Mother upset with son's camp

[rambisisking]

I am still awake at 3am, because I am so frustrated after a day of dealing with people at the band camp that my 12 year old son is attending.

Here's the scoop:

I took him to camp on sunday, about 2 and 1/2 hours away, this is his first time away from home for more than a night. It's a week, anyway, my son has asthma and many allergies. For this he takes Advair inhailer bid and Allegra, now the allegra he can have either 60 mg or 180 mg depending on how he feels that day and if he takes the 60 in the morning and needs another he can repeat it. Of course, if he takes 180 in the am then he can't repeat it. He understands his meds well and administers them himself and really seems to be in touch with what he needs. In any case, I had to turn in his meds at registration (state law) they assured me they would be administered per instructions...there was a health and medicine form I filled out spelling this all out and there were labels on the meds. They did let him keep his albuterol inhailer with him however. So the problem starts when he is talking to me on the phone sunday night and while we are talking a guy comes in and says to him well here's your allegra 60 mg's but we can't find your advair inhailer , it's ok though cause you'll be ok without it. I can hear him....I'm screaming in the phone to tell him to come back but my son doesn't want to cause any problems. So I get on the phone with all the phone no's we have trying to get someone and of course it is 10 at night and I get voice mails and messages telling me when someone will be there.

I call this morning talk to the camp counsler, she gives me the name of someone in health medicine for the university this is being held at and tells me that the camp is not responsible for the meds the university is. HuH

To make a long story a little shorter...after talking to 4 different people I finally talked to someone that said he would handle it and call me back. I got a call back saying that they had a meeting with my son and that he has his advair in his posession and that someone would come to his room and bring both doses of allegra that he only gets in the am, not the pm when they brought it to him, so I feel a little more at ease that things will be ok.

But....Nooooooooooooo.......

He calls tonight he does not have his advair, he has not had a meeting with anyone, he has no idea what I'm talking about. So I get on the phone again, calling the health medicine dept. which are athletic trainers, I did find out that they had pharm. courses. I almost fell over when they said there was no nurse there. They make some phone calls and tell me that the camp counsler who I talked with this afternoon, is on her way to my son's dorm to deliver the meds and gives me her cell no. I talk to my son a half hour later, no one has come, so I call her cell phone and she gives me a story about how busy her day was and how she had to have lunch brought to her ...bla...bla...bla. I remind her that it should not by my son's problem what her day was. (ever hear that before) and that if parents are asked to put our kids in their hands and trust the things they say then they have a responsibility to follow through. She became more defensive, before I asked if she was a mother, she suddenly got quiet and said yes, and then began to apologize to me. It was little comfort to me , I can't believe anything they say. I asked her to call me when she got to my son's room so I could talk to both of them, she did and he has the med now but still has to go for his allegra in the am. She really couldn't answer any of my questions of how the advair got lost or found why there was a meeting that never occured between her and my son, or why the system is breaking down in general. I do have a name of the director of the camp to call tomorrow. It got me thinking that if I had to cause such a deal just to get my kid his meds, what about those who don't, how many other mistakes are just blown over without a big mouth like mine.

I'm not sure if this really helped me to write all this out, I find myself stiffer still and unable to relax. Thanks to anyone who actually read this. Ahhhhhh....

[Bird2]

I am so sorry that you and your son are going through this mess. It is very frightening when a child has an asthma attack. I went through a similar situation with my son when he was in grade school. The MD insisted that he should carry the inhaler in his pocket and wrote a note. The school took it away from him. I did not find out until I got home from work and of course the school was closed. I was so mad I went to the school and demanded that a janitor get in the office and return it. That poor innocent guy did get the inhaler but I'm sure he only did it because I was ranting about people dying during an asthma attack. I am sure that I was overly dramatic. The camp should have called you as soon as they were aware of the inhaler bing missing. How sad that you sons first camp experience has been tainted. I would demand that they replace the inhaler. Advair is very expensive. With my insurance I had to pay 50 dollars for my sons last inhaler.

