The Other Side of The Stethescope

The past few weeks have been harrowing ones. About three weeks ago I got spit on while examining a 3 year old little girl. Then about 5 days after that I developed a crazy case of conjunctivitis. The red eyes lasted for about 5 days before I developed a fever and terrible sore throat for another 5 days. Then as I was getting better the kids got the bug. I was glad that I already had the bug because I wasn't as concerned when they had very prolonged fevers of 3-4 days. But then when Tristan was still with very high fevers and developed a rash I started to get concerned about some sort of bacteremia or Kawasakii's Syndrome.

Monday, the day after the rash developed I made an appointment first thing in the morning. As Tristan's fever seemed to lessen I cancelled the appointment. Then I thought better of it and rescheduled it again! We went in the afternoon after his nap to the Pediatrician and his fever promptly broke in the office. However at that point we had bought ourselves a more significant work-up. Tristan got catheterized and a heel stick in the office which showed clean urine but a slight white count. We would have expected the white count to go down with a virus so the Pediatrician was concerned enough to send us to Scottish Rite. We went to the ER there and the doctor that saw us there was concerned enough by the white count of 22 and elevated CRP and sed rate to admit us to the hospital.

In the waiting room of the ER there is this really fascinating machine that the kids can control that sets these wheels in motion around a very fun obstacle course. Once they are set in motion by the kid the balls are in for a wild, suprising and sometimes frightning journey. I began to feel just like these balls in the machine. I think that once a chain of events is set in motion sometimes it is impossible to stop it.

Off we went dutily to our hospital bed. We must have got settled in around 9 or 9:30 PM. It was a little overwhelming getting a lot of information all at once at the end of a long day. I have a hard time in hospitals. I have a hard time asking for things and being a patient so I wasn't being very diligent about getting answers. I just wanted to get settled and get Tristan some rest.

We were finally seen by the hospitalist on the floor at around 11. He was not very impressed by the Kawasakii's picture which I was glad of. He wanted to make sure his fever did not spike again so we settled in for a little rest. Tristan fell asleep after a fit sitting up with his head leaning on the guard rail. After he was settled and I was almost dozing off they came in to take his vitals AGAIN. I protested and they slunk away. Then at 3 AM they came in to tell me that they were going to need to get a urine and could they put a bag on him. I couldn't believe that they were actually considering disturbing him again to do that. I let them know that I would get it in the AM. Then at 4 AM they came in to put the numbing cream on his arms so they could get the labs drawn. The nurse seemed suprised that he was so upset about being awoken again. (At this point in the night he had torn his IV out) Then at 5 AM they came in to do vitals, followed by the phlebotomist to get the lab draw.

At this point Tristan was really restless and not settling back down so I got into bed with him and we slept until around 7:30 with some restlessness and waking in between. After we were awake we were starving and had no idea how to get food! I guess I expected somebody to bring us something. I figured out how to order the food and the lady at the nurses station said it would be up in 15-20 minutes and if not then she would "put a rush on it". After about 20 minutes I called and they said that no that the food usually takes about 30-45 minutes. I was starting to get a little desperate at this point and wanting to break free of the place since my child was clearly very healthy and fever free.

After a little nudging the nurse was more persistent about calling to spur the pediatrician along. He came and saw us around 11 AM and agreed to let us go. The labs testing for adenovirus were still pending but he was not concerned enough about Tristan to keep us there.

I was reminded of a lot during this experience. I was reminded of my Great Grandmother's words, "You won't ever get what you want if you sit there with your mouth all pinched up". You have to be both persistent and respectful in order to get your needs met in this world.

Tristan is fine and safe and sound at home. He was very traumatized by all of the procedures. I am so very thankful that we do not have sick children. I am reminded of all of the brave Moms and Dads who battle cancer, kidney and heart disease and I am so very humbled.

The experience also left me wondering if the extra cautiousness around our case is due to a more caring society or a more letigious society. What I was really looking for in all of this was just a little reassurance that my medical decision making process was on track. However my worst fears were multiplied by the medical system. I was left with the cynical feeling that I forced their hand.

In the words of William Ross Wallace, "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle Rules the World". However the hand that rocks the boat of our crazy healthcare system rules not it's own destiny!