We Moved!

I have moved in very suddenly with my parents.  That's kind of weird, because I'm 44 years old and have a 16-year-old and 12-year-old.  The first night, I went by myself and left the kids home with my husband.  The kids packed their bags the next day and came over to the farm, too (there's something about Dad taking care of them - it's just not the same!).

Mom had to go to the hospital by ambulance yesterday, Saturday morning, because she couldn't walk and was in tremendous pain in her hip and back.  They didn't help (x-rays didn't show a fracture so GO HOME! they told her) but sent her home with enough pain meds to last until 3:00 a.m. Monday morning.  Seriously.  Only until 3:00 a.m. and she was told to follow up with her primary care physician.  Am I thinking I'm the only one who gets this right now? How can she follow up with her doc when they aren't even IN until at least 8:00 a.m. Monday morning?  3:00 a.m. versus 8:00 a.m.?  I called the E.R. and asked for more pain meds for her.  They said the only way she can get them is by coming back to the E.R.  I explained the only way she can get there is by ambulance and they said, "Well, if that's the only way then you have to do it."  Seriously?

Pain Meds are the norm now!

I called in a favor with a couple friends:  a chiropractor and a PCP who's in the same office as my Mom's PCP.  He prescribed more pain meds and shared the info with her PCP.  Dr. Marc, the chiropractor, came over to her house and put his adjustment bed right next to her bed and helped her out of bed to flop right on his table.  She did get an adjustment and that made an amazing difference for 3 - 4 hours (she was actually walking again!) but the results didn't last.  That's to be expected.

In any event, the lesson of this story?  If you have to go to the E.R. and they give you pain meds, make DARN sure they prescribe enough to get you through until after you get in to see your primary care physician.  You'll be glad you did.