12 February 2021
It's been hard to get in touch with Joyce because her cell phone has been locked up in the closet in her room. So the only way to contact her is through the hospital switchboard.
But she has called me a couple of times, the last just a few minutes ago. She said she could go home today and I would be let into the hospital to help her leave.
Then she fretted about who to call and what to do.
That didn't make sense to me. So I checked my cell phone and saw I had an early message from Dr. Tong this morning. Around 8 a.m. when I was, let us say, otherwise occupied.
She said she had just done Joyce's dressing change this morning at the bedside using nothing more than Tylenol and she had done very well. So she could probably go home next week and, yes, they would let me in to see how the dressing change is done.
She did not say whether she had used a wet-to-dry dressing (the one I have to learn about to do) or the black foam (which in-home nursing would do three times a week).
Adding to the confusion, last night Joyce said she had had surgery at noon with the dressing replaced. But they wouldn't do that on two consecutive days, so I have no idea what happened yesterday.
I did try calling Joyce but "the line was busy," the switchboard told me. After and hour of that, I talked to the nurses station. It took them about five minutes (with me on hold) to patch her in.
I told her what Dr. Tong said in the message. And I asked again if she had a dressing change yesterday. She was quite clear that she did, even remembering the time.
So why another one today?
Ah, because they've gone to the wet-to-dry dressings that have to changed twice a day. Maybe.
I asked her if she still had a tube attached to a Wound VAC. She said she did. But she said it went to her arm. You mean the IV? Yes.
So I don't think she can tell she has a different dressing but that would explain the two changes. And suggest that she isn't coming home today.
In-home care has to be arranged on a daily basis for that anyway. And I would have to be shown how to do one of those changes each day, presumably.
I'll email Dr. Tong to confirm my understanding and text Salwa the LVN so she knows what's up.