Rerun and Repeat

Tonight ended up being a rerun of days gone by when Terry puked for hours or days at a time...or so we thought it was days gone by.  After surgery in June to remove his thyroid due to cancer, and his left adrenal gland to a pheochromocytoma, he hadn't had any more of these episodes, and we really thought he had turned the corner.  Either of those issues could have contributed to his vomiting, and combined, we had hope the root issues had been resolved.  


I'm finding that my patience is wearing thin with going to the local hospital.  I understand that the system is set in place for the benefit of the medical professionals, but I answered the same questions up to six times with different people asking.  At some point, if you're using a computerized system, which they are, the net result should be that the patient and or their caregiver are not asked the same repetitive questions.


In all fairness to a hospital that has been there when we needed it, it is difficult to describe my sense of frustration to find ourselves in that situation yet again.  It had been so long since he'd had a full blown episode like this one that we truly were surprised when it occurred again.  But the six hours I spent sitting in an uncomfortable chair seemed unnecessary, and led me to think about another chapter I need to add to the caregiving book I'm writing.  There has to be a way to advocate for a smoother system at the hospital for the benefit of patients and their caregivers this time.


Maybe if I shift my focus to topics like what I can write about, rather than what we're going through at the time, I may not end up so frustrated.  If I try to figure out how to benefit in some way from each experience, it has to keep me more positive than if I sit back and realize how many times we've lived this experience, and how unsatisfactory it is each time we relive it.  


I just know that I, and Terry, would prefer a new shared experience.  We'll have to see how we can make that happen.  And it should be something other than a trip to Mayo's, which may be about the extent of our new experiences for a while.  We need progress in a forward direction, and I'm determined to make that happen.