This time last year I was out shopping for a card and something to let my Mother know how special she was to my family and I. This year all the ads and news clips about mothers day bring me to tears. I lost my Mother on November 3, 2011. She was at Hendersonville Health and Rehab for physical therapy and to gain back her strength after a surgery in September. She was doing better than she had done since the surgery.
The morning she was supposed to come home, I got a call at 5:07 am with a nurse telling me she was not breathing. She told me they were trying to recussitate her. I immediatly drove over to Hendersonville Health and Rehab. I went in, and to the nurses station on her hall. The nurse on her hall told me she had been transported to Pardee Hospital. I immediatly drove to Pardee, where I arrived in time to see them taking her from the ambulance. I went into the emergency room and was told that she had just arrived and was told to take a seat in the ER. I called my wife and son to come there. It seemed like forever till they came and brought me back to the little room with a table, chair and couch. There was one nurse and one doctor present. They told me that Mom had passed. Time stood still as I kept hearing those words over and over again. When I was able I asked them to bring my wife and son back, and we all cried together. The rest of the family were there in about an hour. It was the worst day of my life so far.How could this happen on the day she was supposed to come home?
In the days preceeding her funeral lots of questions were brought up about what happened. I have spoken to the nurses at Hendersonville Health and Rehab, the county and State medical examiners, Mom's doctors, (the surgeon tried to get an autopsy done ) he couldn't believe she had passed. Her regular doctor said he couldn't believe it either. When he found out the supposed cause of death, he said he had recently examined her and there was nothing wrong with her heart!
After hearing all of this I went to Hendersonville Health and Rehab and spoke to the Director of nursing, Susan Habel, and the assistant director of nursing. They told me a story and had the nurse that was on duty that morning, Tammy Mace RN come tell me what she could to ease my mind. I felt like someone was lying about something. I went to the EMS and obtained a copy of their report and it did not exactly match the story I had been told by Hendersonville Health and Rehab.
Next I went through all the steps to be appointed as the administrator of Moms estate just so I could access her medical records. When I got them from Hendersonville Health and Rehab the director, Cookie Romeo met me and definatly had an attitude towords me .
The whole family sat and looked at them and that just led to more questions and suspicions. Most of the forms had the wrong room number on them. There were hand written notes and printed notes it was like a nightmare. Most veternarians keep better records.
All I can think is She was supposed to come home that day!