What is the name of your state? illinois
My question is my father was 85 and died of a subdural hematoma. He had been prescribed coumadin and took it as well as his other prescriptions daily. My sister lived with him over the last year of his life and kept a close eye on him. Because she herself had suffered an injury sometime before she did not work and was with him constantly. In the last few months prior to his death he had been falling down somewhat regulary. Both my sister and I would usually accompany my father to his appointments and would discuss the particular situation. I had been doing this over the last four years for both my father and my mother who had passed away 13 months before. In other words I was very involved. When he died he had sent my sister out do some shopping. Because she doesn't drive these trips can take hours by bus. When my sister got back she found my father on the floor of his room in what would be called in laymens terms as an fit. She tried to wake him but was unable so she called 911. After calling me I drove the 35 minutes and picked her up. When we arrived at the emergency room we were met by to docters. They told us that he had had a head injury that had caused a subdural hematoma. They said that the injury had most likley occured two or more weeks before. The said that they felt that there wasn't anything that they could do but that the larger hospital 35 miles away maybe able to do something. So he was air lifted to Carle Hospital. Again we were met be doctors that told us that there was not anything further that could be done. That his head injury was so pronounced that they would leave him on life support until our brother could arrive. They told us that a bump on the head for an average person not on coumadin would just shake it off. But a person taking coumadin would have comparable outcomes.
What I would like to know is we knew our father was in poor health as did he but it didn't stop us from taking him tha a specialist to see if there were other paths untraveled. He may have been on his last years but he still gardened, he still loved visiting, he still loved seeing his children as we did him. He had just gone fishing with my brother and I. That day an elderly gentelman had flipped his fishing boat in the lake and the three of us helped rescue. He may of been old but he didn't sit and wait to die, and neither did we.
Then simple, why didn't his doctor tell us in any of a similar fashion that the doctors in the emergency room tell us to be aware of any bumps or bruises particulary to the head. Why didn't anyone tell us that this was a possible serious if not fatal injury. And knowing that this is a slow process time wise this could be avoided. Tell me was this our ignorance or the doctor mentality that old people really don't matter.
My question is my father was 85 and died of a subdural hematoma. He had been prescribed coumadin and took it as well as his other prescriptions daily. My sister lived with him over the last year of his life and kept a close eye on him. Because she herself had suffered an injury sometime before she did not work and was with him constantly. In the last few months prior to his death he had been falling down somewhat regulary. Both my sister and I would usually accompany my father to his appointments and would discuss the particular situation. I had been doing this over the last four years for both my father and my mother who had passed away 13 months before. In other words I was very involved. When he died he had sent my sister out do some shopping. Because she doesn't drive these trips can take hours by bus. When my sister got back she found my father on the floor of his room in what would be called in laymens terms as an fit. She tried to wake him but was unable so she called 911. After calling me I drove the 35 minutes and picked her up. When we arrived at the emergency room we were met by to docters. They told us that he had had a head injury that had caused a subdural hematoma. They said that the injury had most likley occured two or more weeks before. The said that they felt that there wasn't anything that they could do but that the larger hospital 35 miles away maybe able to do something. So he was air lifted to Carle Hospital. Again we were met be doctors that told us that there was not anything further that could be done. That his head injury was so pronounced that they would leave him on life support until our brother could arrive. They told us that a bump on the head for an average person not on coumadin would just shake it off. But a person taking coumadin would have comparable outcomes.
What I would like to know is we knew our father was in poor health as did he but it didn't stop us from taking him tha a specialist to see if there were other paths untraveled. He may have been on his last years but he still gardened, he still loved visiting, he still loved seeing his children as we did him. He had just gone fishing with my brother and I. That day an elderly gentelman had flipped his fishing boat in the lake and the three of us helped rescue. He may of been old but he didn't sit and wait to die, and neither did we.
Then simple, why didn't his doctor tell us in any of a similar fashion that the doctors in the emergency room tell us to be aware of any bumps or bruises particulary to the head. Why didn't anyone tell us that this was a possible serious if not fatal injury. And knowing that this is a slow process time wise this could be avoided. Tell me was this our ignorance or the doctor mentality that old people really don't matter.
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