Updated! Eh, mom is in the hospital again. Question for folks:
Last edited Fri Jan 31, 2025, 07:57 PM - Edit history (1)
Updated: I called. She has been admitted (no longer in the ER). The nurse doesn’t think that she’ll be released this weekend. She said she’s stable. Appreciate all of you!
(Also, this isn’t her first “fall on the floor” rodeo. She won’t accept a bracelet that would notify us. We try to give her space and call every few days. She’s especially stubborn.)
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When do I call for an update?
Background: she hadn’t returned my call for 3 days, today we were able to get a friend of hers to go check on her. She was on her floor, probably had been for those 3 days.
She was slurring her words, but insisting that she didn’t need medical attention (also, zero chance of being drunk).
Because we live out of state, I had to call the sheriff in her county and ask them to send out paramedics. The paramedics decided she needed to be at the ER.
So she’s been there for about 4 hours. I called and talked to the nurses desk right after she arrived (I estimate arrival time and hit it just right). I wanted to pass along some specific info that I felt would help them as they sorted her out - like the fact she had a catheter but I’d bet my last dollar she took it out this week (yeah, I’m right!), she was found on the floor, it’s been a few days etc etc. There was more, mostly that would point to her not being oriented.
It’s a busy rural ER with like 4 beds. I’m pretty confident that she’s messed up enough to not get tossed out tonight. But should I call and ask how she is doing? It’s several hours away, and we aren’t going there tonight.
= new reply since forum marked as read
They do have my number 
The dr hasn’t seen her yet, but they know she has the UTI.
You 
I’m so sorry for your loss.
She has an ongoing issue that she needs surgery for but has been reluctant to deal with. It’s serious, and she doesn’t trust medical care.
All that points to frustration for us kids and not a good eventual outcome for her. No medical power. I asked her once, and she said she preferred to die than go to a hospital.
She’s in her mid-80s and very difficult. Our relationship isn’t the best, but it’s also hard to deal with her from several hours away when she clearly needs medical care.
I saw this one coming for the past two weeks, since she told me her catheter had broken and she taped it (??). She’s been getting sicker but wouldn’t connect the dots. I knew this was happening - that she likely had an infection- but she wouldn’t go to the doctor. Sigh.
