Dear Friends:

This is an update on what has happened with my husband since my last post…

Before I start, though, let me wish each and every one of you and your families the very best this holiday season.

Since I last posted nothing happened and no one came to call as was threatened by my husbands PCP (Primary Care Physician). However, my husband continued to go downhill very rapidly while all the time refusing any kind of care from the medical profession, his caregivers or from me.

Day before yesterday, Thursday, December 13th, I’d had enough. He had completed stopped all the personal care for himself that he’d once been able to do, he’d stopped eating anything but cookies and any sweets that he could find around the house (I’d taken to hiding everything sweet some time ago), and he’d refused to drink anything but tea. I’d been trying to get him to drink water and “Ensure”.

I noticed this Monday past that his left leg was starting to break down. I only caught a brief glimpse of it when he was changing his clothes. Thursday morning, I caught another glimpse of it and knew he was in very serious trouble.

I called the tiny little medical clinic that we have here and spoke with the community health nurse and asked him to please make a house call to have a look at my husband’s legs, the left one in particular. He agreed to come to the house by told me that if my husband refused his help he’d have to leave.

The CHN arrived and my husband agreed to talk with him. The nurse took his temperature, pulse, blood pressure, which was very low and determined that he was having heart arrhythmia. The nurse also checked the incision site behind his ear. Of course he found it a terrible mess and once again badly infected. After this the nurse checked his finger tips and asked to check his toes… just to see how his circulation was doing, don’t you know (smile) This nurse is one very sharp cookie, THANK GOODNESS!!! The nurse saw his leg while checking his feet. That did it! He washed up and asked if he could use the telephone. I heard him call for the hospital and ask for a bed. As things turned out there wasn’t one available that day but there would be one available Friday morning. After the phone call the nurse came back into the living room and explained to my husband what was “GOING TO HAPPEN”. He told my husband would be going to the hospital on Friday morning for IV antibiotics and to get some “bandaides” put on his legs so that his pants wouldn’t be wet from all the stuff that was leaking out of the sore spot. My husband thought that this would be all right. The nurse smiled at me and then called me aside and told me to, “Just get him out to the hospital tomorrow morning and walk away. The nurses and one of the doctors will talk to you after they see his leg. He’s going to be in the hospital quite awhile…” The CHN also explained to me that the infection in his (lower) leg has begun travel up to his thigh and maybe further. He also explained that he may have to be flown off island for more advanced medical care if they can’t stop the infection where it’s at now. I asked him if my husband is looking at amputation. He said that was up to the doctor to determine but that it isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. MY GOODNESS!!! My husband has (a) a massive infection in his leg that is traveling, cellulites, and NO circulation in his left foot along with pity edema. The nurse dressed his leg beautiful and then left reminding me to get him to the hospital and to do whatever it takes to get him there first thing in the morning.

Please remember as I share all of this with all of you that I’m no match for a 6 foot 2 inch retire sometimes very verbally and physically abusive faller (logger/lumberjack) I’m just short of 5 ft 6 ins and weight 140 lbs… Yes, he can be a terror at times and I’ve been terrorized. THERE! After all of these years I’ve let that out!!!

As life would have it here on the Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii, we had a very nasty storm on Thursday night that continued on into Friday morning and, of course, knocked the power out for three and half hours… What else is new here? (smile)

The bottom line of all of this is that after some reminding and arguing I was able to take my husband for a “drive” to see what the storm had done and to watch the waves on the beach (don’t you know). We made it all the way up to Masset and to the hospital. Once there I reminded him again that he had to stop by the hospital and the new “bandaides” on his legs. He was all right with that and went in quite willingly, thank goodness! Once in the hospital the nurses hooked him up to an IV and I helped them with the paper work for admission. I cautioned them that he might get very agitated once he finds out that he isn’t going home right away. One nurse asked if it would be all right to give him a sedative. I told her that this was a very good idea, by just some mild to keep him calm, and not to “zonk” him out. That was done. I went in to see him while he was getting his first dose of IV mega dose antibiotics. I explained to him that things were “pretty bad” and that the doctor wanted to keep him overnight and give him some more IV antibiotics instead of pills like had before that made him really sick. He said he’d stay overnight. He’s actually in hospital indefinitely, but all of us are taking things one day at a time and giving him just little bits of information at a time so that he can digest and understand them. It’s working well… for now… I will call the hospital in a little while and see how everything’s going… It was suggested to me by another one of the nurses that I not visit him until after the weekend. This way he won’t get agitated, need more sedation, and drive the nurses nutzzz asking to go home. Good plan! (smile)

Yes, it’s sad that my husband is in the hospital… but he’s now where he can get the help that he really needs and has refused for so very long. THIS is a very, very good thing, the positive side of everything! As for me… well, I still have to go to work… but for the very first time in about seven years I slept through the night for almost eight (8) EIGHT hours! I couldn’t believe how good I felt when I work up this morning except for one or two little things… My husband wasn’t in his big chair where he sleeps and the morning fight over his meds wasn’t there… Little things… funny little things… little holes in life’s daily goings on.

Some kind soul on this forum, I think it was “JAL”, I hope that I have that right, posted something during that past week or so that’s helping me to think more clearly and more slowly. Thank you, again, whoever posted this! Were it not for you, I think that my husband would still be here at home and in very serious trouble, more serious than he finds himself in at the moment.

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this. I hope there’s something somewhere in all of this that will help someone here.

I’m so grateful to all of you for your help and support.

For now and until, take very good care everyone.

Cheri B
Queen Charlotte Islands/Haida Gwaii

Cheri, I'm glad you were able to get him to the hospital and the medical attention he needed. While he's there make sure to take care of yourself and do some things for YOU! Visiting at the hospital and working can take a lot out of you so be careful.

cheri b. that was a sharp nurse you had! thank goodness he is getting the help he needs. i pray the medical attention helps. good luck. you did good.