Hospital Hubbub

Hi all. Sorry for the serious gap in postings, things have been a little crazy around here. One of the brats, Collin, had surgery on Wednesday so we were busy getting ready for that. Nothing too serious, he had Brachial Cleft Cyst, and we have known about it since the summer (when it got infected and he spent the entire 4th of July holiday weekend in the hospital), and now it has finally been removed (along with a few infected lymph nodes it was hidden amongst).


So, for anyone who ever finds themselves in the hospital, here is an entry on a few helpful hints and facts for both the unexpected visit, and the planned one.


1. Never go on a holiday weekend. I know, I know, you can't help it if you have to. But dealing with a skeleton crew and a new doctor every 12 hours made getting any information hard, and it doesn't stay consistent if its a new persons perspective every time (On this note, a quick shout out to my Aunt and Uncle, who came out to visit and helped us get the answers we needed. Mwah).


2. The ER is terrible with children's IV's. Request someone from Peds to come do it if possible. They put an adult sized board under his arm to keep it from bending and him pulling out the IV. For starters, it was basically a weapon since the board when about 6 inches past his fingers. He was also very uncomfortable and hated it on his arm, and he still managed to pull out the IV at least once. The Peds nurses are of course much better at this since it is what they do, and just put in the little IV and wrapped some of that gauze looking wrap around his hand and arm to keep it in and safe, but still let him use his arm. This made for a much, much happier baby.


3. NEVER check your kids' symptoms online. It gives you terrible, frightening results. Like genetic disorders and cancer. Terrifying. You will never sleep again.


4. Stay calm. I know, it's hard. But the only way we made it through was by calming down, getting our thoughts together, and taking it one moment at a time. There is no time for freaking out. It scares you and the child. So stop, take a deep breathe, and drink a Venti Starbucks (works for me anyway). Also, a shower. Find a way, because you will feel way better (and those around you will appreciate it).


5. Ask questions. Write them down if you need to. We didn't have our thoughts together the first day (see number 4) and didn't ask enough of the right people, and the wrong people don't know the answers. So write them down and ask them all, none of them are silly when it is your child.


6. This is special, because we have twins. But, never underestimate how much better they will both feel (the one in the hospital, and the one at home with the grandparents or sitter or whoever) if they get to see each other. Letting ours play together in Collin's room and the Peds play area made all the difference for both, they both felt better. Remember, they have a special connection.




So, if you have a planned visit.... And ours was only one day....


1. Get all of the info. Not from online. See above about online searches of illness.


2. Be ready. Have your ID, your child's insurance, the paperwork and whatever else you need all ready to go. They hate it when you have to scramble, I know because I did and I got a dirty look the first time we weren't ready for something. By this appointment I was set and they loved me.


3. Remember those special things for you child. Ours have blankies, and special stuffed animals, so Collin's came with him. And we brought a Mickey DVD and our computer to play it on, as well as some books and other toys. Sure, you both have 2 bags with you for just one kid, but they are happy when they can play with their own toys. We may have made a mess, but we cleaned up after ourselves, and Collin actually had a lot of fun playing and watching his Mickey movie before the procedure.


4. Same as above, stay calm and ask questions. Its your kid, if your doctor walks in and says something wrong (like he might think he is doing surgery on his ear, not his neck......) be sure you call them out. Then talk to the nurse and make sure that they have everything right in the chart, too.


5. Anesthesia makes kids act hi-lar-i-ous. So bring a video camera. I wish I had so I could have captured the rolling and giggling and drunk looking eyes. But watch out for the falling down.


Also, you can doctor shop. Find the one you like and feel comfortable with. Ours was not a people person, but he was excellent. I mean, he doesn't make eye contact and wears one of those silver disc things on the head band which is really, really strange. But he was good at what he does, kept us informed, and answered all of our questions. Sometimes, the weirdest ones make the best surgeons.








Hope that this might help someone. Feel free to send questions or comments, but it is what I have learned through Collin's trips to the hospital over this cyst.