LogFAQs > #944401974

My grandmother has had some unexplained deficits in the past couple of months and is no longer able to communicate in any meaningful way. After a hospital stay she had to go to an LTAC for monitored care. The facility called my mother in the wee hours of the morning and told her that my grandmother was spitting up/vomiting and that they would have to send her to the hospital. The hospital then called my mother about an hour ago and told her that because my grandmother's hemoglobin was so low they had to give her blood. Turns out the "spitting up" the LTAC was talking about was blood. She was vomiting blood. They didn't mention that at all. The hospital didn't bother to notify my mother beforehand despite knowing that my mother has control of my grandmother's medical decsions.

My grandmother is very religious and very against any form of blood product. She has a directive that is quite clear. The directive is updated every five years, and has been consistent in saying "no blood" for 60 years. They've had her as a patient before and they know she'd rather die than receive blood. In the past when she could talk she's expressed this to them before and made sure it was on the record.

My mother is now extremely upset because she knows how much my grandmother is against this. When she could speak, and they told her she would die without a transfusion she was still adamant about not taking any blood.

It's an unfortunate situation.

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