I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Dialysis: Spouses and Caregivers => Topic started by: Mizar on November 02, 2010, 05:51:54 PM
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My Husband, was put on Coumidin, a few Weeks Ago, because, He has a Pulmonary Embolisim. They started Him out on 1 Mg. , they they Moved Him to 3 Mg.
He took the 3 Mg. for Seven days and then had a Blood Test, PT/INR., at 8 p.m. that Night, the Doctor on Call ( His Doctor went out of Town ) said, " get to the Emergency Room, right away, You need a Shot of Vitamin K to Counteract, the Coumindin, because Your Blood is so thin, You are at a Dangerous level "
We did that. Got home at 1 in the Morning and got up at 6 for D. He got the Shot and every Day, last Week, we had to go in for Blood tests, they said, " don't start, the Coumidin again, until We tell You to" We did all that. We got a Blood Test again Yesterday, Today, the Doctors Office called and said, " The Doctor, wants Him to start taking the 3 Mg. again and check, the Blood in a Week " WHAT? I put in Two Calls to the Office and then did a Personal Visit and told them, If We start these same Meds, same Dosage, He will be in the ER again. They called Me back about Four Hours later and said, " The Doctor, now wants Him on 1 Mg. and check in a Week "
This tells Me, that, - His Doctor, never checked My Husbands Charts, if so, He would have known, that, for the last Week, He was not on any of the Coumidin, because, they never told us to start, it again. That is also why, His blood Scores, were down this Week. He also would have known, that My Husband, was in the ER, last Week, for taking the same Meds, same Dosage. ( He was out of Town, when that Happened, but don't You read, Your Patient Charts, when You return?"
I can be Caregiver, Cook, Cleaner, Driver, but I'm not a Doctor. I should not be having to correct Their Mistakes. I'm Pooped!
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:stressed; :banghead; :oops;
Unbelievable
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i'd wonder about all of them. when i had a pulmonary embolism they put me in the hospital for a week until they got my blood to the level they wanted. then did a blood draw every monday at dialysis for 2 years until this summer when they drew enough blood to drown an elephant and determined that i didn't need to take the coumidin any more.
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Wow. It's scary that we put our lives in the hands of some of these so-called professionals, regardless of our medical needs.
I assume that coumadin is warfarin? It took Blokey a very long time to get the dosage right; he was having to go to the anti-coag clinic weekly and for a while he was having to cut tablets in half in order to take what they wanted him to take! He's settled now, but it can get ridiculous when they say one thing and he knows it to be another. Unfortunately he'll (probably) be on them for life. If the 1mg was not enough, and the 3mg was too much, I'm surprised they didn't suggest taking 1.5mg (awkward I know, but a sharp knife helps, or a nurse who agrees that alternating the dosage daily will work!) or 2mg.
*sigh*
Your hubby is certainly very lucky to have you looking out for him Mizar. How many people would blindly follow their doctors advice? Shocking.
*hugs* for being pooped!
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Mizar...how scary is it to know that you are the ONLY one paying attention. I also have had this experience with hubby's medical team. The last time it happened, I asked our neph if I could be put on his payroll because I was acting as his quality assurance specialist. He laughed and then we had a discussion about the busy lives of medical professionals. I hope I scored some pretty good points with a quick run down of MY life and included the role of "backstop for the too busy medical professionals". Time will tell, but I'm not going to hold my breath on this one.
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I see my neph. about once every two weeks if I'm lucky. I never seem to get a straight answer to my questions.My potassium was in the danger level, I asked what should I do, he said we will check again next month. If I got the call for a kidney I doubt they would operate with levels this high.