Tag Archive for 'Hospital'

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The Soul Would Have No Rainbow Had The Eyes No Tears.

Published on January 29, 2010 in Hospital and Parenting. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Crying. Babies do it for a variety of reasons, be they in need of food, nurturing, diaper changing, or something else. They do it a lot and they do it loudly. A group of babies can sometimes comfort each other or they can feed off each others’ tears. You’ll never guess what happened today.

It was my turn to spend the majority of the day at the hospital and I did just that. I showed up just after Layla finished eating and she was sitting alone at a small table on the floor playing with her cup. As soon as I entered, the room went silent. 7 pairs of tiny eyes were trained on me like snipers watching an inbound target. I knew some of the kids but, as usual, a few new ones were there and a few old ones left. You know we’ve been there too long when we’ve seen a full rotation of kids go through the room.

The silence didn’t last long as I chatted with Layla a bit before another kid chimed in. She was quite happy to continue talking to me even after I replied in English. I didn’t understand a word she said, but nodded and smiled at the pauses – that seemed to be enough to satisfy the kid.

Layla’s student nurse showed up at one point, not long after I arrived. She was eager to play again and Layla was less than eager to oblige. I felt a little bit bad for the poor student as I know she was trying her best to get Layla to play, but I’m happy to say she just wanted to be spend time with her old man. Of course the student’s immediate appraisal of the situation was that Layla must be tired. It’s actually a common conclusion that many nurses have made over the last two weeks – I think they must think Layla has narcolepsy or something.

Over the last two weeks, Layla has had several students poking and prodding her, checking her temperature and pulse several times a day. I don’t think a stethoscope is that hard to use, but the students practiced it so many times I’m beginning to think there’s something I’m missing. Today, when the student came to play with Layla she had just pooped. I tried to explain that she wanted her diaper changed, Layla tried to explain it, I got a diaper and wipers from the desk but the student ignored me and still wanted to play. Maybe she gets marks for effort or something. Well, as annoying as she was, I think she’ll be getting bonus points for today – after I laid Layla on the bed I tossed the diaper to the student and said “Good study lesson, eh?” and asked if she wanted to change the diaper. Layla cried in fear and the shock on the student’s masked face was priceless. She closed the curtain around the bed and asked me how to open the diaper. I helped, ripping the diaper and holding Layla while the student got her hands dirty cleaning up, using 10-12 wipers in the process. After we were done, she thanked me for giving her the opportunity… if I’d only known two weeks ago what I know now.

I got in trouble from one nurse today because I unplugged Layla’s battery-powered IV machine so she could play with one of the kids she’s grown attached to. I know I’m not a doctor or nurse, but I think it’s a healthy thing for the kids to interact and play with each other… instead, the nurse told them they can only talk from across the room, insisting I return Layla to her bed and re-plug in the machine. Even after I pointed out that there was an empty socket on the wall beside her friend’s bed, she refused. It might have been a language thing, I’m not sure. That’s the reason I’d have given if she saw me some time after she left when I re-unplugged Layla’s machine and let them play. =)

One of the recurring things I see every day in the hospital is kids crying for their moms to come and visit them. One of the (many) things that I disagree with is the nurses totally ignoring them, for tens of minutes. Today there was at least two kids crying in the room of seven at almost all times. Being the only parent there for the first couple hours, I did my best to calm them down but it was a losing battle. A couple nurses came in once or twice and calmed one or two of them down, but that was the exception and is far from the rule. I understand they have rounds to do, medicine to give, etc, but there are a lot of nurses there and I know the other rooms are virtually empty. You would think (hope) that since they banned most everyone from visiting that they’d at least put a little extra effort into taking care of the kids… at least, I would hope so.

Tamie showed up around 18:00 today, just after Layla started eating. As soon as Tamie got settled, I bolted. I wanted to give them the opportunity to spend some time together… and I wanted to get out of the insanity for a bit.

I got back about an hour later and there were a couple more parents there. One poor dad was holding his baby son, both sweating profusely. The kid wouldn’t stop crying no matter what the dad did. Been there, done that. Layla, ever the saint, wanted to go try to play with the crying kid so we all went over to see. Nothing we did seemed to help and the kid continued to bawl. It wasn’t until nearly the end that we found a toy that the kid liked, and he started playing and laughing. Finally, there was a peace in the room, as every kid had a parent, a toy, or both to keep them busy. Phew.

When the lights went out, I laid down on the bed with Layla. For whatever reason, she seems to get more energy nowadays at the end of the day than in the middle of it. I take it as a good sign that she’s got more energy. I tried to get her to sleep, and she tried hard. She squeezed her eyes shut, she tossed and turn trying to get comfortable, she squeezed her miffy hard, but alas… she kept finding something to laugh about. Just before 21:00, I traded spots with Tamie so she could lay with Layla for a while since it was obvious she wasn’t going to fall asleep. When the nurse came, Tamie got up and Layla popped up like a jack-in-the box. She hopped around on her bed, saying good night to us and reminding me not to forget my umbrella. As we left, she finally laid down, hopefully to sleep.

Layla is certainly much better than the last two weeks, wanting to play and run around. Unfortunately, the planned removal of the IV tomorrow has been postponed because the poor kid keeps coughing and the doctor is being extra cautious. Hopefully it doesn’t affect the planned Sunday release. I don’t know if I could stand another day in that place, even if Layla is adjusting.

