Two days in a row we encountered other people that have had a brush with halos. Thursday, while shopping at Kroger, a woman kept staring at Jan on the way in.
She finally approached her and said, "I'm sorry to stare and I don't mean to bother you but my mother-in-law is in a halo and I wanted to ask if you found a good way to dress?"
We told her about the v-neck shirts and the slit down the back. She was grateful and we all lamented the lack of a support group for halo users and caregivers. No person could possibly wear a halo without a support person.
On Friday, we were in Kohl's with a mission to find something Jan could wear to Tessa's WKU Presidential Luncheon. A man we've traded vehicles with since 1997 was in the store. We spoke to him and he said he knew what she was going through. Sure enough, 12 years later, I finally noticed his pin scars.
At least we are seeing that others do survive this, despite the medical profession's best efforts to make it nearly impossible to remain sane and healthy.
We finally, after two days of trying, got an appointment back at Bilkmore for Jan 29th. We still have to do x-rays at Bilkmore but they assure us that it will not take long. The appointment is at noon and they say we only need to be there 30 minutes early to get the x-rays. If this goes poorly and turns into another seven-hour day I'm going to demand they allow us to get the images in Bowling Green because seven hours out of the house in a halo is sheer torture!
Despite the myth of the halo's immobilization, it does not prevent movement of the cervical (neck) vertebrae. Jan's neck pops all the time. Getting into the car on Friday caused something to cause her great pain. She says it feels like her neck shifted and is pinched. I'd call the nurse but it will take them the weekend plus two days to just tell her to take more pain medications. The vest is also causing pain in her lower back around the lower lumbar area.
The pins are looking better after Jan called back and we finally got them to look at the picture I uploaded. They said it was normal. I would know how? It wasn't like they gave us any instruction or guidance. Oddly enough, the rear pins that I was afraid would become infected because of the unshaven patches and the ground in hair look like the day they were put in.
The front pins looked the same from day one to day 22, one day after tightening, when they broke through the skin and opened up a slit in her forehead. They've both broken through now and when they finally called us back, wait for it, two days later, they said use a triple antibiotic like Neosporin. After cleaning them three times a day, alternating between hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin, they look as good as can be expected of a recent, to-the-bone gash. The scalp cuts she had were not this deep, just longer.
I swear these people have done her, and to a lesser degree me, a great disservice. They have done absolutely the bare minimum, maybe less, to get her through this and not a thing more. When it takes six days to get a nurse to call you back, that's beyond ludicrous. Maybe I should be grateful that we normally have a 48-hour turnaround on calls? Are my expectations too high?
I'm going to have tattooed on my chest the following:
She finally approached her and said, "I'm sorry to stare and I don't mean to bother you but my mother-in-law is in a halo and I wanted to ask if you found a good way to dress?"
We told her about the v-neck shirts and the slit down the back. She was grateful and we all lamented the lack of a support group for halo users and caregivers. No person could possibly wear a halo without a support person.
On Friday, we were in Kohl's with a mission to find something Jan could wear to Tessa's WKU Presidential Luncheon. A man we've traded vehicles with since 1997 was in the store. We spoke to him and he said he knew what she was going through. Sure enough, 12 years later, I finally noticed his pin scars.
At least we are seeing that others do survive this, despite the medical profession's best efforts to make it nearly impossible to remain sane and healthy.
We finally, after two days of trying, got an appointment back at Bilkmore for Jan 29th. We still have to do x-rays at Bilkmore but they assure us that it will not take long. The appointment is at noon and they say we only need to be there 30 minutes early to get the x-rays. If this goes poorly and turns into another seven-hour day I'm going to demand they allow us to get the images in Bowling Green because seven hours out of the house in a halo is sheer torture!
Despite the myth of the halo's immobilization, it does not prevent movement of the cervical (neck) vertebrae. Jan's neck pops all the time. Getting into the car on Friday caused something to cause her great pain. She says it feels like her neck shifted and is pinched. I'd call the nurse but it will take them the weekend plus two days to just tell her to take more pain medications. The vest is also causing pain in her lower back around the lower lumbar area.
The pins are looking better after Jan called back and we finally got them to look at the picture I uploaded. They said it was normal. I would know how? It wasn't like they gave us any instruction or guidance. Oddly enough, the rear pins that I was afraid would become infected because of the unshaven patches and the ground in hair look like the day they were put in.
The front pins looked the same from day one to day 22, one day after tightening, when they broke through the skin and opened up a slit in her forehead. They've both broken through now and when they finally called us back, wait for it, two days later, they said use a triple antibiotic like Neosporin. After cleaning them three times a day, alternating between hydrogen peroxide and Neosporin, they look as good as can be expected of a recent, to-the-bone gash. The scalp cuts she had were not this deep, just longer.
I swear these people have done her, and to a lesser degree me, a great disservice. They have done absolutely the bare minimum, maybe less, to get her through this and not a thing more. When it takes six days to get a nurse to call you back, that's beyond ludicrous. Maybe I should be grateful that we normally have a 48-hour turnaround on calls? Are my expectations too high?
I'm going to have tattooed on my chest the following:
If I'm not dying, I want a second opinion!
DO NOT TAKE ME TO BILKMORE No residents allowed to touch me!
That was not a joke! Maybe I'll have a custom medic alert bracelet made instead. I hate needles. Perhaps we will soon have an implantable RFID chip available that is tied to our medical records, a living will and specific orders. Should I start such a service and retire on the proceeds?
DO NOT TAKE ME TO BILKMORE No residents allowed to touch me!
That was not a joke! Maybe I'll have a custom medic alert bracelet made instead. I hate needles. Perhaps we will soon have an implantable RFID chip available that is tied to our medical records, a living will and specific orders. Should I start such a service and retire on the proceeds?
I don't mean to discount your ingenuity, but I don't think a tattoo will be your most effective approach. If you really want to make sure it's the first thing someone sees, just print up a card with the information and put it in your wallet - but not with your insurance card. Put it in with your money or wrap it around a credit card.
ReplyDeleteAs I always tell my wife, "If you want understand how someone thinks, just follow the money." I think that's especially true of the United States health care system.
Duly noted.
ReplyDelete