[rdavis46]

Good morning everyone,

My husband had his decompression and L4-L5 fusion on Oct 24th they also took out his old screws from L5-S1. He was only in the hospital for 5 days he was demanding to be release he refuse to go to inpatient rehab. He had his staples removed they said everything was fine. He been falling. He took a fall before we seen his surgeon on Thursday then he almost fell with his walker when we were walking out of the office to the waiting room. I was able to get him to sit on his walker since it has a seat. He had to do this twice before we got to the waiting room. The surgeon had us go to the hospital for blood work said it didn't look that bad on the outside but wants to check to see if he has infection since I told him he was having fevers between 99 to 101. The incision is healing but has some redness and swelling. I take daily pictures of it and it gives me a clear picture that I can't see with my own eyes. Able to blow it up to see it better. The surgeon also fax over an order for ultrasound to have them check for fluid in his back and if he did they were to drain it and send it out to the lab to see what it is. Well the hospital didn't call until Friday and now got to wait until Thursday to have this test. Crazy isn't it! By then his infection could spread. Don't know why he didn't do a stat on it! The office call me back on Friday ask me where he had done the blood work which was the hospital right across the street from the surgeon office. They told me they are trying to track it down and call me back. But never got that call back either. ugh
Saturday his fevers were running 101 to 102.6. He still refusing to go to the hospital. He also fell yesterday morning as well he trip over our dog with his walker. He didn't tell him to move out of his way he try barging thru with his walker so trip with the walker and fell on top of me I was sitting at my desk on the computer and eating my cereal. He never told me that he hurt himself. I help him up but he kept it from me. I would of taken him to the hospital immediately. He did tell me later and ask for ice packs. His pain in his legs were gone a week ago and now it is back as well as the hip pain. He may of screw something up. But how do I convince him to go to the hospital??? He is a grown man I can't force him to go. I am practially begging him to go. It just breaks my heart to see him in so much pain and the fever really is a big concern for me. He barely ate yesterday the only thing he ate was a banana and try to eat soup and scramble eggs but only took a bite of each but ate the whole banana. I did get down one of my protein drinks has 17 gms of protein, no sugar and lots of vitamins.
I got up at 5 am and felt his body it was very hot to the touch. So I got out the new ear therometer and took his temp it was 104 check it again 103 and hanging now around 102.6 which the advil help I didn't want to give him tyenol because his percocets have that in them. I keep telling him he needs to let me take him to the hospital or call and ambulance to take him. I don't want anything to happen to him if that happens I would blame myself because I couldnt' get him there in time. His family would blame me as well. We will be married 25 yrs on Dec 18th and I know the best and know how stubborn he can be.
We have 2 teens with special needs. Our 14 yr daughter doesn't understand what is going on and doens't show any empathy and son is 17 he is so worried about his dad keeps asking me why wont' he go to the hospital. They both have autism and bipolar. They ge the bipolar from him. He also has diabtes and was taken off his metformin week before surgery due to his creatine being to high. They had him on insulin in the hospital but only if his blood sugars were over 150 so sometimes he need it and sometimes he dont. His blood sugar at home been high 150 to 299 they were in the 200's couple days ago yesterday they were were running in the 150's or just little higher. His morning blood sugar was 197 which is high with no food in him. And yesterday barely ate and still his sugars were over 150's. I need to check his blood pressure if he lets me. I know on Thursday when we were at the surgeon office it was 105/50 that is low! He usually has high blood pressure and is on meds for that.
His pillows are completely soak again seems been doing alot of laundry due to the sweats he gets from the fevers when they begin to break. But then they go back up again. He keeps telling me that he is fine. How can you be fine I can hear you moan in your sleep and talking in your sleep but you are not making any sense. That is another thing we notice he makes no sense when he is awake says weird things and then forgets in the middle of his sentence what he said and then often falls asleep while he is talking. It is not every day but it is when he is not feeling well. As a few days after he got home he start to do things around the house he is kind of guy who never sits still he has ocd when it comes to keeping our house clean. It bugs him so much the first day home kids left the ketchup out he had to get up and put it away and the do the dishes. When in the hospital he try getting out of bed and bend down to pick up something he drop off the floor. So when I wasn't there I told the nurse to put the alarm on because he will do things like he isn't suppose to do. They want him not to bed, twist or lift for 3 months. Well that is impossible when he won't listen. The only thing he does listen to is no lifting no more than a gallon of milk. But now with the fall he must of twist his back when he landed in my lap. It was a good thing i broke his fall he would of been impossible to get off the floor. We have his 23 yr nephew staying with us. He keeps the house clean, helps me with the kids, dogs and my husband. When I am not there he makes sure to watch him for me. He helps him put up his legs or get things for him. He had to pick him off the floor a few days ago just before we saw the surgeon because I yell at him and said where is your walker he left by the recliner and he was in the kitchen. So he went to walk for it and down he went. He thinks because he legs felt better that he will do without the walker but keep telling him the walker needs to be your best friend never walk without it and use that brace all the time unless in bed. He hates using it. But if he didnt have it on when he falls he would of been having more problems. His back pain has increase since he fell on me and now it down the right hip and leg. Now I am afraid to leave to go anywhere. And with this fever and him not letting me to take him to the hospital. Tomorrow I am suppose go the hospital for my stomach procedure but I need a ride from a friend or family member but one friend who usually takes me both of her cars are down. So trying to find another ride but with the way he is I may need to cancel. And they won't do the procedure unless have a ride. They will cancel if I don't. But maybe it is not a good time for me to have this even though I would be home in 3 to 4 hours but what if I need to take him to the er I am not able to drive for 24 hours because of the sedation. My husband health comes first. I am thinking of not going to the gym this morning because I want to convince him to go to the hospital. I want to call his surgeon but know he will get mad at me if I did and he tells me to take him to the hospital immediately. Heck the surgeon might even yell at me for not calling sooner or taking him to the hospital.
I am just torn what to do. I don't care if he gets mad at
me I am trying to help him get better. He should of taken up the nurse his primary dr offer him when he refuse the inpatient rehab. He could of had a nurse come here daily to check on him. But he seems to depend on myself and his nephew to care of him. And all we do is worry about him. he also devolping a cough hope he doesnt' have pneumonia on top of back infection too. he will never get well if we don't get him there. Any ideas on how to convince him to go to the hospital to at least get him check out and maybe some antibotics heck some iv antibotics right away. Maybe they will admit him even if he dont' want it. Because he is risking his health. He is 49 yr old with health issues I dont' want my husband to get worst. I have so much on my plate right now. I don't have time for myself since I am taking care of him and the family. I am exhausted.

