A person that is traumatized or fighting illness needs help. Read the rest of this entry »
Tag Archives: Education
Again? Thank you for the prayers.
Advocacy. Listening. Persistence. Life. Health. POA. TPN. SICU. Ventilator. Disability. Rehabilitation. Healthcare. These are just a few terms that one’s dear friend is learning by experience. An experience no one wants to find themselves in.
First I do want to thank everyone for their prayers for the person who has shared our home for the past 4 years and I’ve known since age 5. In her struggle for life she found “healthcare is good if you never need it!” She never needed it before, but when she had developed progressive problems no one seemed to hear her complaints. A common complaint to many!
Over a short time she became worse. Finally her body would no longer go regardless of how hard her mind pushed. Her life came to a stand still! She was no longer well enough to work. She feared loosing her jobs. Now, all she wants is her health. We all have hope and prayer.
It’s been a tough month, but something I’m familiar with … on all levels! I was saddened to see how healthcare professionals expect everyone (regardless of education) to know exactly what was happening and to totally understand everything in their time of crisis.
It seems like no one has time to educate. What’s more important than health? It’s been a time to constantly educate and that’s kept me busy in a way I’d rather not be but I’m comfortable with this yet exhausted and overwhelmed. There is no routine.
My dear friend is entering territory that no one wants to enter. Her future looks bleak, so it’s day-by-day … but hopeful!
Persistence saved her life. Albeit, quality of life altered significantly. Five attempts at getting proper healthcare. Finally someone heard her desperate plea for help but most importantly they did blood work. She’s never been sick in her entire life.
The next thing I knew she was calling to let me know they were preparing her for the first emergency surgery. I arrived within the hour at the emergency room. After two surgeries and a number of medical procedures she is now off a ventilator but continues to struggle for life in an acute rehabilitation center with many medical complications from multi-system failure.
It’s unbelievable that she survived and I know anyone who had visited during this time feels the same. Her outcome is unpredictable, and only time will tell.
Education has been out but others don’t act upon it. I just want everyone to make sure they clearly know what they need to do in a true life-altering medical emergency. Do you have a Healthcare Power of Attorney? Do you have a Financial Power of Attorney? Don’t wait till this happens. Every second counts when dealing with life-threatening illness and injuries.
Do you have a place where updated telephone numbers are easily accessible? Do you know what your loved one wants? Please have these discussions. It’s your responsibility and its your life! Time is of essence when dealing with life-altering illness or injuries. It’s a time of action and support, and not time for discussion.
Who are your advocates? Being prepared makes these crisis easier to handle. Are you ready if it happens in your family? If you panic in crisis do you have someone who will react calmly to the most devastating news?
Related articles
- DIY Documents, Part 4: Powers of Attorney (leichtlaw.wordpress.com)
- Finances and Your Aging Parents (creditrepair.com)
- Piper’s emergency surgery (paisleyandpiper.wordpress.com)
- Rates of Emergency Bowel Surgery Vary Wildly from State to State: John Hopkins Researchers (medindia.net)
**********All material presented on Brain Injury Self Rehabilitation (BISR) is copyright and cannot be, copied, reproduced, or distributed in any way without the express, written consent of Edith E. Flickinger, BSN RN.
Simple tips: When YOU suddenly join the TBI club! Part 2 of 3
No one knows their deficits until they are out of formal rehabilitation, when life Read the rest of this entry »
If I could have, I would have … The Caring Children Program
In 1990 and 1991 two nurses from Cleveland, Ohio health systems founded programs that taught children several levels of health in the elementary school setting. The “Caring Children Program” was taught in the classroom and other community settings as a team effort with nurses and children. Teaching focused on preventive health, education and understanding through hands-on skills and active participation. Read the rest of this entry »
Simple tips … Where have all your friends gone Part 3 of 3
Everyone should have a Living Healthcare Will highlighting who is significant and who is not. Does your friend know where you keep it? Make sure Read the rest of this entry »
In Memory of Kate Kelly a pioneer in ADD/ADHD…brain injury
Kate Kelly, a pioneer in ADD/ADHD brain dysfunction passed away. She devoted her life, determined and committed educating with on-line videos, programs and co-authoring a best seller You Mean I’m Not Lazy, Stupid or Crazy? Read the rest of this entry »
Parents with a special needs child
As I walked behind a young mother with the most adorable little girl it brought back memories. These memories are heartbreaking and satisfying at the same time. Read the rest of this entry »
Loneliness is the Most Terrible Poverty
Loneliness is the Most Terrible Poverty.
