Spent 18 HOURS in ER

 Thought that might get me off the hook for not posting. lol This is a "book" so grab some tea or coffee and sit to enjoy. May be boring at time - we all know how I write! lol 

Okay, let's start with Thursday. Since I had to leave around 11 am, I decided to try and get some more beading done. 

After three rows, I got working on getting everything ready to go. By that time I had to leave. Needed to drop Phillips Birthday card off. 

The day of the presentation. We had a great turn out. Six of the seven veterans came - one couldn't because his son had Covid. The presentation went really well. Lots of people. Mom was missing. Chatted with Nancy over her health and told Nancy we need to get on her case for not getting this moving faster. 

Earnie McGinnis is the one on the left, then Jose Gandarillas. Can't remember the order of the rest. Eva Salas is the woman in the bunch. So, the three I'm not sure of right now is - Gerald Jeranka (think he's third from left), Lauren Jessup (think he's on the right) and Dennis D. Mears, (think he's next to Eva). Not sure but pretty sure that's the order. 

Came home and was working on my QOV paperwork, going over all the stuff I received, showing Patrick the tops that came in, and then sitting down to get the donation ready to go in the mail. Yeah, not happening. The donation paperwork didn't get done.

 Mom called around 7:15 pm. We were watching the Jan 6th trails. I'm shocked Trump hasn't been arrested!! Anyone else and they would be sitting in jail. ANYWAY, mom called to say she wasn't feeling well and wanted to go to ER. I told her I would be right over. She tried to say no hurry but I told her I was coming and that was that. Arrived at moms, then arrived at ER around 8 pm. -  Mom was called in five minutes to go get check. Then she was called in about a half hour to go get chest X-rays. She was having breathing issues and coughing NONSTOP. There were about five people in head of her, at least that's what I thought. What I didn't know and what I found out later was that there were SEVERAL people in the ER area waiting in the isle.Then we were taken to the waiting room......waiting.......midnight came and went........waiting......waiting.....four o'clock we were moved.

So, waiting room -  more people came in, some went in and didn't come out. Other came in, sat down and waited. Then got called and went in. Mom and about five others were all waiting to be seen by the doctor. One guy came in with his head bleeding and wife walking funny. They went in and stayed in. Leaving around 3 am. They fell off their hammock at home. That was 10 pm. One gal was lead to the waiting room from the EMT and left. That was about 9 pm. At 11 pm she went to the deck asking why she hasn't been able to get in. She was from Vancouver and wasn't from this area. They asked her to not "use that language" here. She sat down, half hour later started up again. Security was called and she ranted and raved. They took her down the hall as she continued to complain. She couldn't get back home because she came in the ambulance. She wanted to go home. Her phone was not working and she just wanted to go back to Vancouver. Security told her she can just leave. She yelled, "Where? I don't know Centralia, never been here, and why the Hell did I come here?" It was the "sorry" miss but we can't help you till you have been seen. Arguing that she's been waiting 4 hours now and still hasn't been seen. Then they tell her that SEVERAL ambulances came in today (4 at one time). They take the high priorities first. Then they work down. She was on the list but others who came in the ambulance were first. Of course, there was a helicopter delivery about that time. AND then two more came later. There was a gentleman who asked to go home after 10 hours of waiting. They took his IV out and left him waiting for his wife. As he waited, he bleed. He went to the front desk and asked for some to fix the bleeding. FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER someone came out to fix the bleeding. "Dee" who had been there since 4 pm and came in the ambulance, was very loud in voice, so you could hear every word she said all the way done the hall. Mom was the same but didn't know it because of her hearing. Dee said, "I would hate to stay in this hospital if they can't fix someone bleeding like that!" That was about 3 am. I could do a whole paragraph on her condition! Anyway, one gal came in with the ambulance - betting all the hospital knows her - and was put in a corner with oxygen. Told she would have to wait. She then started to find a place to plug in her oxygen. When the check-in nurse came out to call someone she asked what was going on. She told her she wanted her oxygen and was told she couldn't use it in the hospital she had to use their. That ticked her off. So, she called a cab and had them remove her tubes. Not happy at all. Said she couldn't go without her oxygen! Aren't they all the same?! That was around 2 am. I think it was more fun just watching at times. We moved and sat in another place to get comfortable. Not happening! As 3 am arrived, I went to the desk and told them mom was 87 years old and getting tired of waiting. The gal apologized to me and said they didn't know how long it would be and that they were "short handed." Okay, then. I thanked her and sat down. About a half hour later, the nurse came out and called her name. He took her to another waiting room giving her a recliner. She was more comfortable and rested easily - still coughing. Now, realized, mom has been coughing on and off the WHOLE time. Everyone could hear her. She has the deep cough that I inherited. I left so bad for her. BUT she was able to sleep a little - 15 mins at a time. I was given a pillow. The Security guards were really nice earlier, after the confrontation, asking if anyone needed anything. Some asked for blankets, mom and I being one. They came out with heated blankets. So, we took them with us. I tried to sleep - but have you ever seen the waiting room couches? The ones that are so skinny even a skinny person can't sleep on them?! Well, there you go. I tried to lay down and sleep but only got about 15 mins in. Mom would cough or nurses would go by. We were across from the triage area. So, when someone came in and out, I heard it. The nurse told me they were changing shifts around 6 am. We would be one of the first ones in because they were going to call the ones who have been there the longest. Apparently a couple of them were longer than us. At 7:30 am I asked the triage gal if she had an idea when we would be seen. She said no, but she would look. Checking everything she saw that all the tests were done (blood was done at 4 am), and there was one more ahead of us time wise. At 8:30 am they came in and took her to a room. The nurse set her up for the nurse who would be with her. 9 am the doctor came in, said he could hear her coughing all night. He knew it was bad. She has good vitals, chest xray was good, and asked if she was tested for Covid. OH!! AT 3 AM THE HEARING AIDS DIED! So everyone had to YELL to tell her what was up. Told them to talk to me unless I didn't know and that would work. Of course mom is looking at me asking me what is going on. She had to tell the doctor the whole story, all the way from NOVEMBER!!  Mom thought she cracked a rib, so they did another X-ray for her. He ordered medications as well. 

