Well, maybe I did ......................

I think I have mentioned it before, but once a month my wife goes to our local hospital to have her blood checked. The sign reads ANTICOAGULATION CLINIC. I have mentioned to a number of the staff, those who cared to listen, that there was no such word. To me it meant they were against coagulation, or something to that affect.

Some of the staff agreed that there was no such word.

Well, we got a letter today, from the hospital, it is now called the Medication Therapy Clinic.

I am sure I had nothing to do with it, but I feel a sense of satisfaction that they have changed the name.

Right now, above, the word ANTICOAGULATION has a red line under it, letting me know that it is wrong. I knew it all along, now, apparently,  the hospital does, also. I hope all the signs are changed the next time we visit.

A VERY Bad Day Today - Still shaking

This has been one of the most traumatic days of my life. I woke up this morning around eight, made coffee, turned on the TV, got out my laptop, ready to start the day. Marilyn, my wife, had been up late watching TV, so I didn't wake her up. I saw some lights come on, and knew she was up. She came out, sat on the couch, grabbed her chest, and said, "My Pacemaker just went off." She sat a moment, and went out to get a cup of coffee, a few moments later, from the kitchen, a scream, one like you have never heard before, coffee dripping from everywhere.

She came in and we decided to call her Doctor. Then another scream, while she was talking to them. They said, "Call the squad," dialed 911, got an answer, seemed like a lot of questions, while talking with them another scream. While waiting for them, screams about every minute, screams when they came, and screams while being taken to the ambulance. I didn't ride with them, decided to follow after them. To be honest, I could not take any more of those horrible screams.

I must admit, I did not want to enter the emergency room, I was concerned and afraid what news they would have for me. After all, what good comes from a Pacemaker going off. I prepared myself for the worst and went in. After a short wait, they showed me to her room. Tubes, oxygen, needles, peeps, pings, all over the room, a doctor, three or four nurses, a mass of activity. I waited outside. Whatever they gave her, stopped the screams, her blood pressure had been high, but it was coming down.

Daughter, Melissa, came, Marilyn seemed to be a little more relaxed, her Cardiologist came in, finally the Defibrillator guy, who puts a thing over her pacemaker, hooks it up to his computer and takes some readings. She had screamed, and had 37 jolts to her heart.

Then he made a diagram, showing a High here, High and Low, and a Low, and this one was giving a false reading, don't  know why, and that is what caused the trouble. The WHY, we figured out. It went back to the "Dish" TV she got. She had spent a week on the phone, not in a good mood, being sent  back and forth from the Dish people to Windstream, etc., etc., etc., probably 20 or 30 hours of stress. They all agreed, that was probably what cause the "short circuit."

Anyway, they are keeping her over night for observation, she is in ICU, at our local hospital, Licking Memorial Hospital, Room 240, I think it is. She had more color and seemed quite well when I left.

Now, I have a problem. I did a lot of praying on the way to the hospital, I was concerned about the news when I got there, so along with the prayers I, well, I did some promising .... IF ..... THEN .... that sort of thing. Now I have to try to remember what all I promised.

Any good thoughts and prayers you have to send this way will be gratefully accepted.

PS - They adjusted the unit, they think all is well and they are just keeping  her overnight for observation.

Licking Memorial Hospital

Well, I finally did it, I had some blood work done this morning. I had no choice. One of my prescriptions ran out, and the Doctor won't refill until the results of the blood work come back. So, they gotcha.

Went to the local hospital to get the blood work done. They have a new revolving door, one that is almost a "Stress Test." Really takes a lot to get it to move. This is one of those hospitals that is ALWAYS doing something, remodeling, new building, something.

As you go in, there are signs and arrows everywhere, and the lab is not where it was the last time I had to do this, so I had to ask. Got directions, got lost and had to ask again. Found the waiting room.

Sat down, realized that I was doing something wrong, so they pointed to the door, and there was a touch screen where you had to put your name. Put in the name and sat down.

Looked across the room and saw an old friend, John Eshelman, so I went over and sat with him, not for long,, they called his name and he left.

My name was called, went to the three stall sign in desks. Driver license and Medicare card. Computer screens and all sorts of printers around her. One copies the drivers license and Medicare card, and one gigantic computer spits out all of the paper work. I have her one sheet of paper, she did her keyboarding and printed out four.  And, the printer printed out on both sides, not all printers do that, automatically. Two initials and a signature and I went back to sit down.

Just got seated and my name was called. I was ushered to a small room down a hallway. She pointed to a rather elaborate chair, arms that closed in front of my, like a small TV tray of yesterday. On the wall, another computer screen that she entered the same information in that the gal out front had done.

I never have understood why their computers do not communicate with each other. You used to just take a folder from room to room, and gave them the information one time. Now, each computer terminal wants and needs the same information.

Technology when I entered, instead of a ticket, a touch screen to enter your name. Elaborate computer to take down the information. One comment, I have been coming to this hospital for forty years, seen all sorts of changes, from pens to typewriters to computers. But I still have to go over all the information, each time, to a computer. I really do not understand that.

When I just had a folder, they just passed the folder around from person to person, office to office, they would ad sheets of paper, but the information stayed the same. Then computers .... every time. Progress is wonderful.

Anyway, she swabs my arm, draws the needle near, and I automatically looked away, to my right, and there on the wall by the door, surrounded by all this technology, was a WOODEN BRACKET, with a hole in it, and in that hole, a two-cell flashlight, probably cost three bucks, their EMERGENCY LIGHTING SYSTEM. I let out a laugh just as she put the needle in my arm.

But one of the really new, neat things, right outside the blood work lab, as you head to the front door, a new room, a coffee shop, selling Starbucks. Well, you have to "fast" before the blood work, so I am dying for a cup of coffee, and lo and behold, a few feet from the lab, coffee, bagels, danish, muffins. How smart is that? The same people who have a flashlight as an emergency lighting system are smart enough to put a Starbucks outside the door of the lab. $1.60 for a small coffee, but it was worth it.