Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Such a day...

Work went well, and I think I solved a problem with a customer accessing their data - if my theory is correct, the problem is less a database issue than a OS issue (i.e., if nobody has the RIGHTS to fix something, then ain't nobody going to be able to fix it).

Dad's had better days. Lots of testing, moved from ICU down to Med Telemetry (about 1/2 way between ICU and a Med floor, from what I understand) when he had a little episode tonight when he either (depending on sources) either just got too tired to bother breathing, or aspirated some food followed by high respiratory adventure. Both Nurse and Respiratory Therapist were present, at no time did the heart cease beating from what I'm told, and they quickly started CPR and intubated him before rushing him back up to ICU.

Of course, I got the call whilst in mid-sigh-of-relief with my friend who's been my rock through all this over dinner after we'd gone and gotten the luggage that'd finally returned from Memphis. I went from zero to frazzled in under 9 seconds, we bolted our meals, retrieved Mom and hustled back over to the Bigger City Hospital to reassure Dad we are still there for him and to suggest he calm down and let the breathing tube do its' job. And corner the doctor.

Mom is a former clinic director and did the admin side of medical for many years in an era when "doctor is always right, even when doctor is wrong, and it's never the medical staff's fault if things go wrong short of tablets of stone delivered from the heavens, etched with still-flaming lightning"

I'm just not built that way. Friend and I double-teamed the doc...friend took the rational, calm, understanding role...and I played to my strengths, broadcasting vast displeasure and barely leashed fury while relatively calmly asking pointed questions.

Doctor was amazingly conversational, thank goodness.

Things are more or less in a holding pattern till morning, but we'll see from there.

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