3 Doctors = 3 Different Diagnoses

Since December, Bob has been complaining about mouth pain. He began complaining at the Acute Rehab Hospital and I asked for a doctor to look at his mouth. Nothing happened there. So, when he came home I asked the home care nurses to take a look. No one could see anything wrong with his mouth. I took him to his primary care doctor, who ordered x-rays and looked in his mouth and could see nothing wrong, so suspected it was "nerve damage" from the stroke. He prescribed Lidocaine ointment. Which didn't work. I took him to the Pain Management doctor, who looked in his mouth, and thought it might be an infection of some sort. He prescribed nerve block injections (which didn't work) and also to smear his gums with yogurt... This week, I took him to the Endocrinologist, who looked in his mouth and said it looked like Bob had Scurvy! (Ahoy, mate! Who'd of thought?) That doctor asked what type of feed is used in Bob's feeding tube, and then told me that these solutions are not all that great for nutrition. He believes that Bob has been suffering from a vitamin deficiency, and sent me to the pharmacy for multi-vitamins plus extra C and 1000 mg of Vitamin D. He also said I should shoot Orange Juice into Bob's feeding tube. This doctor was also appalled that the Rehab doctor had doubled Bob's steroids, saying to me "What is he trying to do? Kill him? He can get Cushing's Disease from this, and look at him, he doesn't look well." Boy, did I feel terrible. I mean, I've been giving him the prescribed dose and didn't even know it was dangerous.... Who can you believe? Or trust?

This week, Occupational Therapy dropped off the map, followed by Physical Therapy. (They are waiting for "approval" to continue from the insurance.) This caught me off guard, because I was told everything would continue until the 28th.  I did talk to that Social Worker, who is going to see if she can straighten things out and get Home Health Care approved for another 60 days. I pray she does. Meanwhile, I have become both the Occupational and Physical Therapist. No wonder I'm exhausted.....

On a good note, Bob has been able to bend his right knee a little more this week!