When I was first dx with TM, the first hospital was a pit.  The people were
nice enough, but the food I won't feed to a dog.  After a week, I was
transferred to their larger hospital that had a rehab floor, mostly for
people who had knee and hip replacement.  My nurses and P.T. people couldn't
have been nicer or more capable.  Even the people who came in to clean were
all so caring.  I was there for over 4 weeks, and my room was the place they
all spent their breaks.  I was so glad to go home, but in one way I hated
leaving all the wonderful care givers I had.  I wish all could have that
kind of care, especially when you consider what we pay for it.

 

Patti - Wisconsin

 

From: James Berg [mailto:molokai...@gmail.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 2:28 PM
To: Akua
Cc: tmic-list@eskimo.com
Subject: Re: [TMIC] REHAB

 

Are all rehabs the same?  I was charged $1600/day and treated like cattle.

On Mon, Jan 3, 2011 at 2:49 PM, Akua <a...@artfarm.com> wrote:

The closest I came to hell on earth was in rehab. I was allowed to fall
twice. I was given the wrong meds daily for nearly two months, I was
insulted and demeaned.  I remember the nurse entering my room and finding me
crying  -- I was in awful electric pain --- and she  told me I shouldn't be
crying. She often brought he son to work. I wrote her  about her gross
insensitivity and she apologized.

 

I worked hard to learn how to use the sliding board to get in and out of
bed-- it was so so hard, and frightening, because an idiot had let me fall,
but this mainly

because if you couldn't get up, you wouldn't be attended to.  Now that I'm
home,

I understand one of the basic challenges the idiot didn't address-- the
wheelchair slides on a polished, linoleum floor. I have a bathmat with grips
by my bed now, so my wheelchair, doesn't slide..... this is just one of a
zillion things they could have taught or worked on or shared or  presented
to  or for me and didn't. And this was rehab, to ready me for  life on my
own as a paraplegic: worthless.

 

One of the friends I made there was immobile without assistance, although
unlike me, she was not paralyzed. She was left on her bedpan

for an hour. I had passed aides chatting at the station, ignoring her
buzzer, as i wheeled down the hall to see her.....

 

I wrote the board and management and met with management. I met with the
dietitian twice, who quit about a month after i left. She told me that she
was unable to get me the food that with restore my health ( fresh fruit and
vegtables,  fish, whole grain breads, baked potatoes).

 

I kept in touch with several friends I made there who were still there when
I left, because we all knew the importance of having people call.

 

Only the cleaning staff helped. They advocated and interceded. I'll never
forget one man who  came and prayed for and over me.

 

An investigation began when I and several other patients lost over 50
pounds. The few visits I had, folks brought food. Staff ate or discarded my
(good) food.

 

So, while I don't know about  the hip pain, I can relate to the soul pain of
being in a nursing home.

 

It was like being in prison. There was a courtyard allegedly for  getting
air--- the door was always locked. I was awakened, whenever they felt like
it, seldom consistently. Hellish to be awakened at 5 a.m. to have blood
drawn by  unskilled phlebotomists. Privacy was seldom observed

I remember always asking for doors or curtains to be closed.

 

If Cindy needs calls, I'm more than willing. all other things being equal,
being in a nursing home is awful.

 

Akua

-- 

 

http://www.healrecover.blogspot.com <http://www.healrecover.blogspot.com/> 

http://www.akualezli.blogspot.com <http://www.akualezli.blogspot.com/> 

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and
love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time
they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall - think of it,
always."

Mohandas Gandhi

 

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