Category: health

CTE and sports: a continuing decision (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy)

by worrylessjourney, posted in children, decisions, health

I have just watched a most interesting film called “Concussion” Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu the doctor who discovered the injury incurred by hitting heads in football. Ever since this began to be talked about I have been scorned by many football lovers who don’t want to believe there is a serious problem.

Having managed head injury cases in my time as a nurse I know how devastating they can be and understand why many who end up with this problem called CTE end up committing suicide.

I have frequently told football enthusiasts that we should go back to wearing the original helmets football used. When playing with these the players were not told to bang heads like the sport does now.

At least now those who choose to play football know the risks. I still do not approve of small children being taught to charge hitting heads together. They are not able to make a decision for themselves. The parents should but many won’t hoping to see their child go to college on a sports scholarship. Many they should switch to soccer. While there is some evidence that injury can occur it seems to be less of an issue.

Will Smith and Dr. Omalu

Feeling Cautious

by worrylessjourney, posted in cautious, health, mental health, safety

Some days I am just waiting for the nightmare to end. I think there are times when I would love to not worry about having to go out for necessities. I do not go out for anything unless it is important but it would really be nice to feel that I could go out without worrying before I go and after I come home.

This period of time reminds me of the time my husband was in Viet Nam. I could never let my guard down…never totally relax. I thought at the time about men/women who were killed the day before they were to rotate home.

I feel that way about the covid vaccine. Will we manage to get the vaccine before we get the disease? It makes me super cautious. I don’t want either of us to be part of the horrible statistics hitting us now.

Nevertheless we due have to keep on living and I am varying my routine and trying to enhance my husbands so that we don’t become vegetables before the vaccine. I pray that everyone who wants to receive the shots will be able to get them soon. This is really hard. I feel as if I am living in a science fiction novel like 1984, Soylent Green or Animal Farm. There are many more recent books that have played out this scenario but I grew up with those.

Keep safe and keep going!

Medical practise has gone horribly wrong

by worrylessjourney, posted in confusion, health, medical

Has anyone noticed lately how difficult it is to get a diagnosis. My husband went through months of illness before someone was able to find what was acutally wrong. I have run into so many people who are having the same problem.

Is it because we no longer have any doctor who really knows us? It does seem that could be part of the problem. No one seems to really listen. My husband complained about his knee for months but no one ever checked it until it was found more or less by accident.

I really think we need to seek out a primary physician that we can keep long enough to understand our life and our family. Very hard to find any more in this era of switching insurance, both us and our changing health environment.

When we were at the Mayo Clinic the first physician was an “attending” (head and teacher) in the ER. He mentioned that one of the hardest things to teach new docs was to see the whole person not just the piece that brought them in. He certainly was a special doctor and so right.

I have written a lot about the medical system mostly because it has gone so horribly wrong.

Help needed for everyone

by worrylessjourney, posted in aggravations, health, problems
Not just the uninsured…everyone has problems. The doctors seldom talk or agree.

Anyone who has a major or chronic healthcare problem and has to manage their day to day care must be stressed out. I have been managing my husbands care and I am a nurse and have been a case manager (one who handles these kinds of problems) and it is about to drive me into insanity.

This week the IV medication that he receives every 12 hours didn’t arrive and I spent hours on the phone trying to get that fixed. The provider messed up and we didn’t get meds until 1pm today totally ruining his schedule and having him miss a dose of needed medicine.

Then I spent the rest of the day organizing the medicine and care he is to receive following the stopping of the IV meds and had doctors bouncing it between them each saying it is not their job. The medical system has totally fallen apart. Too many doctors with specialties and each one not considering the whole person.

I am grateful that I will be getting him in to see my own primary physician who is wonderful. I am hoping that this will create some harmony in his care and take some of the burden off me. I really don’t know how those with no experience in health care can manage the care of their loved one. I am not surprised to see that some nurses are opening their own business as patient advocates. It is really needed. Heaven help those who don’t have someone to help.

The help for illness muddle

by worrylessjourney, posted in coping, health, speak

It is always said that nurses and doctors are the worst patients. They are also the worst when tending for a family member. My husband is receiving IV infusion at home and it has been challenging. The supplier of the drug is a different entity than the nurses who visit and oversee. Not every city has a drug supplier and therefore some of the drugs come from the nearest place…in my case 2 1/2 hrs away. This has presented some problems for me and the supplier.

