I spent most of the day with my mother today. I left the house at 8:30 and headed for Eau Claire. The plan was to pick out a few more items for moving, a last visit with her doctor, before heading back to Minneapolis with Mother in tow. She is going to see her new apartment and have an assessment with a nurse tomorrow. Then Jane will drive her back home.
It was a long day. A 100 mile drive, twice. A visit to the doctor, who spends a whole lot of time with each patient. Mother and Father both love(d) him, but he is always behind on his appointments. Then, we packed for the night, but mom kept forgetting something. Anyhoo, it ended up being a long day.
When we returned to our condo, Dennis was due for a feeding. Damn, his tube was blocked. I reread the information given to us and tried to empty his stomach contents with suction. Nothing. I tried putting water into the stomach, with no success. I tried a new suction tube. I tried hot water. Nothing.
I called the hospital. I could not find the direct number and the receptionist, although very pleasant, couldn't figure out what I needed either. Eventually, I was hooked up with a guy that understood what I wanted. While he transferred me, he told me that inserting Coke into his tube might loosen the blockage. As my sister Jane said, "that says alot about what we are putting into our bodies."
I left a message and received a call back a short time later. Pump, back and forth, warm water into his tube. Much like rocking a car out of snow. Slowly, in and out, back and forth.
Thankfully, this worked. Dennis is still officially without insurance. Yes, he will be covered by my insurance, but the paper work is not processed, yet. It's best not to take him to a doctor until the official cards have arrived. I really do not want to face one more insurance fiasco.
Until later,
Ann and Dennis
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