time," interupted

Epiphany

e-piph-a-ny

a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.

BEFORE

AFTER

As a daughter I was appalled at my Mother's weight loss and the apparent obliviousness of the Rehab nursing staff.

As a Nurse, frankly, I was puzzled.  I had talked to these nurses over the phone quite often.  Granted we mostly discussed medications, but I thought we were on the same page.  They did get the Rehab MD to discontinue the Florinef, (retain fluid until you drown med), as I requested.

And then the 

Eureka Moment!

The third home visit wasn't our regular Home Care Nurse.  

I quickly realized this nurse believed Doctors are Gods and can do NO wrong.

(one of our issues with the OLD cardiologist . . . after, my brother sat with Mom in the hospital to write up her CODE requests, properly signed, co-signed, and witnessed . . . my brother left to run errands . . . the nurse called him back.  The cardiologist had disposed of the LEGAL/binding just signed paper and ignoring other legal paperwork mother had drawn up with a lawyer previously, made her a full CODE.  We redid the CODE paperwork:  My Mother-competent, My Brother-power-of-attorney, Myself-sleepy medical-power-of-attorney on the speaker phone, Director-of-Nursing, and floor Nurse.)

Her take on his activities, was that he had a problem with the hospital staff.

Huh?!

She also obsessed about my Mom needing to lose and not gain water weight because of her Congestive Heart Failure (CHF).

NO NO NO

drug induced!

now off drug!!

Ahhh Hah!

The Rehab nurses must have also been obsessed with CHF and cankles.  They probably kept telling Mom she needed to lose water weight.  She heard . . . you need to lose weight.  They put her on a low salt diet and fluid restrictions, AND she QUIT eating much.  She wanted something to drink, hated the food and was trying to do what they wanted . . . lose weight.  

At some point they should have stopped being so excited about Mom losing "water" weight and realized she was below ideal body weight.  (she still had cankles . . . as do I, but by now she had NO energy to do her exercises and wasn't moving as much.)

There, that was my epiphany.

Time to move on.

sigh.