[mrsD]

He needs a doctor ASAP....

Infections cause elevated blood sugars in some people.

I think his fevers are in the critical zone, for an adult, and
without antibiotics I am afraid of what will happen to him.

You really need to get him to a hospital!

[rdavis46]

Yea I agree I got him up but he needs his coffee, now he is trying to say his legs dont' hurt and he feels better I don't agree he looks like crap. I am the one been watching over him all night and this morning. He snap on me when I keep bringing up going to the hospital and using his walker. Keeps saying I forgot when it was right outside the bathroom door he is very stubborn man! I stay home from the gym this morning I am usually at the gym at 8 am on weekends but today I stay home because I really trying to get him to the hospital. I even told him if I had to I would call his family to come here and help me get him to the hospital. he is starting to get ****** at me. He keeps saying he going to drink his coffee well I will let him wake up and take his coffee. While I wait I will pay some bills and hopefully by then he will be ready to go. Will check his temp again too. He says he feels better maybe the fever broke but it can start all over again later. why he fights me on this. I wish he would of stay in the hospital longer and did the inpatient rehab

[Kitty]

Call 911. Let the ambulance take him. He can't refuse three or four strong young men (or women). Tell him he can go willingly now and have some say in his care or wait until he has no choice and has to accept whatever the hospital staff decides he needs. Make it seem like his decision. I wish you luck.

[rdavis46]

Heading to the er with him now call the surgeon and primary both agree he needs to go to the er doctors orders. So taking off and will update later.

thanks
Robin

[Dr. Smith]

Originally Posted by rdavis46

Heading to the er with him now call the surgeon and primary both agree he needs to go to the er doctors orders. So taking off and will update later.

How'd it go?

Doc

[rdavis46]

He has pneumonia, incison infection and they said it was causing septic shock (infection start to enter his blood stream) They said if I didn't take him in like I did he would be in fighting for his life. His blood pressure was 79/49 even drop from that 70 something over 48.. They gave him 3 bags of iv fluids still the blood pressure would not go up. 2 bags of antibotics and still wasn't helping so they had to put a cath in his neck and give him meds to up his blood pressure I had to leave the room as they had to do in sterile environment.

They admitted him to the Neurosurgery ICU been at the hospital for 12 hours and I still can't sleep worried about him. His blood pressure was finally up when I left his diabetes was high they got him on insulin pump going to his iv.

The chest xray show pneumonia they also think he has infection under the skin and may need to operate again and go in and drain it and put a drain tube in as well. they did ultrasound today as well. So now they will be checking with surgeon tomorrow if they are going to drain it.

