What am I, chopped liver?

[sunshineonleith]

My mom (who lives in another city) has been sicker than a dog for the last week. Worst headache of her life, 8/10 low back pain, worst on the right flank, fever, chills, extreme fatigue. Decreased UOP with burning and foul odor. States, "I'm pretty sure I've got a raging kidney infection".

I drove 2.5 hours to see her on Sunday, and once there, took one look at her and said, "You need to go to the ED for antibiotics and some fluid". She refused all night long, I finally drug her into her PCP's office on Monday AM. The PCP wanted to admit her right away, but my mom balked. She got started on antiobiotics ASAP and I had go to home. I called last night - SHE FELT WORSE, advised her again to go to the ED but she refused.

She called her PCP for advice, the PCP again advised her to go to the hospital but said, "Its up to you. You will feel worse before you feel better with this kidney infection".

When I asked my mom why she wasn't going to the hospital even though she felt worse and she says, "Well, your dad and I feel I don't need to go after talking with a real professional".

Ouch. Thanks Mom. Not only am I worried about you, but the "real professional" and I agree that you should be in the hospital. ARGH! (through gritted teeth) I DO hope you get better soon!

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

My family is the opposite---won't do ANYTHING without running it past me. My parents PCP has called me to get my blessing on meds at Dad's insistence.....

course having cardiac cath and being whisked by dear dtr to another hospital cardiac unit within 6 hrs for quadruple bypass , then being able to bowl 250 game 6 weeks post -op might have some influence.

[shellsgogreen]

my older sister was c/o cramps in her leg awhile back, and of course alarm bells went off in my head as she has a history of dvt's. i told her to go immediately to the ed and she said, "well, you're not a doctor, so i'll just wait to see mine, i have an appt this week"

nothing i said convinced her, and what do you think the doctor found on her visit?

she was admitted right away and the clot was dissolved.

guess being a little sis doesn't count for much!

[crissrn27, RN]

It's kind of weird, but I am a RN, have been one for 9 years now, and I call my mom for advice sometimes when the kids are sick. Do you think I need to take them to the doctor? Of course she always says yes, lol. She gets really ticked with me if they have a cold, or a tummy bug, and I just let it run the course.

She does call me to ask if she should give dad an extra bp pill, or make one of my sisters go to the doctor, or to come do my grannies pill packs. I'm surprised she trust me this far, as I don't even know to take my kids to the doctor when they have a cold for an antibiotic (can you imagine how many unnecessary antibiotics we had as children?)

I guess she has pretty much accepted it now, since she does call me for advice sometimes, but the first couple of years she didn't ask advice or anything. She did make me do my grannies methotrexate shot, but that was b/c she hates needles, lol.

My husband, on the other hand, usually won't even go to the doctor without me. His family (who we are not very close with) also call me for advice for everything. Not that they always listen. When my SIL was pumping breast milk for my niece, my MIL was sure the b-milk was causing the baby to have "diarrhea" I told her it was normal, but guess who decided to keep pumping (to lose weight), but dump the b-milk down the drain! Some things you do NOT need to tell NICU/Ob/Gyn nurses!

[ShayRN]

OMG! I am so glad it isn't just me! My aunt is a cardiac nurse and prior to working Hospice, I was a cardiac nurse. My mom called and asked me a question about cardiac cath's when stepdad was getting one a couple years ago. She must not have liked the answer because there was a long pause.....then.....umm, I am going to call your aunt. She got the same response from her, but I guess it is easier to believe coming from her sister.

Just last week, she called and said a friend of her's had surgery. "They opened her, found cancer everywhere and closed her back up." She wanted to know how soon the husband should be calling hospice. Ummm, today, I told her. Nooooo, she isn't that bad, the doctors said she could live another 6 months. Ummm, are you sure mom? Yeah, she has six more months....This dear lady never left the hospital, she died last Friday.