As the week progressed, Jim’s hemoglobin count decreased causing the doctor great concern. He called us to tell Jim he needed to get to the emergency room for a transfusion, “right away”! But we didn’t get the message because Jim had his phone volume turned down. Thursday morning he got up and could hardly do anything. I said “you need to call the doctor and tell him how bad you feel.” So then we got the message…get moving. I didn’t even comb my hair. I rushed Jim out the door and headed for the local rinky dink emergency room. (Later I told him I wished I’d called 911 because we would have gotten better attention!)
We arrived there at 10:30 AM. We got home at 11.00 PM. The whole day was like moving through molasses! They did do the triage quickly and got Jim into an ER cubicle. But that is where the fast pace stopped. 3.5 hours after we arrived they had blood matched and started the IV. Two hours later the first blood unit bag ran out. The “nurse” said he had to send a tech downstairs to get the other bag. Thirty minutes later I learned that the nurse had gone to dinner. I found his fill in and she said she had to send a tech to get the bag!!!! I could not believe the ineptness.
The “nurse” was new to the facility that day. He claimed he’d worked as a traveling nurse in 28 different hospitals across the country, been married for 30 years, had 3 bachelor degrees, 2 masters and was working on his second doctorate! Yeah right! Jim whispered to me that he was a real first class BSer!!
An hour later the second unit of blood was started. By this time Jim has severe “owie butt” from sitting up on the ER bed. I corralled a nurse and requested a chair so he could sit up straight and read. Two hours later the IV bag was getting low so I found the “nurse” and inquired if the bag of platelets was ready to go. “Oh, sure. No problem.” Right!!! This time, with my coaching, the platelets were started pretty quickly.
10:15 PM I told the “nurse” that the last bag was nearly empty and I hoped he could get Jim finished up before “shift change” so we wouldn’t have to sit through that and go through another round of nurses. Oh Sure, No Problem. That bum never came back to us! He walked by 3 times helping others and sent a paramedic intern to close up the portacath and release Jim. Oh I was fuming!
It was chilly in the ER as in most medical facilities and I’d tried to keep Jim surrounded in blankets but he got chilled. As he got dressed he started shivering really bad. I thought “crap” ….we just cannot stay here any more. Get dressed and get outside and get home!!….and hope this is just chills and not a reaction to the transfusion. We got home and had hot tea and a leftover meal. Jim felt much better in about half an hour.
I know we were not at the top of the triage heap. At least one other person they brought in was in much more serious condition than Jim. BUT…there was a lot of lollygagging and joking in the hallways around us. And we got to hear all the terrible noises and conversations in the surrounding cubicles. Yikes!
But it is over, Jim feels much, much better and life goes on…
