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momwolf remains confused, but the agitation seems to have abated somewhat. She hasn't ripped her (full) colostomy bag off in at least two days.
Yesterday I had a scary moment. It turned out to be a false alarm (for momwolf), but was quite devastating for someone else's family. As I walked onto the ICU floor I heard an overhead page go out "CODE BLUE, ICU." These are words that you don't want to hear as you're going to visit a loved on on the ICU (Interestingly, however, it was the only time that I heard a code called in the whole time I was there visiting). All of sudden people in scrubs blasted out of the unmarked doors along the hallway I was in and started running toward the ICU. As they crowded into the unit, I peeked through the door and made sure that the flurry of activity was not going on anywhere near momwolf's room. It wasn't.
A nursing student saw me hovering around the door and asked who I was there for. I told her I was coming for momwolf, but recognized that they were all quite busy and I was perfectly fine staying out of their way. She told me to come on in. As I was doing so, another family saw where the action was, and knew it was their beloved Pop-Pop. I truly felt for them, as I had been dreading that particular scenario. From a kind of clinical coolness standpoint, though ... in this unit, when there's an irregular rhythm ALL of the cardiac monitors in the rooms get a pop-up window showing all the telemetry details. Now, I can't read an ekg to save my life, except to be able to say things like "Wow, that looks really irregular. That can't be good." Trust me, Pop-Pop wasn't good, but I think I did see when they shocked him and his heart struggled to regain something approaching a regular rhythm. It did, for a bit. I didn't see the final outcome, although his room was empty later. Whether he died or went to CCU or surgery or cath, I really don't know.
So, momwolf was physically doing better. She had good color and all that, but she was out there. I stayed for a couple hours, more to reassure her than anything. She knows her own name and recognizes me, but still doesn't quite grasp that she is in the hospital.
Today when I went to the ICU to visit she was sitting up in bed and feeding herself. This is major, since yesterday I was spooning applesauce into her mouth. Her nurse told me that she had eaten all of her breakfast as well. I also learned that her foley catheter was removed.
She was deemed stable enough that she "graduated." This means that she was moved to the telemetry unit since she is no longer sick enough for the ICU. The service isn't going to be as personal there as nurse to patient ratios are higher on regular units.
I hope that she doesn't try to escape. I doubt that she was get far, but that doesn't mean she won't try. I have always told her that I will only come to take her home when the doctor says she's good to go. I reinforce this by refusing to bring clothes until she is ready for discharge. If she tries to leave against medical advice, she knows has to catch the bus wearing a gown that flaps open at the back and a pair of footies.
siswolf returned to RI yesterday (Saturday), since momwolf seemed to be more stable. This is all very tough on her. Okay, on both of us, but I can deal with momwolf being in soft restraints a lot better. siswolf can't bear to see stuff like that. She did fine with the wound care stuff after the 2006 surgery, but momwolf being completely insane is outside of her experience.
While leaving the hospital today I saw one of my patients sitting across the street on a bench, talking loudly to a bush. She likes the coffee in the hospital cafeteria. It's a regular part of her route. My ambulance has actually picked her up by waiting for her there when more than a week goes by with an open warrant on her. Not sure if I should warn work that they will be seeing her any time now.
This is better than what happened a couple of days ago, also out in front of the hospital ... "Hi, remember me? I'm the one who always comes in psychotic and off my meds!" (*sorry, that doesn't narrow it down much*)
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