Call to an ACF (assisted care facility... basically low level nursing)

[Levi]

Diaphoresis and a general feeling of discomfort is a bad sign, especially in someone her age. At that age, she is much more likely to have an MI with no chest pain or other specific symptoms. Also she is much less likely to spike a fever if this was an infectious process with sepsis, so do not rule that out. With recent root canal surgery you must also consider bacterial endocarditis and complications associated with that. At any rate, she's earned herself a trip to the hospital to get checked more thoroughly and have some labwork done. I hope she is OK; please let us know how everything turned out, if you can.

[island emt]

She's 100 years old and existing in a nursing home ! how much longer do you want her to live for crying out loud.

[Eydawn]

This particular lady has excellent quality of life, so as long as she friggin' wants to fight for is my vote!! She told us the other day she's got to make it to a hundred and one because "Her Name 101" sounds like a "college basket weaving course!!" She's absolutely one of the most amazing women I've ever had the chance to meet. I will be very sad when she finally makes her exit. I wish she was a DNR, personally, so that they wouldn't have to work her when she does code... but it's her choice and I respect that.

She apparently had some elevated cardiac enzymes, but not to the point that would indicate an MI (got this second hand from a nurse, so not sure if I got the full picture or not.) They were in fact thinking cardiac, as most of the rest of her labs came back within normal limits (or normal for her I guess I should say.)

She was given the amoxicillin due to having developed a slight abscess related to an extraction. The amoxicillin was maintained throughout her hospital stay and still administered upon return to our facility, so I think we can mostly rule that out. She's normally hypertensive but is on beta-blockers (found that out digging through her computerized chart) at a very low dose to maintain her more within a "normal" range. No real evidence of sepsis according to what they did for her in hospital.

As far as having her self ambulate, I certainly wouldn't have... but that's me...

Thanks all for your responses!! She was definitely a puzzler, but she's back up and running and seems no worse for the wear!

Wendy

CO EMT-B