Thanks for all the comments and concern and stories you shared on yesterday’s post. It was quite the experience… if you didn’t see all of the comments, there was one person that shared that coughing could also “reset” and another person said that doing the maneuvers too long could make you pass out. Still another simply encouraged people to get to the emergency room and I’d like to double down on that comment. My experience was just to share what I might have done before I went to the ER had I known… not in any way to replace a trip!
My saga continued… my first helicopter ride in 40 years was not as fun as it might have been… remember, I felt just fine, and was bummed that it was midnight by the time we left Worland. All I could see were lights and moonlit snow for the hour ride. It was a small helicopter, and the pilot, me, and two flight nurses were all that would fit. Vernon drove up in the morning.
I’m sure you’re probably not interested in all my details, but I did end up spending two nights up there before I was released… “cured”. It is a wonderful blessing to live in the time we do… modern medicine is AMAZING.
Now, here’s the part I’d really like help with! I’m an idea person. I come up with ideas… but I need a development team behind me! I’m looking for anyone familiar with tinkering with electronics. Someone that could put together a demo model. Then someone to patent or do paperwork… oh, who am I kidding. I’d never get my idea that far, so I’ll just share it with the world!
I found out after two nights on the cardiac care floor that I was the youngest one there. Or it seemed like it. You know how they have to wake you up in the middle of the night to take your blood or blood pressure or give you a pill or whatever? Well, poor Mrs. Smith down the hall either forgot her hearing aids or didn’t have any. The nurse would have to yell to wake her up and explain what she was doing. The entire floor could hear the exchange and it was just that much less sleep for us. Forget HIPAA, we all knew Mrs. Smith’s tests or the questions from nurses. Poor Mrs. Jones had some level of dementia with her hearing loss, and each question was yelled two or three times before she perhaps understood.
I felt so sorry for these ladies and their nurses. How exhausting it must be to be yelled at and to yell to get the message across. It can’t be easy on anyone. One PT friend of mine used a white board to ask questions with, but I had an idea. Those of you in the medical field can let me know if it’s a great idea or not!
I envisioned a one piece head phone. You don’t need to cover both ears, just one. It needs a large scrub brush type handle on it for arthritic hands to hold… or a nurse could hold it up to the ear. It needs two controls, volume and pitch depending on the patient’s hearing. It could Bluetooth to a nurse’s phone as the microphone end of it. It could also just have a normal microphone, but I think all the nurses had a phone. It could have a hanger attached to the computer cart that they roll from room to room for entering your records. I’d make it a bright color to stand out from all the tan equipment! There also could be a paper coffee filter style cover since you don’t want to share cooties between patients… or each patient could have one on the side of the bed that gets wiped down when they leave.
I could see this working in my head. No more yelling at poor Mrs. Smith and Jones… easier on nurses, too. Easier on other patients and private! All of the parts exist, it is just reconfiguring them.
Anyone want to take this idea and run with it? Just give me a percentage for the idea? With the nation aging, I could see this being a popular item!
What say you, all you medical type people? Too much of a pain? Just another piece of equipment to worry about? Would it relieve your stress level when talking to certain patients? Are my ideas wrong or need fine tuning? Let me know!
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The device you described sounds like a “Pocketalker” I used with an elderly relative in the nursing home. There are many options the hospital could use and are described at https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/assistive-devices-people-hearing-voice-speech-or-language-disorders
Hi, I read yesterday’s post, but did not have a chance to comment. This is so so so enlightening to me. My grandfather used to have what he called “Spells”. My grandmother had been a nurse (not sure of her training) and we all just left it to her. He’d been to the VA hospital many times without a diagnosis.
My grandmother was from Lovell, and grown up her father’s ranches which are now both covered by the Yellowtail Dam, and they had homesteaded near there in the 20s. They lived in a trailer for their last 45 years, and moved around a lot, mostly in Wyoming, hunted in the fall, spent their summers in various places for the fishing, so these Spells were of concern due to the fact that they were remote most of the time. They had a mailbox in Moran. He eventually had a stroke while in Wolf Creek Campground outside of Alpine on the Snake River, my grandmother did not drive so they were there 2 days before someone came into the campground so she could ask for help. He was 89 at that point (yes, they continued to live the nomad lifestyle even at their advanced ages) and had lived a good life.
He died 3 month later. My grandmother lived to see 100, living independently until 99.
Anyway, he used to say he would just suddenly feel better, but I remember him saying that he’d sit on the toilet and strain, and raise his right arm, and often that fixed it. I was just a kid and thought it was kinda weird, but not much more.
Your description adds some significant information about what was likely happening. Thank you!
Glad you are okay. Hospitals are not the place to get a good night’s sleep.
Wow. What an amazing idea. Not a medic so can’t help with that, but just that you were /are thinking how to make things easier for others is much needed in our world. Glad you recovered well. Yes, I can understand frustration of helicopter ride and not being able to see your wonderful WY State from above.