Hospital time - update 10/16/09

Yesterday morning when she woke up, mom had some swelling around her right ear (always left side before). I called the doctor we have been assigned to and they were able to get her an appointment at 2 p..m.  We went there, he examined her, reviewed the report from her previous hospital stay and the last visit with him (about 2 weeks ago for a follow up to the hospital stay) and then called an ear, nose, throat specialist at the hospital to request that he look at her today to determine the proper course of action. That meeting was set for 4 pm.  We went to the church for a while where she took a short nap while I went to get the car washed. You would think that when it rains every day cars could not get dirty, but that is not the case. The whole bottom half of the car looked brown instead of gray. When I returned, we went to the Dr. appointment at the hospital. After about 1/2 hour wait, the dr saw her.  He was very thorough in his exam, cleaned her ears and was about to order a prescription for penicillin and send her home, but said he wanted to check her blood before deciding on that, so he took us upstairs (all the office help in this area of the hospital had gone home at 3:30). The nurse there took the samples and said the results should be back to the dr in about 1/2 hour (this was about 6 p.m.). So we went downstairs, got a piece of pizza from the 7-11 in the lobby and sat down to wait--and wait.  Finally about 8:30 the doctor came and got us--he had been called in to do a surgery after he left us upstairs.  He looked at the blood results and said the white count was a little low, but thought they could work with that with some medicines.  He wrote the prescriptions and came over to give them to me, looked at her face and said, "I think that swelling has gotten more than when I examined you earlier".  After some further examination, he said, "I know you want to go home, but I think the best thing for you is to put you in the hospital for a day or two so we can attack this infection more aggressively."  So he got the nurse who had taken the blood samples to come down and we went back upstairs where she was given a room (with a view) and the nurse prepared an IV for her dinner.  I came home to get the necessities for her stay and then returned to the hospital to find a doctor working to get an IV in her hand (two nurses had attempted and failed, the doctor was an anethiesiologist).  He worked for a while and finally got the IV in (she told them she had hard veins to find, I think they believe her).  I stayed around for a while, then left her to get some sleep and I came home to do the same.  An interesting fact:  our visit to her doctor cost 238Nkr (divide by 6 for $). It cost me 179Nkr to wash and vacuum the car.  We are getting well acquainted with the norwegian healthcare system, and so far (other than the waits--which i guess happens everywhere) we have been impressed. The doctors and nurses have all been very thorough and accommodating. Most speak very good english, but occasionally the doctors will look at me and say something in norwegian to get the english translation. I have normally been able to provide the correct response.  I have seldom been present in her doctor visits in the past, but am always present now.

 

I am about to have some breakfast and then go to the hospital--breakfast for her will be at 8:30, so I will arrive shortly after she has eaten.  We have mission conference this Saturday and Sunday (like stake conf but with the mission president) The mission president and wife will be staying with us on Saturday night, so mom is anxious to get out of the hospital no later than Sat morning. 

 

Love, Dad