Monday, October 11, 2010

Patient Advocacy, Part II

I desperately wanted to be  part of what was going on with and around Jeff, but I was stubborn. I'd  learn my lessons the hard way and spent more than a few nights awake, alone and frustrated.  Procrastination is not in my vocabulary, and my clients and family  will attest to that. I want results and I want them fast, and I do  whatever it takes to get them. I'm not very good at relying on others to  give me the information I need. The question of what was causing the stomach pain was answered quickly:  The reason behind it was much slower to come. After CT Scans, Ultra  Sounds, an MRI and finally an Endoscopy, the culprit was revealed three  full days later: The Gall Bladder. It was uneventfully removed a few days later.

You can imagine my surprise, when, just five short weeks late, we made our second second visit to Westerly Hospital - this time in the morning.  While I felt  like a pro, the two visits were like night and day, literally and  figuratively. The nurse in the ER was on top of things and I knew what  was going on every step of the way. I was allowed to stay with Jeff  during the tests because this time, I asked. I knew where to find warm blankets when Jeff got cold, I knew where I could (and couldn't) get the best cell phone signal, and I called on family to help out with  Maia so I could concentrate on taking care of Jeff.

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