A Time to Tear Down...To Every Thing a Season chpt. 6

It had been a terrible week of therapy for Sandra. One incident in particular caused a huge problem. Sandra had called for a nurse to help her to the bathroom (her bedside portable). After trying to get a nurse for over an hour, Sandra soiled herself. When the nurse finally came, my mother in law was humiliated and degraded as the nurse fussed about having to clean Sandra. The nurse snapped, "Can't you get up and walk?!?!?"

Sandra snapped back, "If I could I wouldn't lay here in my own mess! Seven weeks ago I was up walking around just like you!"

When the nurse got Sandra up to clean the bed linens, she dropped Sandra. Needless to say, when I talked to Sandra, I was livid. Here was a dignified woman reduced to soiling herself and being totally helpless.

When I called the day of the incident, I promised Sandra that I would fix it all. I couldn't hardly see straight; I was so mad! I immediately called Kevin. He was furious! I gave him the number to the facility, but he was much too angry to call. I obliged him and called myself. Within an hour, I had the President of the facility on the phone. I expressed to him in no uncertain terms that my mother-in-law had been treated with less dignity than a dog at the pound. I complained about the fact that Sandra had not been given any water/beverage or food at all that day, even after a therapy session. I reminded him that if she were a dog, someone would be going to jail for cruelty to animals. I also told him that the nurse that had mistreated Sandra better not ever attend to her again. As professionally as I knew how, I told him an earful! I tried not to lose my cool or my testimony, but I made sure he knew that we were more than displeased.

Within an hour of our conversation, the President of the facility was in Sandra's room offering a personal apology. He also conveyed to Sandra and Jackie that the nurse had been permanently relieved of her duties. The rest of Sandra's stay was much better, certainly much more professional.

During Sandra's stint at the rehabilitation center, the pathology report from her surgery had come back as negative. That was a relief to all of us. However, shortly after the incident with the nurse, Sandra started having the pain in her arm again. The doctors decided that another X-ray was needed. It turned out that Sandra had another cracked vertebrae in the cervical area. It answered the question of the reoccurring pain in her left arm, but it also left more questions for the doctors. Two vertebra, it was no coincidence. There had to be a reason for her to have two cracked vertebra. They immediately ordered a mammogram and a CT scan.

Meanwhile, they planned to send Sandra home and arranged for a physical therapist to come to her house. The new cracked vertebrae would have to be operated on before she would be released. It all was decided so fast that Kevin and I weren't able to plan to be there. One day she's stable, the next day she's having another back surgery. Fortunately, the second one was much less invasive. The only thing left for us to do was wait for the results. Sandra and Jackie put on such brave faces it was hard for us to know what to expect. And then, we had an unexpected phone call that gave us much needed direction.