August 2nd. We’re going to Wake Forest University Medical
Center: Sela, Carla and I. We're taking Adriana's car, since my car is
not up to par, and Melissa's car needs a front tire, and she woke up with
scratchy throat and stomach pain. I talked to the Wake Forest Burnt
Center and tomorrow they're going to assess Sela at the hospital’s ER and then
call in the Burn Team. I doubt they will keep her but, we shall see.
Otto will be home by himself, I think we'll be back before dark, but he'd
have been fed before we leave around noon.
3 August Off we went at noon, after Brian and Florence
helped us 'lift' Sela onto the car, since it’s a bit high for her. She
rode in the back, dizzy and sleepy and a bit nauseated from the pain killer.
We drove for 1 hour and a half and arrived at the ER entrance where two
people lifted Sela out of the car again, this time squashing her breasts and
making her wince and complain loudly. At the ER a doctor examined her and
said he would call in the Burn Specialist doctor. She was settled in bed
in a cubicle sleeping off and on.
The
young and very tall doctor came in and examined her. He said that the
tissue on her foot had not healed properly -sometimes this happens with the
elderly and young children whose skin is very thin. He said he was very
conservative about operating a 90 year old woman and that he would treat her
with a super special cream (and very expensive too, he added) that would eat
away that dead tissue, while the new tissue would start to form. He also told us that the swelling and redness
was not due to infection, but her body trying to get fluids and blood trying to
'fix' the wound. If in 3 weeks the new treatment works, then he would not
operate. If not, then she would have surgery to remove it, and get some
new tissue from her upper thigh.
The
other two burnt spots on her thighs seem to be healing properly and he showed
us where the new tissue was developing, even though it looked awfully raw and
angry. So, he dressed those spots with the Sulpha cream, putting it on
thickly as you would ice a cake, and covering them with soft gauze. The
foot he dressed with the special ointment and also wrapped in gauze. He
was very sweet with ‘Sela who flirted with him and told him he looked like
William, the British Prince. We are to see him again in 3 weeks.
Sela got some prescriptions for pain, not as strong as Vicodin, and was
told that the stabbing pain she feels on her foot is a good sign that her
nerves there are intact and complaining.
At
that time, 6pm, we were starving, so after discharge we went to the cafeteria
and ate a bland but very filling meal. ‘Sela was in good spirits but
awfully tired and sleepy. Departure with another lifting of ‘Sela onto the
car, this time she yelled: "Esperate, esperate" at the young intern
who was trying to help her. We almost peed in our pants at her complaints
and the intern’s face. Everything seems to hurt her, and it’s hard to
know how to help her. She's been so
brave and patient throughout this whole awful thing. We arrived home at
around 9pm, and again Carla and I attempted to ease her out of the car.
This time, because of heavy bandages on her wounds, she could slide down
to the garage floor where we got her into a walker with a seat, on to the lift
chair, off on the landing three steps to the waiting scooter, and hurriedly to
the bathroom!!!!
So,
all in all, the experience was a favorable one. We all were pleased with the
way she was looked after at this hospital and the doctor's instructions.
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