Taking Out the Trash part 2........

So, Wednesday morning comes, Lauren's feeds are back to normal. Dr. D comes in and examines her and walks over to me and here is our conversation:
him--we've decided Lauren needs to go home on oxygen
me--i don't understand, she did great yesterday and last night (sats were higher than ever)
him--i know, but we've discussed it and we feel that she needs it
me--(bit discouraged but not angry) ok--i need to learn that things change daily, even though i don't understand---so you've decided she needs oxygen and her feeds are fine---what's keeping her here now?
him--well, she ran a fever sunday night (um, yeah--wasn't too worried about that monday--now, NOW i realize why he was hesitant to release her but he just would not come out and say i don't feel that she's ready--instead he kept giving me stupid excuses)
me--ok when do u think she'll be ready to go home (now, I'm not mad and he knows it---he realizes I'm upset w/the whole oxygen thing)
him--tomorrow--she can go home tomorrow
me--ok great
him--i knew you were upset because you would not look me in the eye--(hehe he and i have hardly ever held anything back--he's been w/lauren from day one)
me--yes, i wasn't angry--just upset
him--i completely understand, now, one more thing--do you want to go home from here in the morning or from across the hall (now across the hall is the norm for getting ready to go home but noone had ever mentioned lauren needing to go there at all---she was weeks out of surgery, there was nothing for me to learn, etc.)
me--well if you need this room then across the hall, but if you don't--it's much easier to go home from this side
him---ok--you'll go home from this side
From that minute on----everyone was getting things ready w/o me having to ask for a single things---the head nurse was filling out lauren's prescriptions, calling and having oxygen delivered the next day, etc.----all was going good.
The next day--we take her home--she was so excited all the way home. Get home and after a couple of hours she is just not acting right---sats were very low. By that night i decided to call the cardiologist on call---he said he wasn't worried that it was probably just the transition from hospital to home---well then she spiked a temp--called him back---still not worried. Ok--next morning--i simply wanted her cardiologist to know how things were going---i was getting high 50's on her feet and low 60's on her hands---very very low. They call back---she needs to be re-admitted.....ok---this time on the east side (the not so sick side where you room in and take care of them but still get interrupted/woke up constantly).
Get up there--by now it's july 1st....Dr. Frazier comes in and she says i'm just going to watch her---and just leave her alone--ok great.
A couple of hours later, Lauren rolls over from her side after being asleep and her chest incision looks absolutely awful---we get the nurse, she gets the doctor---not worried--we'll just keep and eye on it (remember this).
The weekend was awful---ended up getting a temp, they insisted on iv antibiotics---took several sticks ugh---not a night i'd relive for no amount of money. Weekend goes by--noone is concerned at all w/her incision, her sats---nothing. Sunday night her iv goes bad. I refuse another one because her cultures are growing nothing. Argue w/the resident on call that not only cannot make the correct calls for a heart patient but probably couldn't even spell lauren's defect---she ends up calling the cardiologist and gets overruled :) Monday--Dr. Marrow comes in (he's the chief cardiologist) and says--let's keep her one more night and see how she does then she can go home tomorrow---still noone is worried about her incision or sats.
Here's where the good doctor comes in. And, I'm gonna have to finish this in a little bit---Lauren's awake and we gotta go get Jordan :)