My resident view of nursing home life of over 21 years. Kathleen Mears won the 2016 American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) Journalism Award winner for her blog at iadvanceseniorcare.com which began in 2008.
Wednesday, December 6, 2017
A milestone passed
A milestone passed recently and most never knew. I was disabled fifty years on December 2, 2017.
On that morning I wasn't feeling well and had been on tranquilizers for a couple of weeks. I had an appointment with the family doctor to try to get off of them. The tranquilizers caused a dizzy spell at work and I almost fell.
That morning, I was washing up before my appointment. When I finished, I picked up the dirty clothes from the floor and put them in the hamper. When I stood back up, I got dizzy and fell. My right shoulder hit the bathtub, but I was okay. I stood back up. But, I got dizzy and fell again backwards. My head hit something before I hit the floor.
I lost consciousness and had an out of body experience. A white light was in front of me and someone asked if I wanted to come with them. But, I kept looking at the floor where I was lying. The voice said to either come, or go back. When I didn't answer, the voice asked again whether I wanted to come, or go back. I finally said, "Go back", and instantly I was back on the floor and again conscious.
I couldn't feel anything or move any part of my body. My speech was slurred and it sounded like my mouth was stuffed with cotton. It sounded like I'd had a stroke.
My father and sister assisted me to my feet and lifted, and dragged me to my bed. I still couldn't move or feel anything. I was taken by ambulance to the local ER and then to a hospital in the nearest larger city.
In the ER x-rays were taken, and my head was sutured. Then, I was put in ICU for seventy-two hours. I laid there wondering what happened, and how bad I might be hurt. ICU was lonely and I could only see my parents fifteen minutes every four hours.
I spent ten more days in the hospital, a week of which was spent in bed. Because of the head injury, I was not allowed to get up. Tests were done and I rested in bed..
When they finally got me up, I could step and walk with my left leg. I did my best to pull my right leg along as I went. I made trips up and down the hall whenever my parents helped me.
My father scheduled a day to come to the hospital and talk to the neurosurgeon. Though my dad waited all day, and neurosurgeon never showed. The neurosurgeon, felt I had brain swelling that was causing my paralysis and speech problems. He thought the swelling went down, I would improve. Though I wanted to believe that, I couldn't.
I went home to a house with stairs, and no wheelchair. I had no therapy and neither my parents or I knew how we would handle the new me.
I started walking holding onto furniture. Six weeks later the neurosurgeon admitted he was wrong about my diagnosis. He decided I'd suffered a spinal cord injury and sent me to an orthopedic surgeon. I went through a right leg brace, a right hand splint, physical therapy, occupational therapy, walking, and twice a day physical therapy done by my parents.
Somehow I made it up the stairs and down for the next five years. Then, we moved to a one floor house. I walked better, but never well, and never fast.
For fifteen years I walked unsteadily and slowly.. I stopped because trying to walk caused me to fall,, hit my head, and have too many concussions. I decided I wanted to keep the mental faculties I still had.
I used a wheelchair and stood to do things in between. Walking was minimal and pretty much confined to home, or walking with a family member, friend, or caregiver.
I've spent the last twenty-one years plus in three different nursing homes. A month ago this third nursing home told me I could no longer stand to transfer with assistance. Since then, a Hoyer is used to transfer me.
Even though the fifty years were challenging, I've learned a lot about myself and the people around me.
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