Sunday Nursing Visit

Sunday, October 5, 2008 -- 11:30 A.M. Early this morning, I vaguely heard someone calling my name as though from far, far away.  I awoke, startled, to see someone standing by the side of my bed.  It took a few moments before I recognized the person as being one of my CNA's.   I had been sleeping so soundly that I did not hear two of them knocking at my front door.  They placed in the code to my door, as they have been trained to do in such situations, and let themselves inside.  They must have been quiet as mice because I never heard either one of them.   After I had gotten up, and was getting ready to shave, the telephone rang.  It was my home health care nurse calling to see how I was doing.  I told her that I was adapting to being home from the hospital well.  She then asked to speak to one of my CNAs.  The two of them talked about the burn marks that were on my legs, and my nurse decided that she should come out to see me this morning, which she has now done.   I told her that since I got home from the hospital, I had been feeling dizzy.  After we talked it over for a while, we decided it was a strong possibility that it was being caused by only using one hearing aid, rather than two as I usually do.  Part of the other hearing aid had been broken by someone at the hospital, so I cannot use it until it is repaired.    At various times throughout the day, I sometimes feel dizzy, as well as when I go to bed and go from a sitting position to a prone one.  That is probably when it is the worst.   I was concerned about some other medical problems I was having, so while she was re-bandaging my legs, from the burns I had received, we discussed some of the things about which I have been worried.    That was one of the most meaningful talks I have ever had with a nurse from a home health care agency. If someone had previously talked with me about the things we discussed today, and some of the misconceptions I have had throughout the years, I would probably have been in a much better mental state a long time ago.   (The burns on my legs are much better now, and my nurse will be returning Tuesday morning to check on them one more time.)