Half an Hour of Great Pain

One day around lunch on a day I had left my Dad with my mom in her nursing home, I got a call from the nursing director at the home. My Dad had hobbled to the nursing desk and told them his legs were in severe pain, so bad he needed them to take him to the emergency room. I had a back and forth with them about this. They had checked him for shortness of breath and chest pain, listened to his heart. In their view he was not an emergency, but they couldn't administer treatment because he was a visitor not a patient. 

I told the facility I was on my way, although I did take a few moments to grab some food to eat for lunch on the way down. About ten minutes later I got a second call. Now he wanted an ambulance called. I told them I'd be there soon. 

When I arrived he was in the lobby, madder than a wet hen. I should have let them call an ambulance. I repeated the questions about shortness of breath and chest pain, neither were present. His legs hurt. I suspected based on my internet searches on plantar fasciitis that it might be due to this condition.  

I pulled my car around and he slowly came out and got into the car. I decided to take him to a small outpost of our local hospital that was fairly nearby. I suspected from previous experience it might be quicker than the urgent care facility about the same distance from us. 

Sure enough we were the only people in the lobby and the emergency room appeared to have at most one or two other patients. Within a half an hour we saw a doctor. 

When asked why he was there, my dad told the doctor, "I had a little leg pain and my daughter made me come." I explained this was a bit different than merely 45 minutes prior. 

The doctor did find a spur on one of his heels and his legs had edema. He suggest keeping his legs elevated and compression socks. He also suggest a visit to Dad's doctor. I picked up the socks from a pharmacy near the Garden, reported things to the medical folks at the Garden, and asked them to help Dad with his socks which weren't exactly easy to put on his legs. 

We went to see his doctor who did see the leg swelling and prescribed Lasix and diuretic. He also encourage a full check up and I made that appointment. 

(As an aside, when I brought him back to see mom a few days later multiple staff asked about him. I told them what he had told the doctor at the emergency room. All of them laughed at his description given the scene he had caused with them. I was glad this episode didn't get him banned from coming on his own and just smiles instead.)