A Doctor All Day Keeps the Apples Away

What a day.  Not how I wanted to spend my last day in Chicago but we don't always get what we want.  The elves back in Los Angeles kept things running fine, but they had the easy end of the equation.  The short version is that I took my dad to the Emergency Room at the hospital and we spent seven hours there.  Just got back at 9:30 PM.

The day started miserable for him.  He almost wanted to call for an ambulance when he got up, he felt that horrible, but an hour or so later, he stablized enough that we put it off.  He still didn't feel well, but far better than the first thing in the morning.

By 2 PM though he finally reached his doctor who wanted him to go to the Emergency Room for tests, not admittance.  We got there about 2:30 -- and then waiting to get admitted for an hour and a half.  Once in, my dad's doctor only thought he needed checking for his blood pressure, but a hospital being what it is, they had other ideas, and the tests started.  I'm not complaining, they were being diligent -- but they went on and on, and then kept adding more, "We'd like to do a CT scan.  We'd like to do..."  And it's not just waiting to get the tests done, but the longer waits are often for them to get the results and check them.

The fun part was when a nurse came in to do a urine test -- and then accidentally threw out my dad's efforts.  "Sorry," he said when they came back to tell them, "but I don't have anything more to give you."

And on and on it went.  "Next time," the doctor said, "you should come in an ambulance."  They usually rush though people through first.  Alas, because I was in town, I drove. 

And in the end, while they find some issues in the tests -- he's 93 years old after all -- there was nothing they found that could really help resolve the current discomfort.  However, there are a few things that they think could help and so made adjustments.

Everything was extremely nice and very competent.  Well, I might give a few demerits to the nurse who took the sample and then threw it out.  But it happily wasn't anything crucial -- though could have been -- so it's more a teeth gnashing laugh than anything.

Anyway, we finally got released around 9 PM, and then got back home -- seven hours later, in time for him to go to bed.

I've left out most of the details, but you get the idea.  But that's why I had nothing to post during the day.  And being in the Emergency Room, you can't even get cell service.

Well, back to Los Angeles in the morning, and the elves promise that they've kept the halls clean and in good shape.  So I likely won't be posting anything until the early afternoon.

Updates as they occur.