It appears we spend so much time worrying about this opioid crisis that we have forgotten about those who need them.
Let’s review my mother’s battle. Eighty-two years old — a stroke in October 2017, two heart surgeries in November 2017 and four hospitalizations in past two months, (every two weeks actually).
Here’s the catch, since April 1 she has had excruciating knee pain, one then the other, then both. First diagnosed with gout, Nope! Secondly, pseudo-gout, Nope! Thirdly, polymyalgia rheumatica, Nope! X-rays revealed “nothing wrong.” Her MD ordered 20 Oxycodone at the beginning of April. She cut them in half to “make them last” because none of the doctors would order her any more, to avoid addiction, respiratory depression, (she already couldn’t breathe because of heart failure), and falls.
End of May, I called the Baystate Franklin Medical Center and spoke with my mother’s case manager. I asked to have her knees evaluated by an orthopedic MD before discharge as she couldn’t get an appointment until June 8, by an out-of-town orthopedic MD, (first available appointment in the valley). Her response, they won’t order that because it’s not related to the admitting diagnosis of heart failure.
She waited in agony for six weeks to see the orthopedic MD. He took X-rays of her knee caps and found they were out of place, rubbing on the artificial knee hardware. Well, now we know why she was in agony.
So I asked, “What do we do to eliminate the pain so she can walk?”
The two options were, 1. Replacement revisions, (keep in mind she’s in heart failure and would not survive surgery), or 2. Suffer.
So for the past months, my mom has suffered, unable to walk one step without severe pan, (she has a very high pain tolerance too).
Friday morning, June 22, she woke in severe pain, (almost out of the “half-tabs” she has stretched since beginning of April), my sister Marie got her heat packs for her knees while still in bed. She said, “I will rest a little while longer until my knees quiet down, then I will get UP.”
Well around 11:30 a.m. my sister Marie found her – not breathing.
Yes she was UP. UP in heaven.
Sad. I’ve been a registered nurse for 40 years. I’ve seen almost every kind of victim, but I don’t get to see “my victim” again.
She went to Heaven, found her own pain relief.
Pain free at last Mom!!
Jolene Glachach, RN CDP
Leyden