Today was a rather frustrating day...at least for me. Dr. Shirwanny, the cardiologist, wanted Bill up and walking. I told him that physical therapy had come in yesterday and said that he would be scheduled for therapy. Dr. Threlkeld, the infectious disease dr. said that a bronchoscopy was still on the table because everything they were testing for had come back negative. A pulmonary resident, whose name I can't remember, listened to Bill and even though he said he was better, she asked if he was always out of breath when he talked. And the answer to that was no. He became winded just sitting forward in the bed. She agreed that a bronchoscopy was probably the best thing to find out just what was cooking in there.
So, as of lunch time, all of the specialists were agreeing that the test needed done and that he needed some strengthening and walking done.

I ran to the cafeteria and was gone for maybe all of 15 minutes. I missed "a young dr" according to Bill who said he could go home! After lunch the case manager came in and asked some general discharge to home questions and wanted to know what home health agency we wanted to use. When Bill's nurse came in later to change antibiotics, he said he had seen the order to discharge to home with IV antibiotics. He said probably the one they would order would be covered by Medicare. I was so upset and angry about this that I couldn't have talked to anyone without crying! I did later deduce that the dr. I missed was the hospitalist who was thrilled that his white count was down to 14, which is still too high even for having an infection and being on steroids.

Bill finally decided about 2 that he wanted to sit in his chair. Up until this time he hadn't left his bed and since they have him as a fall risk and have his bed alarmed he couldn't just get up and move. Shortly after that, Dr. Munday, the pulmonologist came in and at first he said that if Bill felt better and that he didn't sound really bad he could leave. I told him that this was the 3rd hospitalization in 9 months and then he said that they really needed to find out what was causing the recurring flare-ups. So, a bronchoscopy is scheduled for 7:30 tomorrow morning. I'm leaving really early to get there by 7. I don't know if they will still want to discharge him later in the day, or if they will keep him another day. I suppose it will also depend somewhat on what they flush out of the lungs.

So, we may finally get some definitive answers. I was going to suggest to Bill, before the procedure was scheduled, that we just call Mayo and request an appointment with their lung doctors. 

I'm also not really happy with his care. He was admitted late Friday evening. He has not had a clean gown, or bed linens, or even his bed straightened unless it was done after I left. And since he couldn't get out of bed, he couldn't go in to the bathroom to clean up, yet he wasn't given a bedside bath either. I could understand it over the week-end because apparently the hospital doesn't have PCA's working on the week-ends now. But, you would think that Monday would have been jumping with getting things done. So, when the survey comes after he's discharged, that will be brought to their attention. And yes, I know that I could, and should, have contacted the case manager about it today. Maybe tomorrow while he's gone for the bronchoscopy they will redo his bed and hopefully put a clean gown on him before. But, who knows. 

I'm not planning on taking the computer with me tomorrow , which isn't fair to everyone who has kept up with us through here, but it's just something else to lug around. If there are some definite answers, family will get phone calls or texts. If it's something really major, I can try to update on my tablet. It's harder to do, but I'll give it a try. Otherwise I'll update when I/we get home.

All for tonight. I've still got to gather some things up tonight so I don't have to do it in the morning. So, at about 7:30 central time tomorrow morning (those in other time zones can figure out the difference) think good thoughts and say a little prayer for us, if you're the praying type. The lightning is flashing and the thunder is rolling and I don't think a drop of rain is falling, so I'll say goodnight!