, but they win hide and seek that day. Took me two hours to find them. Had to open cans of food and bags of treats to shake for them.

They are safe, everything is OK there. I did lock up his guns a bit better, just in case someone did pop the door open and it wasn't just the wind.

Dogen · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 11274 Location: PDX

I'm sorry, Ded. That sounds really difficult, for both you and your dad. Has he designated a health care surrogate, power of attorney, or the like? If he has, that person can read his chart and is entitled to all information about his diagnosis, treatment, etc. I don't know if that's the problem (without a designated surrogate they can't tell you much, as you probably know [HIPAA]), or not. Sad

Best of luck to him, though.

DeD CHiKn · Posted: Wed Feb 26, 2014 1:20 pm Post subject:

They removed his nodes back in January I want to say, maybe December.

He has no power of attorney assigned, it will probably be me when the time comes though.

I honestly think he is holding off on treatment til after the wedding, my sister is his pride and joy even though she wants nothing to do with him (fairly justifyably, another story). I know he wants to be mobile and not radiated for it, but at what cost.

mouse · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 20773 Location: under the bed

that sounds awful, DeD.

....i guess it should make me feel better about my horror - car needs a new water pump, together with a few other odds and ends the bill will be just north of $1100. which i can cover...just. but it's only money. just wish i had way more of it.
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Dogen · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 11274 Location: PDX

Yinello · Joined: 09 May 2012 Posts: 3455

Man, that's horrible Ded. Sad

DeD CHiKn · Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 5:37 am Post subject:

mouse · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 20773 Location: under the bed

i don't know how old your dad is, DeD, but apparently there is an actual thing called something like "ICU dementia" - which i discovered when my mom had it (and it was definitely terrifying). hopefully Dogen knows something about it. (i also don't know if your dad is in icu but he sounds in serious enough condition to be).

the good news about that is that my mom got over it after a few days - so hopefully, if that is what it is, it will be similarly transient for your dad.
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DeD CHiKn · Posted: Thu Feb 27, 2014 7:59 pm Post subject:

He left for Florida today, hopefully not AMA.

Dogen · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 11274 Location: PDX

So, this story involves a kid. Read on at your own risk.

This girl came in for appendicitis recently, had an appendectomy. Then she came back with peritonitis (infection inside the abdomen; you know, where the appendix is) and her mom said she wouldn't take her antibiotics. Turns out she freaks out when you try to give her anything orally, or do a physical exam.

She'd been in hospital for two days by this point, freaking out constantly, because they had to get her infection under control and manage her pain, and all the residents had ordered were oral medications. Every day at 9am they'd have to force her to take pills, then she'd spend two or three hours crying inconsolably until she fell asleep, only to do it again around 12-2pm. She wouldn't eat, wouldn't get out of bed, and cringed whenever you would talk to her.

Me: "So... has anyone assessed her for sexual abuse?"
Dead silence.

No one had ever thought of that. Four hours later we find, yes, she was assaulted as a very young child, the mom is doing everything right for her and - here's the shocker - we switch her to IV everything so we don't have to continually traumatize her by forcing her to swallow pills. And it totally works. Anyone could have done it at any point over the last two days and saved this girl so, so much emotional pain.

Fuck sakes. No one thought of it. It took a first year grad student to point out something they should have assessed for the first day.

I don't have many occasions like this, but that girl... man, she's stuck in my head tonight.
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"Worse comes to worst, my people come first, but my tribe lives on every country on earth. I’ll do anything to protect them from hurt, the human race is what I serve." - Baba Brinkman