BEFORE MY MOTHER DIED. WE TOOK HER TO ER FOR LEFT LEG PAIN WHICH HAD BOTHERED HER FOR A WEEK. THINKING IT WAS JUST A CRAMP. I MASSAGED HER LEG AT ALL HOURS. AFTER TALKING WITH FAMILY DOCTOR. HE TOLD US TO TAKE HER TO ER. AT ER THEY FOUND THAT HER BLOOD COUNT WAS LOW 5 AND THAT HER PLATELETT LEVELS WERE CRITICALLY LOW ALSO. SO THE HOSPITAL ADMITTED HER. A FEW DAYS LATER I WAS CALLED TO THE HOSPITAL. THE HOSPITAL STAFF HAD GIVEN MY MOTHER TOO MUCH FLUIDS IN HER IV AND SHE WAS COMPLETELY SWOLLEN AND STRUGGLING TO BREATH. THEY SAID SHE HAD ASPIRATED PNEUMONIA. EVEN HER EYES HAD A FILM ACROSS IT FROM THE SWELLING. SHE WAS NOW ON OXYGEN, DIURETICS AND ANTIBIOTICS. PRIOR TO ENTERING HOSPITAL. MY MOTHER COULD TALK, LAUGH, SIT UP, SING, MOVE HER ARMS AND LEGS AND WAS TOTALLY AWARE. AFTER THE ASPIRATED PNEUMONIA, SHE NO LONGER COULD DO THESE THINGS. SHE WENT DOWN HILL FROM THERE. THEY TRIED BLOOD AND PLATELETT TRANSFUSIONS NUMEROUS TIMES AND SUBJECTED HER TO NUMEROUS SCANS. AT ONE POINT KNOWING OF HER RADIATION TREATMENT PASS. I ASKED DOCTOR IF SHE HAD LEUKEMIA. HE SAID NO. ABOUT ALMOST A MONTH IN THE HOSPITAL, THEY COULD NOT LOCATE PROBLEM, WOULD NOT TRANSFER HER, WOULD NOT CALL IN OTHER DOCTORS, TOLD ME, IT DOES NOT MATTER IF SHE HAD 5 MILLION DOLLARS WE STILL WOULD NOT DO THESE THINGS. THEY SENT HER HOME AFTER NOT BEING ABLE TO LOCATE PROBLEM. SHE WAS SENT HOME IN HOSPICE. WITH INSTRUCTIONS, NOT TO PROLONG LIFE AND NOT TO FEED HER. I WAS NOT TOLD THIS TILL RIGHT BEFORE SHE DIED. BY THEN IT WAS TOO LATE. SHE DIED 4 DAYS AFTER COMING HOME. THE DAY BEFORE SHE DIED, I FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THE SYMPTOMS OF DEHYDRATION. THE DOCTOR DID NOT ORDER A CHECK TO SEE IF THERE WAS BLOOD IN MY MOTHERS STOOL, EVEN THO SHE WAS APPARENTLY BLEEDING INTERNALLY FOR 3 WEEKS. THE DOCTORS WITH NO ANSWER SAID THAT ALL SYMPTOMS POINTED TO LEUKEMIA. THE SAME ILLNESS THE DOCTOR HAD SAID MY MOTHER DID NOT HAVE 2 WEEKS EARLIER. IN FACT WAS DEFINATELY SURE SHE DID NOT HAVE. HE REFUSED TO DO PROCEDURES ON MY MOTHER BECAUSE SHE IN HIS WORDS WAS THAT SHE WAS TOO OLD AT THE TIME 76 YRS AND THAT HER LOW PLATELETT COUNT MADE ANY INVASIVE PROCEDURES DANGEROUS.NEVEN THO IN CHECKING I HD FOUND SURGERY ON A PATIENT AS OLD AS 84 AND THE PATIENT IS OKAY NOW. I AM LEFT WITH SO MANY QUESTIONS. I NO LONGER TRUST THE DOCTORS OR THE HOSPITAL. I AM LEFT WITHOUT A MOTHER AND MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS. ( that is okay, no need to answer question. don`t have credit card ) $15.00 is a cheap price for advice from a doctor, but it does not matter. my mother will still be dead, no matter what you say. the question was for me, because I was not sure I did everything possible. I have been depressed and am contemplating punishing myself by killing myself. I failed to protect my mother. therefore I need to be punish. I just needed to know, if I did everything possible. sorry to have bothered you. )
Hello and thanks for your writing in. I understand that this must be a very difficult time for you. I know it can be very frustrating to come to terms with the fact that your mother passed away despite being admitted in a hospital for a month, a bit unfortunately did not receive proper medical attention and care. I completely agree with you that old age is not a reason to deny a proper evaluation and the necessary treatment. It is not right to brush aside genuine concerns of patients or their relatives, especially when the patient is very sick. But I would advise you not to blame yourself for this because, as I can see, you have done your best. There's nothing more you could have really done. It was just very unfortunate that everything turned out this way. So, please stop feeling guilty and try to put behind this harrowing experience and try to move on. If you are feeling very depressed or suicidal, then I would advise you to seek professional help.