Sunday, February 23, 2020

Sunday, February 23, 2020

Tonight's picture was taken in February of 2003. Mattie was 10 months old and we got him dressed up to go to a birthday party. I love this photo because Mattie looked very cute as he was all dressed up to attend a little girl's tea party! I remember that party and that moment in time. Especially when it came time for birthday cake. Most kids love that part of any party, but NOT Mattie. Guess who usually landed up with his cake? That's right, me! Unlike Mattie, I love all kinds of sugar. 





Quote of the day: I have always believed that the Good Samaritan went across the road to the wounded man just because he wanted to. ~ Wilfred Grenfell

Last night (Saturday), we took Sunny for his evening walk. As we headed back home, we noticed three emergency vehicles in our complex's driveway. We tried to figure out where the emergency was, never thinking it would be on our floor. We could see a stretcher outside our neighbor's door. We have known JP since 1994. He is the fellow who owns a Jack Russell Terrier, a dog that Mattie loved to play with. 

Given we are not related to JP, nor are we his medical power of attorney, we felt like pushing our way into his townhouse while he was interfacing with the paramedics wouldn't be appropriate. Nonetheless, we waited outside his front door and spoke to the paramedics as they left his townhouse. We explained that we are neighbors and also have a key to his townhouse. They told us that JP did not want to go to the hospital. Given that we did not see JP, we figured things were stable. After we said goodbye to the paramedics and thanked them, we went upstairs to check on JP and his dog, JJ. 

Last night, JP was able to talk but seemed very dehydrated as he was suffering all week from gastroenteritis. He also seemed to be in pain, but he reported falling twice because he was so weak from the virus and dehydration. In any case, we made a deal with him...... if he did not want to go to the ER on Saturday night, we were going to take him to see a doctor on Sunday morning. In fact, we agreed to come into his apartment at 9am. THANK GOODNESS we did!

When we arrived this morning, JP's condition seemed ten times worse. We woke him up and he was disoriented, had slurred speech, and when I saw his face, half of it was drooping. Needless to say, Peter called an ambulance and within minutes three showed up. It was a balancing act managing doors and his dog. Getting into our complex requires a fob key, so I was running up and down the stairs letting emergency professionals into the building. Then the fun began. Our complex elevators aren't very big. They can barely fit a stretcher. However, once we got the stretcher to his front door, they were unable to get this stretcher up the stairs of the townhouse. Which meant that the paramedics had to figure out a way to get JP downstairs as he was unstable and couldn't move, and forget about walking. 

The paramedics called in on their radio for a basket stretcher and within minutes another crew arrived to bring this upstairs. JP was placed into this and was carried downstairs to the stretcher. Unlike last night, JP did not fight us about going to the hospital. In fact, he wasn't able to verbalize at all, which is why you ALWAYS need an advocate around in a time of crisis. When I met the fire department supervisor this morning and took him up the elevator to the townhouse, I basically told him that he had to take JP to the emergency room. That we would have done it ourselves, but he wasn't stable enough to move. Needless to say, I briefed the paramedics in the elevator, so by the time they arrived at JP's bedside, they could see the seriousness of the matter. 

I think it is vital that we are all aware of the acronym FAST, to help us remember the signs of a stroke............................................ 

F.A.S.T. – Signs of Stroke Should Prompt FAST Action
The American Stroke Association developed this easy-to-remember guide to help identify the signs of a stroke.

F – Face drooping. Is one side of the person’s face drooping or numb? When he or she smiles, is the smile uneven?
A – Arm weakness. Is the person experiencing weakness or numbness in one arm? Have the person raise both arms. Does one of the arms drift downward?
S – Speech difficulty. Is the person’s speech suddenly slurred or hard to understand? Is he or she unable to speak? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Can he or she repeat it back?

T – Time to call 9-1-1. If any of these symptoms are present, dial 9-1-1 immediately. Check the time so you can report when the symptoms began.

After JP was in the ambulance, we walked to the hospital and waited. Given that we are not family, the hospital truly did not have to talk with us. But on the contrary, I found everyone at the George Washington University Hospital very helpful. The ER doctor even came out to talk with us and basically thanked us for bringing JP in, most likely saving his life. We continue to call into the hospital and get updates, but without a medical power of attorney, we truly are getting locked out of the process. Which is a problem, given that there are no family members around to intervene.