Trisha.S.RN

I'm a homecare nurse in Michigan. No one wants a homecare nurse right now. I wonder if nurses in areas that have been hit harder than Michigan so far have any insight. Are other homecare nurses finding they are not working as much or as this virus progresses are you getting more work? I'm a single mom with 4 boys. I may need to consider applying at the hospitals where I may be more needed. Id appreciate any insight on the matter. Be safe, stay healthy.

I should have left more information, I apologize. She has not been dx with CHF, denies SOB when she lays down either, HTN very well controlled, just leg pain and edema. She is seeing her PCP today as a matter of fact, I had called and left him a message with my concerns and recommendation for compression stockings and referral to cardiologist and/or vascular surgeon. My concern was that with edema, elevation usually helps, however with her pain she described, it sounded like it could be PAD so elevation isn't an option either as it hurts, I just wondered if she did elevate if it would cause damage in any way. Update: her dr office just called me back, I guess she just saw a vascular surgeon 2 months ago and they said everything is fine. This doesn't make sense though, she has had 2 amputations of the same toe (one at the first joint, then the 2nd joint, and may require more as its not healing well). This doesn't imply she has good circulation to me. She has pain when her feet are dangling but hurt when up, these are signs of PAD... anyway, he prescribed her compression stockings and was told she stopped her hctz.

Im a fairly new nurse, working in homecare. I have an elderly patient with dx of DMII, HTN, debility and recent toe amputation. Her DM and HTN are well controlled/wnl. She sits and sleeps in her chair, she has 3+ to 4+ pitting edema BLE and rarely gets up except to use the bathroom 2-3 times a day. She stopped taking her hctz because it caused her to use the bathroom more which causes her pain. I instructed she start sleeping in her bed and elevate her feet to reduce edema and encourage wound healing but she said she cant because it causes severe pain when she does. I researched this and found that it could be PAD and claudication which does indeed cause increased pain when feet are elevated compared to when they are dangling. Will elevating her feet do more damage than good?