Ick

Today we just got back from the Quad Cities. Ken's mom had an episode yesterday where her potassium dropped critically low. Her heart actually stopped a few times, and they had to perform emergency surgery to install a pacemaker. Scary stuff. Perhaps it's inevitable--everyone time I see an ICU unit I think of my dad and all the crap he endured. (His surgical history is a blog entry onto itself. One day when I'm feeling more spunky or more melancoly I'll go into it.) She went home today with a prescription for potassium and instructions not to drive or raise her arm above her head for four weeks. Why did her potassium drop so low? Every nurse I asked shrugged her shoulders, and I never did see a doctor. Stupid healthcare system. Working in healthcare makes being a patient/family member of a patient even more frustrating. I know basically how the system works and so it really pisses me off when I don't see it done right. End of rant.