I'll preface to say I'm not looking for advice, just venting.
Dad calls tonight, and says "I've just got a question for you."
Uh oh. That never bodes well... (keep in mind I'm 350 miles away)
He tells me he has been miserable with a sinus infection, etc., and goes to his doc who gives him amoxicillin even though Dad tells him he is allergic to penicillin because "that was 30 years ago".
:stone
Dad says, "I've got this rash all over me."
He lives alone in the middle of nowhere, there's no way I'm going to tell him to pop a benadryl and forget about it... So I say "Go to the ER."
He argues. ER is busy. It's probably nothing. Yada yada. And by the way, what could they do anyway?
:stone
I tell him it might not be anything serious, or it could progress. He should go to the ER and have them evaluate the reaction and treat it. He asks what they treat it with. I said probably some benadryl and maybe some steroids. Well that gets him off on another tangent--- "I don't like the idea of having to take steroids. I don't want to catch diabetes."
"Dad, I don't think you're going to develop diabetes with a single dose of steroids to treat an allergic reaction."
"Oooookaaaay. If you say so...."
:stone
Then he says "oh by the way".
Uh oh again...
"I was awakened last week with my heart skipping around and couldn't get back to sleep. So I went to the doc and he gave me...uh, hang on...what's the name... digoxin."
WHAT?!
"He said my heart was going 150 beats a minute and that was too fast."
WHAT?!
"But the medicine fixed it. I guess I'm alright now. This morning my pulse was 50."
WHAT?!
"Dad, did you get a consult to see a cardiologist?"
"Do you think I need to see one?"
:stone
"Anyway, that is why he had to give me the amoxicillin even if I'm allergic because there is nothing else I can take while I'm on digoxin."
"Ooo... I seem to be getting redder. Oooo... there's blotches all over my neck! And a big strawberry looking thing under my arm. Wonder what that means?"
:stone
"Dad, go to the ER. Now."
"*sigh* Ok. But I bet it's nothing."
Now I know what will happen. The ER doc will tell him it's not a big deal, give him a benadryl that he "could have taken at home" and then Dad will call me back angry because I "forced" him to go to the hospital "in the middle of the night."
Oh, I feel your pain!! My Dad called me a few months ago..conversation went like this:
Dad- "I think we might have a little problem. Elsie(my stepmom..name changed,hx of afib) woke up from a nap and can't talk. Do you think this will go away?"
Me- "Dad, call 911 NOW!"
Dad-" Do you really think I have to...how about I call our doctor?"
Me- "No Dad, call 911 right now. It sounds like she's having a stroke"
Dad- " No, I don't think so. She can move everything".
Me-"CALL 911 NOW Dad".
Dad-" Well, I think you're overreacting, but I'll call".
When he told me what the doc said about his allergy being '30 years ago', I went off. I told him that if he was allergic, he was allergic, and if anything, the reaction gets worse with repeated exposures.
So when he calls back tonight, he is telling me how great this ER doc is, and how he really knows his stuff. He says he told the ER doc what his doctor said about it being ok to take the med since so much time had passed, and the ER doc said "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Once you're allergic, you're allergic and you should never take this medication again. The next reaction could be worse."
the ER doc said "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Once you're allergic, you're allergic and you should never take this medication again. The next reaction could be worse."
Gee.
Where have I heard that before?
Remember my mother's words: "You just nurse...he's doctah!"
*sigh*
I think as far as our parents are concerned, no matter how much they brag about "My son/daughter is a nurse!", they will never see us as anything more than children, therefore how could we possibly know as much as the doctor or nurse they just saw in the office/hospital?
some college buddy from 60 years ago that lives in the sticks can make a medical pronouncement and Dad will follow his advice blindly. But let me try and say something and the arguments begin. What do I know, I'm only a kid! (48 year old kid)
Mom calls. Your Dad's blood pressure is 220 over 120. He's dizzy, and sweating and nauseous. What should I do? Ummm, take him to the ER? No, I don't want to do that, maybe I'll call the advice nurse. Okay, tell me again, why did you call me?
I think as far as our parents are concerned, no matter how much they brag about "My son/daughter is a nurse!", they will never see us as anything more than children, therefore how could we possibly know as much as the doctor or nurse they just saw in the office/hospital?
Specializes in home health, peds, case management.
tazzi makes a good point, once daddy's little girl, always daddy's little girl...
so glad to hear that i am not alone in my struggles with my father....another thing that i get after a lengthy discussion of some medical condition, or how one of his particular medications works is "(clearly said in an astonished tone of voice) how did you know that?)
hmmmm...the rn after my name doesn't stand for really nice!!!
I visited my mother, and in an hour she drank two large glasses of iced tea. I asked her why. "To replace all the fluid I loose from taking lasix". A half-hour of arguing, and I gave up. "The Doctor told me to drink plenty of liquid". Yeah, sure mom.
Specializes in midwifery, gen surgical, community.
My mother in law will phone up and ask for advice because "you know a little about this sort of stuff". Ok, only been a qualifed nurse/midwife for 22 years.
She will then phone later to say in a surprised voice "oh I took your advice because my friend Sheila said it was right". Sheila has absolutely no medical training whatsoever!!
:lol2:
EmmaG, RN
2,999 Posts
Update, Dad just called back...
Home from the ER already. (at 20 minutes each way, not a bad turn-around)
And yes, they gave him benadryl and told him not to take anymore of the amoxicillin.
"I should have gone to Walmart."
*sigh*