Caught Unprepared

We had a scare last Sunday morning and I thought we were going to have to make a run to the ER. The nurse woke me at 4:30AM because Maggie was struggling to breathe. I flew down the stairs and started pulling out all my tricks to calm her down so she could breathe normally. I put her in her chair because sitting her upright is better than being flat. We also changed the trach while the nurse suctioned and cranked up the oxygen. It didn't seem to be helping, but Maggie was so panicked it was hard to tell.

I figured we better go and I started grabbing things I would need. As I raced around the house grabbing things I realized how unprepared we were. It used to be that everything was in a bag ready  to go, but Maggie has been so stable lately that bag has been put away. I could see that Maggie was calming down, but I wasn't positive she was ok and kept gathering things.

As it turned out, she did recover fine and we did not go to the hospital, but I learned a lesson from that and have been getting an emergency kit back together for easy access. Now that I am Maggie's conservator, I have to include those papers in my emergency kit so that  I can make decisions for her. I decided to put the papers I needed regarding the conservatorship, her medical history including allergies and medications and  a copy of the insurance cards in an envelope in the nurse's chart. They are marked as for emergency use and I can grab them in a flash.

I will put her emergency bag back in the hall closet with a change of clothes, some food, feeding tubes, diapers, catheters, books, a change of clothes etc ready to go. Then I will just have to grab my phone and charger and her music we can hit the road.


I figure if I'm ready we won't need it.



I would make a suggestion to anyone out there caring for a person with special health care needs. Do a history on the computer and include the medications and allergies and update it whenever there are changes. It's so easy to get the doctors up to speed when you arrive and they are very appreciative of the organized delivery of information. I also put it on a flash drive that I keep in my purse so they can copy and paste if Maggie gets admittted. I know the information is correct and complete and avoid scary mistakes.  I even bring a copy with me to the various medical appointments because it is just too hard to remember all the drugs and dosages. If anyone wants my template I'm happy to provide it. I just made it up, but it has everything you need!

 

Labor Day

Labor Day Weekend is here. It is the traditional end of summer. It used to be that school started the day after Labor Day, so it was important to cram as much fun as possible into the last weekend of summer. That is not as true these days because over the past several years many (if not most) schools have opened a week or so before Labor Day. Nonetheless, it is a weekend to be enjoyed.

Steve and I are going to a family party. His cousin and her husband are having a big anniversary celebration and the entire family is invited. That will be fun. This particular family has been the center of partying and fun over the past several years. They threw great weddings for each of their daughters. None of the rest of us has kids interested in or old enough for marriage. (It seems extended family gets together only at weddings and funerals. Weddings are a LOT more fun.) They live in Pleasant Hill, an aptly named suburb about 25 miles east of here, an easy jaunt over the Bay Bridge and beyond. When the invitation came for this party, I happily accepted.

That was before I realized the party was on Labor Day weekend. Especially Labor Day Weekend 2009. Getting anywhere will be a nightmare.

The San Francisco Bay Bridge, a major artery connecting the City to Oakland, Berkeley and all points east (including Pleasant Hill) is closed this weekend. The Bay Bridge, which carries over 280,000 vehicles every day, including weekends, will be closed from 8:00PM tonight to 5:00 AM Tuesday September 8. They are planning a mind-boggling feat of engineering and execution to install a stretch of roadway. (You can read about that here: http://sfgate.info/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/23/MNHU198AG1.DTL) This is a big deal here. That means over a million cars that would be using this bridge over the next few days have to find another way in and out of the City. Or another way to Pleasant Hill.

There are other ways, of course, We could head north over the Golden Gate Bridge and then east over the Richmond San Rafael Bridge and then cut back south to get out to Pleasant Hill. (an extra 40 minutes) or go south to the San Mateo bridge and cut north to get there (another hour). Alternatively, we can take BART – the Bay Area Rapid Transit – and leave the car in the City. Bingo. It will still take some extra time, but it is the most efficient of the three choices and the most responsible too.

The only problem with that plan is in case of an emergency. If something happens with Maggie, we cannot get back here quickly. I am uncomfortable with that. Not so uncomfortable that I won’t go, but it will definitely be at the forefront of my mind as we board the train, as we mingle at the party and on the way home. It will likely make the evening a bit shorter because I will be anxious to get back. This may sound alarmist, but that’s just how we roll. It is actually a huge leap forward for me. Up until about a year ago, I would not even consider going at all if we did not have a car. A few years before that I would not have gone across the Bay, with or without a car, if Steve were not home with Maggie.

She is stronger and tougher than she used to be, but she does not like it when we are both gone. Spoiled? Hmmmm. Perhaps. When she gets agitated, things tend to happen. But not this time. Nothing will happen. Of course, I am going to ask Tim to stay close to home, just in case. Tim cannot really intervene the way Steve and I can, but he is pretty good.

If nothing else, his presence can keep his mother from trying to swim home.