So What Did We Learn?

People hear different things
Anyone listening to Rosemarie could hear the gurgling in her chest. The locum doctor could hear 'bubbling' through his stethoscope. The paramedic could hear 'crackling' through hers. Nobody at the hospital (including me) could hear anything. Either it mysteriously cleared up just as we got to A&E (cold air maybe?) or something else is going on. 

Doctors aren't very good at communicating
The doctor called the ambulance and wrote a referral letter but very little detailed information seemed to get through to A&E Reception. They were very interested in what I had to say but I felt that I was having to provide all the information rather than providing background and detail. 

Once an idea takes hold it is hard to get rid of
I never referred to Rosemarie's lack of movement down her left side. I didn't mention it as part of the reason for admission. I didn't mention it at all. Somehow someone observed it and thought it was part of the problem. Plans were made to investigate it without checking with me. Even in the late afternoon there was a suggestion that her discharge may be dependent on the results of the scan. In the end she moved too much for the image to be clear but the general analysis was loss of brain volume consistent with Alzheimer's.

Hospital food is still terrible
It is a mystery to me how anybody gets better in hospital if they eat the food. Unless their body forces them to get better so they don't have to.

Change causes deterioration
We were warned about this. Change inevitably results in a noticeable alteration in responses and abilities. We saw it after the X-ray and to a much greater extent after this hospital visit. She has shut something down. She hardly reacts to stimuli at all and for extended periods she just lies there, not looking around, not making any noise.