No broom trip required

Looks like I will not have to ride my ready broomstick to PA to resolve the issue about Uncle Carl's medication.  I have talked to everyone and  got very speedy results as I am prone to do; so this morning I pedaled my trike off to Curves and around town.  Most of these people know enough of me to  realize I will not be put off.

First the psychiatrist's nurse  returned the call  for the doctor yes and advised that he had not  prescribed that medication, that Carl was on it when he first saw him so he decided to continue it.  I explained that I thought this might have come as something to do with the urinary trac infection he had in March when they obtained antibiotics from Dr. Ferlan, the  primary care physician.  But after I researched I  was alarmed at this drug and did not feel it appropriate for my Uncle nor was it the "standard of care."  (Remember that phrase when dealing with the medical community. It really gets their attention! I learned about this in my professional career in the bureaucracy of CA.)  She said, "well  doctor said he would be willing to discontinue this medication if you do not want him on it."    "Well of course I don't want him on it--it's for schizophrenics for crying out loud not for dementia and is contra indicated for use with elderly, which I presume 92 years of age readily  qualifies as!"  I am wondering what kind of psych I am dealing with now that he has readily deferred to my  questions and yet I also feel a sense, of "oh not me, I didn't do it"   although I had been assured that he is an excellent doctor and had  a good impression when I spoke with him in PA.  Meantime she tells me that my Uncle had exposed himself and I went through the phone lines with a shrill "What?  When?  Who said, where,!  Uncle Carl doesn't even like to shower in front of the  female aides that work there!  That is absolutely out of character for him even with dementia!  Tell me the specifics because this is the first time I've heard such things.!"   She said she did not have any further specifics but that they would call the facility to immediately discontinue the meds and then we would see what happens.  Well we certainly will.  I thank her for the prompt response, within a couple hours of my initial call yesterday, and  hang up. 

Now I am angrier and perplexed as to why if this episode indeed occurred, no one has mentioned it and that facility knows well that I am to be contacted about everything.  When Jerry comes back inside I march upstairs and tell him I am really angry with Logan House (that's the facility where my Uncle resides.) and that plans for the RV rally trip may  not fit with a broom ride I may take to PA.   When Jerry hears this, he's dumbfounded too recalling that our entire time in PA  all everyone said was that Carl was doing fine.  So I tell him I will call the facility director in the morning as he has not yet returned my call and was out  when I called.  I recall my conversations with the aides on the weekend, because I know they can talk more freely if "management" is not hovering and yet they never indicated any  "exposure" or weird behavior like that. 

Meantime I put in a call to the primary care physician, but it's too late, the office is closed for the day. 

This brings us to bright and early 9:10 this morning  and the call from Phil, the director of Logan House.   Being his cheerful self he asks what he can do for me and  yet says, "but first, we got a call from Dr, K to discontinue Carl's medication today...so that's good."  That's good indeed I think, but I  explain curtly to him that I was more than  annoyed about this drug when I looked it up and further what, where, when, etc happened with the exposure?    He is  rather surprised too and since he is really involved and  in that facility daily and even stops by on weekends and brings his son along, I am now onto something.  The assistant director, Val, who is also an RN is in Phil's office and he asks her, "Has Carl ever exposed himself?"  I can hear Val say, "no, but Dr. K said it happened the first time he saw him."  I find this odd, could there have been a miscommunication  where perhaps my Uncle thought the doctor wanted to examine him?  This Dr. K is east Indian and has an accent while Carl is hard of hearing, so who knows.  Now we have a three way conversation as I tell Phil that  the Dr. K, the psych. said he had not prescibed the meds, so who did?  Phil assures me  they will investigate and I assure him that they must because I have a call in to Dr. Ferlan as well.  I explain that Carl has been on this medication since the end of March when the antibiotics came in for his  infection.  Now I am livid again, a mistake?  A mix up in meds?  Where?  Who?  The pharmacy, the facility, the doctor?  I also explain that I noticed a change in his habits while I was there, more tired, sleeping more but wrote it off to aging and now I suspect it may have been the medication.   Well, Phil is the  professional and  as I said knows  a bit about me and my background and ability to stir up a hornet's nest, so he is very concerned. 

Later today he calls me back to confirm the prescription came from Dr. Ferlan's office when the infection was underway and the facility called for antibiotics. And I ask him why then they would not have questioned the medication when it arrived, to which he has no response because he knows I've got him.  I mention to him as I did to Dr K's nurse that Aricept and Nomenda (?sp?)are the appropriate prescriptions for these cases and that I had previously discussed this with Dr. Ferlan and with Phil at the facility and we all agreed that there was no need to medicate Carl.   I have yet to hear from Dr. Ferlin, but I will.  I am satisfied now that I have my uncle safe from anti psychosis producing medication, but  whoever prescribed that has answers to provide.    Proving once again that we must be ever vigilant even in dealing with good  care  facilities for the aged.  Imagine what can happen to the elderly who have no one to oversee and or no one with knowledge. 

The rest of this story will fall into place, did a nurse misunderstand, was the drug for someone else, did the pharmacy mix up something?  But I have reserved my broom ride yet again.  It's good to be known in such a way  that responses are swift.