They told me I save my husband life. If he didn't come in he would be fighting for his life. They power house with fluids and antibotics. They were fast and quick they took him first before others who been waiting after they say his blood pressure they wheel him back immediately. team starting working on him as soon as he got him to the room and usually don't let others back there until they get him done with but they let me because he wasn't able to answer there questions and not responding well. falling asleep alot. He thought he was going home after all the test. That was last thing he said oh I should be getting out of here soon almost done with all the test. The dr came in and told me by the way your husband has to stay! And then the admitting dr and surgeon assistant came in and all agree he need to be admitted. So that is the scoop for now and it is 1 am and got to be up by 430 to get the kids off to school. And I want to be up at the hospital early too so I can talk to the doctors as well. He dont' remember what they talk about or don't know the answers to the questions. he don't even know his meds except for his pain meds and allergic to sulfa after i remind me him over and over with that.

He has not been himself since he got home from the hospital been having memory loss, disoriented, sometimes delusional they said that was because of the severe infection and fevers. We were just in the surgeon office on Thursday they ran blood work said the incision was red but didn’t' look infected they order a ultrasound for fluid but the hospital never call until Friday and can't get him in until Thursday of this week. No one call me back on Friday with his blood work results. So I call myself and they call me back ask where we did the labs it was right across the street from there office at aurora sinai. Well today they were able to compare the labs from Thursday which they are much higher today

Today the surgeon came in that did his back surgery said they found puss in the stuff that the drain out of his back. They want to do MRI and husband refused he got claustophebic they offer him to lightly sedate him with valium he still refused. So when surgeon came in to see him. He said he needs to go in there and open him up again and go in there and clean out what ever infection he got going on. The icu dr said it was cellulitis in his back. He has so many dr there it isn't funny. Never seen so many dr he is being a very bad patient he wants out of there. And of course they dr tells him it his choice he can do it or not do it. and he told nurse he want out of there that he can't force him to stay. why would they tell him that exactly what he wants to hear. He kept being a jerk to me after the surgeon told him he had to have another surgery. His pain getting worst and now its in his legs too. his vitals are good he complain all day they wouldn't let him eat because they didn't know if he was going to need surgery or not. So they finally get him food and he refuses to eat. Well the surgeon should of wait until after he ate dinner. He kept telling me to leave and blaming all this me. He want me out of there said once I leave he is getting out of the hospital. Well the funny thing he don't remember I took his clothes, shoes and jacket with me he soak them from the sweating he was doing. I never brought new ones back into the hospital they are actually in my car except for the jacket wash that as well. All of sudden his pain shot up so high he literally want to jump out of the bed and said I want to go home going to put shoes on and leave this place I can't take the pain anymore. Well he kept refusing to push the nurse button so I went to the hallway and said hurry get in there he is extreme pain. weird that he said that the pain was a 6 I don't think he dont' get the number scale he look so red in the face was almost tears and saying he can't take anymore pain he look like a 10 plus! I think he still out of it yet. I wouldn't leave until they gave him something he also couldn't sleep so they gave him 2 perocets, valium and ambein hope it helps relax him and let him sleep. they should of given him the valium long time ago. To help with the anxiety over the surgery tomorrow at 10 am if he don't back out of it.

[mrsD]

Oh,my... I hope this all turns out well.

You must explain to him that this is very very serious, and he
needs to cooperate. Infections like this are hard to deal with
and will take time to respond to the drugs.

I've been thinking of you both, and will continue to send positive
thoughts to both of you and your family.

[rdavis46]

I do have power of attorney but that only when he is not able to make decision himself or fighting for his life. If I could use my power attorney right now I would do it in a heart beat! He needs to listen to the doctors, nurses and myself. We are looking out for his best interest. I keep telling him the sooner you get this done the sooner you can get out of here. if he comes home he could end up back there or wost die from the infection but of course he wasn't listening to me he was aggitated and his anxiety is high. I talk to nurse this morning he had the valium before I left slept good and will get more valium an hour before surgery they move it from 10 to 915. I woke up late my daughter woke me after 6 I had the alarm set for 430 and never heard it unusual for me I don't sleep that hard or long. I went to bed at 1:30 last night the other night was 3 and only slept an hour and half. I mad that i overslept I want to be at the hospital at 7 am but looks like it will be 8 am getting kids ready for school trying to wake his 23 yr nephew to get up so I can leave and he can get the kids on the school bus. The kids are teens but have special needs with autism and bipolar disorder. I dont' leave them alone even though they are 14 and 17 always someone here for him when I can't be. got to eat my raisin brand with banana got some protein shakes, vitamin water and light yogurts pack for my day up at the hospital and protein bars in my purse. and got my ipad2 charge as well as my iphone so I can update online and check my emails as well. going to be a long day

[Kitty]

Good thoughts and prayers are with you. Please let us know how things are going this afternoon.