Upset With a Doctor

There is some doctor in the ICU today who is really grating on my nerves. According to the sign in the hallway, visiting hours start at 9:00, but there is a doctor who isn't letting anyone into the unit at all until he finishes seeing every patient. They wouldn't let me in at 9:00 but they finally let me come back when Jenni got upset and asked for me. But even then, when the doctor got to her room, they kicked me off the hall. Somebody mentioned violations of HIPAA as the reason for clearing the hallway, but shouldn't the primary caregiver be allowed to be present when the doctor makes his rounds? I don't think it would bother me so much if Jenni was fully aware and understood what the doctor was talking about... but she's not fully comprehending everything and she knows it... and as I was leaving she just said, "No, I don't know what's going on."

I'm trying not to explode..........

Luckily, Martha (see the sidebar if you click the link; Dr. Chao was the doctor over her bone marrow transplants) was in the room when the doctors came through. I don't know her exact title anymore, but she's one of the head honchos on the ABMT team. She was able to stay and she let me know that they really weren't changing anything today. They're keeping her in ICU until her breathing improves and they're going to continue the Amicar and Enbrel medications.

New medication

Dr. Chute was just in a few minutes ago and is going to start some new medication that will hopefully turn things around for Jenni. They will be giving her Amicar for the bleeding in her lungs and Enbrel for the Graft vs. Host disease. The new drugs will be given every six hours. They have just finished giving her the plasmapheresis. Dr. Chute has decided to move her back to ICU to better monitor her breathing.