Naturally the insurance companies get in the middle of the whole thing and create problems for everyone. They will not send one extra dose of medicine nor will they send it one day earlier so they don’t have to pay for medicine that might not get used. So at this point I sit here at 5 pm with one dose of medicine left for tonight and more on the way?? There are also components that this kind of care requires and some of those are not here also.

Because of us being in a position where the insurance companies write the rules proper care is put on the sidelines. I ran into this my whole career as a nurse and somehow there has to be a better system. I have not been quiet about this as have many others but I’m sure our voices fall into the void. I have even made suggestions for how the current system could work better ….also fallen into the void.

Ask the workers

I feel that you shouldn’t complain about a problem without offering suggestions for improvement. Some of them quite simple but as with any other entity (corporations, government etc.) no one ask the workers how to fix things. I wonder how much money could be saved if that happened.

Another Challenge

by worrylessjourney, posted in anxiety, coping, health, hope, stress

This is going to be a simple post.Since last Thursday I have been with my husband at the mayo clinic.He has been quite ill With an infection In his knee replacement. He also had some mild congestive heart failure.That has now resolved And the only issue is the infection in his leg.This is a serious infection and will Require Long-term Antibiotic therapy.We should be able to go home And have his therapy completed at home.I ask For prayers for his healing And that the infection is able to be cleared.I have missed my word press family During these few days and hope that I can keep up better.

Patient Advocate

by worrylessjourney, posted in answers, healing, health, help, Patient Advocate

This week has been a steady stream of doctor visits and tests. I’m afraid it will be that way until we can get answers for the leg pain that makes my husband’s life unbearable. We are making small steps forward. Xrays are on the way to the Mayo Clinic. I am afraid that it is unlikely that we will hear there is a physical problem with the implanted knee replacement. If we find that is the problem it will be related to an allergic reaction and that will take longer to prove.

If it is not that we will continue on the search for answers to make his life bearable.

This is so needed in medicine today!

When I left my job as a Parish Nurse I thought about becoming a “patient advocate” as a free service for those who need help. Now I am using those skills for my own husband. We will prevail!

Blame it on the pandemic

by worrylessjourney, posted in aggravations, feelings, frustration, health, persistence

Why is it that sometimes it seems as if the universe is against you? Nothing earth shaking but little things that require multiple details and it all goes crazy.

This is how I feel

I have been trying to get my husband in to an orthopedist to find out why his knee is hurting. He had surgery at the Mayo Clinic over a year ago and we don’t know why there is pain now. I’ve called the orthos that we see here for other issues and they can’t see him without the records from Mayo. He had two procedures there and Mayo sent the records from his last visit instead of the surgery notes. Now we have to start over. The whole process had to be done again so that I can get him seen.

Why does something so simple have to go awry? Is it karma? This is just one of the things that has been so frustrating recently. I am keeping my sense of humor but it is getting harder. Hopefully some things will start to work out and life will at least be a little easier. I can blame it all on the pandemic!

A new world

by worrylessjourney, posted in acceptance, change, choices, health, learn

In our area the Episcopal Diocese has said that we will not go back to church until there has been two weeks with no new cases. I am hoping that they will rethink that as I don’t think we will see a week without at least one case until there is a vaccine.

At some point we will have to resume some regular activities even if for those of us “at risk” must remain more isolated and more careful than the rest of the population. The mental health aspect is going to require us to do some things or we risk some serious complications.

I know that I am reaching my limit of just being at home and that I will have to go out into the world carefully but I will have to go out. The state has opened many things and there are people out there resuming their normal schedules. Most of them are not wearing masks but they seem to be social distancing. I can see us doing that for quite some time.

learning a new world

It’s a new world and one we will learn to navigate one day at a time.

New procedure

by worrylessjourney, posted in acceptance, aging, health, Live!, persistance, perspective, strength

Tomorrow will be very busy. My husband will have a “Watchman” implant (a brand new device) to prevent blood clots. A short while after he will be able to come off of blood thinners for the first time in years. That will be great as he bruises easily and is always needing major band aids for small everyday scrapes and cuts.

  • The watchman device

They will allow me to be with him and can see him following the procedure. He will spend the night and be home on Friday. Medicine just keeps advancing. Hopefully this will be a plus for him.

This getting old is aggravating but it’s better than not being here. I am thankful that we have managed this long and hope we keep moving for a while yet. We plan to.