This is a well written article that nearly all TBI, brain dysfunctions, chronic illnesses, and an array of health issues deal with. Most readers will certainly understand this this loneliness. This will also offer insight into FM (fibromyalgia), another frequently misdiagnosed, and misunderstood disease. Take the time to read this and leave your comments.
To my last patient…and the last of my patience! Part 4 of 4
This is the final pages of my letter to my last patient part 4 of 4. This letter in its entirety has clearly identified numerous safety issues without our healthcare system and specifically rehabilitation for neurology and traumatic brain injury patients. Safety is ultimately the concern for all patients and staff. Do healthcare professional overlook obvious symptoms because it is just a “job”? Are patients truly safe?
Neither myself or immediate family ever sought legal action against this facility. I was trying to get well and had no energy to do anything else. In retrospect, if we only knew the long-term consequences and had the proper legal advice with authorities looking out for the innocent the outcome would have been totally different. Maybe, it’s what nurses are expected to put up with and the facility is always right.
Read the rest of this entry »
General and simple tips for handling and taking medications Part 4 of 4
It is your life and medications can help you with specific problems, but you need to be cautious and know what is working for you and what is not. It is up to you to report exactly how you are feeling.
Keep a medication journal, especially when Read the rest of this entry »
Who Are We
On June 30, 2012 we are asking all those to sign-up to register as a picnic day to bring Awareness of Brain Injury to family and friends. There is an estimated 1 billions people in the world with brain injuries of varying degrees, neurological disorders and brain dysfunction and yet education and understanding is lacking. This is considered the first global picnic.
Click on the link below for the details. Don’t miss out on this opportunity.
To my last patient…and the last of my patience! Part 3 of 4
To my last patient part 3 of 4 poses a number of problems that cause further psychological harm to inpatient on this rehabilitation unit. The fear they demonstrated throughout this lengthy stay was insurmountable. It’s sad that these patients were more concerned about my well-being following the assault they witnessed than staff themselves. Safety is always a priority. How safe can anyone feel while being hospitalized? Read the rest of this entry »
General and simple tips for handling and taking medications Part 3 of 4
Physician appointments, Emergency Room Visits, and Hospitalizations–Take all your medications, vitamins, herbs, natural remedies, and anything over the counter. 
Take a list of your medications as well. Sometimes there are mistakes with medications and this help alleviate those errors. Read the rest of this entry »
To my last patient…and the last of my patience! Part 2 of 4
This is part 2 of 4 on the letter I wrote to my last patient after the assault as a Registered Nurse on a Neurology-Head Injury Rehabilitation Unit in Northeast Ohio October 30, 1991. In part 1 of 4 I included the table of contents for this letter. This letter was retyped March, 2008 but otherwise has never had revisions. It gives good insight into what was happening inside the healthcare system, and how I perceived the individual who assaulted myself and other healthcare professionals. Read the rest of this entry »
General and simple tips for handling and taking medications Part 2 of 4
Allergies-Make a list of all your allergies. The list of allergies should include both medication allergies and food allergies. DO NOT take any medications you are allergic to. Usually the most serious allergic reaction occurs when you take the medication for the second time. This can be life threatening. Read the rest of this entry »
Healthcare professionals with a traumatic brain injury. Who should know better? Part 3 of 3
Awareness of Brain Injury Daily. I’m applauded with the behaviors and treatment toward my nurse friend when she needed educated healthcare professionals to help her. Instead it was quite the opposite. They simply did not understand traumatic brain injury and they believed she was manipulating her symptoms so she could work the hours of her choice. If they only knew how she was suffering and what she needed to do to show up to work. These healthcare professionals were totally in disbelief of her symptoms and never understood anything following her injury. They began questioning her behaviors and other issues following this mild traumatic brain injury. She wasn’t even told or diagnosed with a mild traumatic brain injury until about a year following injury. Read the rest of this entry »
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