[texas_lvn]

As nurses, we are taught to be patient advocates. As parents, we have to learn. Good for you for following up on this. It sounds like this lady needs to get her ducks in a row, and head on out to sea. I hope the administrator does something to ensure this does not happen again!

[rambisisking]

Wow, there is some folks still awake. Thank you both for reading and responding. They did find the advair and give it to him tonight, maybe I wasn't clear on that. I know it must be hard to do everything right when there are that many kids to keep watch over. Then again, that is what they assure you will be done. how nice to have someone to talk this over with ....thanks again

[Bird2]

How sad that we both lost sleep tonight. I actually woke up at 3 Am in a panic over work related things. I guess I will go in early and get a jump start in the day. Glad they found the inhaler and have a great day. Maybe you'lll get a nap later?!

[rambisisking]

How sad that we both lost sleep tonight. I actually woke up at 3 Am in a panic over work related things. I guess I will go in early and get a jump start in the day. Glad they found the inhaler and have a great day. Maybe you'lll get a nap later?!

are you feeling better? anything we can help with?

[nurse_1098]

This does make me wonder what happens when there is not a parent checking as you did on how things are going and what meds the kid is actually taking.

I do hope you are gatting some sleep now, and that your son is breathing free and easy as he sleeps.

[Bird2]

are you feeling better? anything we can help with?

Thanks but just massive work and not enough time. I discovered that I need to be out of town for all day meetings twice this week and I have to get everything done before I leave. If I don't get the work done I will be at work all week-end and I'm trying to avoid that. I really, really want to go shopping this week-end plus take naps. Oh how I love naps!

[chattypattyCRNA2B]

That is a nightmare having to depend on other people to do something as serious as administering medication to your child and laymen at that! I can't believe that camp is not required to have a nurse on staff! I would check into that if I were you. It's funny, because I was just inquiring about the Girl Scouts just yesterday. I'm very overprotective anyway and this just makes me doubtful about looking into the program.

Remember about the cub scout who got lost a few weeks ago in the woods? A parent's worst fear!

[rambisisking]

Hi all, thanks for your comments. I just got off the phone with the managing director of the camp, after 4 calls to others before I got to her. She was very concerned that this had happened and asked me what to do about it. Do you believe that...she asked me what to do about it. Last time for this camp I would say. I asked if the person who actually gives the meds was linsenced to do so, she said no that they are prepared at the health medicine department then handed to Lisa to give. She is a camp counselor. She then distributes them to the kids, I ask how this is legal she says well we have been doing it for years and we are reviewed by state each year and we keep our license. What do you guys think of that?

I told her I did not think much of it, that as a nurse I could not legally hand medicine to a cna and have them give it to a patient. She says well thats true, but you deal with life and death situations????????/ lkWhat does she think an asthma attack is. I don't know what to do at this point, she said she would talk to lisa and that maybe she has to much to do and should not have the responsibility of the medications. I told her she needs to take responsibility for Lying to me and for not following through on her task. She has no right to decide that she can wait until she has time to give meds. There are state laws about that. In the meantime, my son is really having a wonderful time at camp and making friends or I think I would go and bring him home now. I'm still frustrated even though he now has his inhailer, and it appears that things have been solved. I want more...I don't know what, but I have spent hours on the phone ...long distance dealing with this problem, not to mention the hours of worry and frustration and lack of sleep,and even though this is solved for the moment, I feel unsatisfied. Oh well, I guess I'll get over it.

[Works2xs]

I would find out if the camp is licensed/inspected by a state agency, like Child and Family Services (Child Protective Servies...etc... seems each state has their own name). Call the office and make your complaint known. Your child will probably be finished with camp before anyone shows up, but you can rest assured that the camp director, the person in charge of the "Health Medicine Dept" and the counselor will spend some nervous time responding to a ton of questions. If the behavior is as common as it appears, the state can do all sorts of uncomfortable things.

[z's playa]

And I thought band camps were only in the movies ! :chuckle

I hope you and your son never have this upset again.

Z