Another year is almost passed. Another anniversary of Doug's death coming up on 12/4. The good news is there were 2 more Heart and Hustle winners.
The first one is a wonderful lady. My#1 son and her son were college friends. Her son was SO proud to introduce his Mom to all his ccollege buddies. "Hey, see that lady? That's my MAMMA! She's gonna be a RN."
Well, last year, tragically, her son was killed. I know how tough it is to put your feet on the floor after the death of a child, but to finish nursing school??? She is one incredible woman. And now, has her RN license!!!
The second is a young man who had multiple setbacks, most of them financial-but, with the help of his classmates, ate and got to clinic and FINALLY graduated!! I'm proud to know him. An honorable young man-just like Doug was.
Getting ready for the December graduation and another winner.
Joey is bow 15 and had some major surgery in feb. He had a repair of a pectus carinatum and insertion of an Adkin's rod to stabilize his multiple rib fractures post op.
That was an interresting experience.
The one thing I learned from Doug's death is to NEVER LEAVE YOUR LOVED ONE UNATTENDED IN ANY HOSPITAL. I don't care how good they are, where they're rated in the system, etc. It doesn't matter. Mistakes can, and are made. It's just one more precaution to safeguard your son.
Joey was concerned that the hospital was 'going to kill me like they killed Daddy".
Told him, "No, this is a children's hospital. They're very good at what they do and they will take very good care of you".
'Yeah, that's what you said about the place where they killed Daddy.'
score
Joey 1
Mom 0
In pre-op, I inform the anestheologist of his fears, everyone else already knew. Thankfully, they allowed me to accompany him to the OR. As he's drifting off to sleep and I'm still talking to the doc, the doc says to Joey, "I PROMISE I will take very good care of you and nothing will happen to you."
Joey pulls off his O2 mask and says (very groggy) 'Good, have you seen my brother?'
Joey don't threaten the doctor.
The hospital staff didn't meet #1 son, 6'6", 260#, bodyguard, martial arts expert, dressed in black leather (coming from work) until 12 hours later, when Joey was in PICU.
When the night nurse commented that 'too bad he couldn't have stayed longer-Joey did better when he was here', VS, Pulse OX, etc were all so much improved.' even though he scared the heck out of them. I knew we weere on the right track! sigh
they came to learn that #1 will protect his little brother with his life. And Joey already knows it!!
I stayed with him from the moment he checked in, until the moment he checked out. I left his side only when #1 or one of my RN girlfriends were there, to shower, etc.
Day 2 (1st day post op), he was bleeding, had a temp of 102 and his labs were crappy. 3AM the "chief surgical resident" and 2 young, very young residents come in to examine him. "Well, we really don't wasnt to transfuse him-that causes too many problems, we really don't want to take him back to surgery, that causes too many problems, we're probably gonna just pull the J-P tube and put a 10# sandbag on his chest to stop the bleeding"
I don't think anybody told him that I was an RN, or that I had a nursing license for 36 years. The 2 gals who were with him are doing the bobble head, nodding in agreement with every word he's saying, not thinking for themselves.
The night nurse is standing behind him, cringing, waiting...
I smiled at him and said, "You DO understand that he has the equivalent of 30 broken ribs? You Do understand that he weights 90#? Nod if you know anything about the surgery that my son had? Have you discussed this with his surgeon? Forget that I'm an RN for longer than you've been alive and am fully aware of transfusion pros and cons as well as the pros and cons of taking him back to the OR!! And you want to pull his JP??" (hey doc, do you know what you're doing??)
This would have been his cue to play stupid and say that he confused Joey with another kid in the unit. But, no, it gets better..."Well, we could make it a 5#bag?"
 "GET OUT!!! AND DO NOT DARKEN MY SON'S DOORSTEP EVER AGAIN!!!!"
they turned and ran
the night nurse clapping her hands "I wondered how long you were gonna listen to that"
score
Joey 2
Mom 1 (but a big one!!)
Day 2 later in the morning
His surgeon has been in, we're getting him ready for a transfusion, this is the second day he's had the day nurse. Now, someone else comes in and starts moving beds around. I'm told they're moving Joey down the hall. Not out of PICU, just to another room. (Joey has Asperger's syndrome and doesn't do well with change.)
"Uh, why are we moving him?"
turns out they want to put 2 kids in that room who are both infected, so they want to move Joey to another room with a child who's not infected. OK, we can work with that. Until I find out, they're also changing his nurse. Because, the nurse who has the new room doesn't want to take the child in isolation, doesn't want to walk 2 doors down the hall.
Wait a minute..What about Joey?? What about the nurse who took care of him yesterday, who knows him, who has spent 3 hours with him this morning, assessing him, getting him ready for a transfusion...now she has to sign off on him, and get another new critically ill patient to start all over with, and Joey has to get another nurse to reassess him, and postpone the transfusion until she's ready??? NO NO NO!! Where in the hell is continuity of care?? I've been that nurse in ICU who gets dumped on and don't think it's fair or right for the nurse OR the patient. It's one thing if the nurse gets sick herself, but I can't justify a change in assignment just because of laziness.
Now, I'm sure some of the nurses are cringing about the overprotective mother, demanding, angry, out of control and that you're glad Joey wasn't in YOUR unit. Tough!!!!! I stick up for nurses too!!!!!!
I shot a text to a buddy of mine who happens to be the attorney for the hospital. About 5 minutes later, risk management was at the bedside, taking control. The compromise was that we would move rooms and keep the nurse. (Turns out 2nd nurse was asst mgr of the unit and gave me dirty looks whenever she saw me--oh well)
score
Joey 3
Mom 2
Day nurse 1
Asst mgr 0
The rest of the 8 day stay (5 of them in PICU) was uneventful. Joey got VERY GOOD care and I don't give a hoot that I was with him every minute of it!!
He still is not 100 %, but much improved.
Of course there's the HUGE scar on his chest that looks like a peace sign, or a mercedes benz symbol. Joey wants to get a triangle connecting the scar so it looks like his jiu-jitstu symbol! (when he's 18)
Joey's pretty excited that he sets off the metal detector at the airports and can show the TSA folks his scar (just to prove he's NOT a terrorist with a bomb strapped to himself----sigh)
Life goes on.... |