I took my embroidery with me. Had to have something to work on. Yet in the being I didn't want to work on it. I didn't want to do much of anything but wait. The more I waited the more I didn't want to. After we were moved, I found I wanted to work on it. So, in the second waiting room I got busy. I worked on all of the dark blue areas. First I worked on the dark purple behind the pink on the top flowers. I didn't like the set I made and then changed to something else. After all the pistol stitches were done, I started the bullion parts. That was while in the ER room. I did get a lot done. Could have gotten a lot more. 

I've got a lot done and little to go. 

Once mom was back from the X-ray, the nurse came in and did the Covid test. Then she gave mom some medications. That was perfect, because she was able to sleep. I believe she got two hours of sleep in before I woke her. Funny story here. I went to the vending machine and got a coke and chips. I went back to the room and made a lot of noise opening the chips. Thinking she would wake up - NOPE. The MINUTE I bit into the chip, she woke and told me she was hungry!! I could have laughed but was nice and gave her half the bag. I had to give her my water bottle and keep filling it for her, so she had water to drink. They didn't give her any water except for at 4 am when the guy nurse took her blood and made sure we were comfortable. He was in on his day off. She then went back to sleep and slept another hour. Me, not so much. I leaned my head back and found my head reaching the sky giving me a kink in my neck. How does one do that? I had a pony tail resting my head on the wall with my chin down. I crashed and then found myself with my chin way in the air! How in the world does that happen? Is my head that small it has to have gravity pulling on it? Why can't gravity do that with my chin?! Oh, well. Doctor said she didn't have Covid, pneumonia, or the flu. She did have bronchitis and was given medication to help with that. The test she took the morning before won't be ready till Monday or Tuesday, so her Pulmonologist will be getting that.  He said we could go home. Another 4 HOURS later, they finally discharge her. We had to stop at the pharmacy but they wanted us to wait. Asked Nancy to get them for her. Took her home and told her to go to bed till Nancy gets there. Went to Nancy and gave her the information she needed to get it. Then was HUNGRY and went to Burger King for a Whopper Jr. Came home while Patrick was in Olympia with his doctor appointment. He got home and an hour later - 5 pm, I said good-night. That was the last of my two day run! I slept till 8:30 am. Today is better and will post that on regular time. 

At least it wasn't all that bad. I learned from my father - patience. I had a lot of it over the last two days. I also was glad I remembered to be Happy Stitching/Happy Quilting!