A DOCTOR

It's been one of those nursing home/ doctor office days.

We are sent for severe GI bleeding. Woman with Alzheimers has a black tarry stool indicitive of some GI bleeding. She is oblivious to any problem.

Woman cuts her foot. Severe bleeding we are told by nursing home. Bleeding all stopped.

Woman with Alzheimer's has oxygen saturation in the 70's we are told. For us, she looks fine. Sat is 98%, good color, good vitals. No pain or dsypnea. No distress. I think instead of taking the woman to the hospital, we should take the pulse oximeter to the repair shop. This has become an all too often occurance.

Woman goes to her doctor's for a routine appointment. Says she had lower back pain and shortness of breath on exertion today. She has a history of anemia. She says she gets these symptoms whenever she becomes anemic. She gets blood transfusions once a month. It has been two months since she had her last one. The doctor says she has ECG changes, low blood pressure and may be having a dissecting Triple A. The woman is warm and dry, pain free, with no pulsing masses, good distal pulses, her new ECG looks just like her old one. The doctor says she must be rushed to the hospital and seen right away by a doctor. Her blood pressure is 120/80. I assure the doctor that her patient will be seen today by a DOCTOR.