Step By Step

Published on January 27, 2010 in Hospital and Parenting. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I was planning on being in the office by 7am to allow for an early departure so that I might spend some time at the hospital with Layla. Unfortunately, that was not to be…

I woke up this morning with a kick in the back as Tamie did her best to shake me from what I can only imagine was a delightful dream. The 5am alarm that I so meticulously set the night before somehow didn’t go off, and the 7am angry wife had to suffice. It more than did the job.

I ended up at the office just before 9am, but surprisingly still the first one in. A full day’s work was done, in fact it came down to the wire on the last task I was working on. I left at 16:15, hopeful that the work I just finished was done correctly but torn between wishing I had more time to check it and wishing I’d left an hour earlier to get to the hospital. As it was, I still made it a few minutes before 18:00.

When I got to the hospital, I was shocked to find another kid in Layla’s bed. She’d been shifted one bed over, for not other reason than the fact that the room was packed. 8 beds, 8 kids in various states, between hysterically crying for their parents to quietly playing to sleeping. Fun times, indeed. Layla was sitting on Tamie, clutching her like she was trying to fall asleep… turns out she was just starving.

Dinner eventually came and Layla scarfed down her rice and soup. I helped as best I could, but she was so eager to eat that silly things like using a spoon properly wasn’t going to stop her from getting the food into her mouth. She managed to feed herself, and the table and the bed, with little problem.

Thankfully, her energy is up as much as her spirits seem to be – she wanted to play for almost the entire time I was there. The only time she didn’t was when she got made at me for having to hold her and give her medicine instead of letting her play longer.

Layla’s bad mood didn’t last long though — one of the other inmates that Layla has taken a liking to, a young guy (one month Layla’s junior) named yuma-kun, was sitting watching tv and falling asleep. His head was bobbing but he was doing a good job of catching himself before he fell over. No one else seemed to notice (or care) so Tamie eventually went over to see if he wanted to sleep. Instead, he wanted to play and I reorganized a few machines to give Layla enough slack on her leashes so she could reach too. We played with the kid for a good 45 minutes before lights out and everyone had to go to bed.

By 21:00, Layla was still full of energy. Tamie had laid down with her to try to get her to sleep but even after an hour of trying Layla was still wide awake. At one point they were whispering and giggling together like school girls – it was so cute. When the nurse finally came to say visiting hours were done, Layla didn’t cry, accepting it like the hospital veteran she is.

Layla is still coughing a bit today, but overall is definitely much better than she was a week (or even two days) ago. After talking to the doctor, the prognosis is definitely good and it seems like Sunday is the discharge day, given all things progress as expected. I am so looking forward to the day we take her home. Not as much as she is, I’m sure, but things are so much better when she’s around.

Tomorrow is my day alone at the hospital while Tamie goes to work. Here’s hoping it’s my last.

Blue Skies For Everyone

Published on January 24, 2010 in Hospital and Parenting. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Today was a beautiful day, weather-wise. The kind of day we consider going to the zoo or the park, letting Layla play on the slides or tossing a ball. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, the wind was brisk. Had Layla not been stuck in a hospital bed, I’d say it’d have been a great way to end the weekend… but alas…

I got to be the “hero” today, heading to the hospital in time for the lunchtime feeding to end. Tamie stayed home to do some chores as I went to claim my title for the day. I peaked in the room window to check if she was done her lunch only to see the poor kid sitting on the bed, struggling to clean up the mess she’d made trying to feed herself a multitude of things. Rice, chicken, vegetables, even soup was scattered on her bed sheet. I was shocked to see that she was supposed to feed herself given the fact that her hands are rendered useless by all the tape and they wrap around them to hold the IV’s and sensors in place… just another reason to love the staff at our local hospital.

I poked my head in the room and Layla pointed out she made a mess, proudly pointing out the rice, the chicken, the vegetables and even the spots of soup on the bed. I cleaned the sheets as best I could with the wet towel provided but, despite my best efforts, found myself picking up bits of food throughout the day. She was quite happy to see me, we talked a bit before settling down to read a couple books and colour in her colouring books.

After the initial blast of energy and activity, Layla slowly settled down into a more quiet state, wanting to watch videos (of herself dancing) on the laptop. We watched a few, several times each, before switching over to Toy Story. She did her best to fight off the sleep that I expected to come and, much to my surprise, did just that. She complained that she was hungry, but I suspected it was more she wanted to be busy eating to prevent falling asleep. Luckily, Tamie showed up before she complained too much and she got a second wind.

While Tamie was there, she continued to ask for snacks and juice. I discretely gave her a splash of orange juice from my backpack while the nurses were out, which seemed to satisfy her, at least for the time being. I never thought I’d feel like a criminal for giving my daughter juice.

At one point, one of the other babies started crying (it might have been just after the orange juice but I can’t say for sure =) and Layla wanted to go check him out. We did the best we could to stretch out her oxygen tube so she could reach… she almost made it. He wasn’t all that interested in us, though, crying for his mom who was yet to come. Layla quickly lost interest so I picked her up and carried her while the baby cried on. I realized I hadn’t actually held Layla in over a week and, despite my constant complaining and always trying to make her walk, I missed it. I could have held that kid all day today.

Eventually, we played with some of the hospital toys, each other, and even with the camera (See pictures here). Layla is definitely in better spirits and that makes things much easier on all of us. I hope that’s a sign that she’s actually feeling better and not just more comfortable (or accepting of her fate) in the hospital.

Around 17:30, I bailed to let Layla and Tamie spend some time together. It’s tough to leave the poor kid in hospital but I want her and Tamie to spend some time together as well. Being the “hero” of the day isn’t always easy, and giving them some time alone is one of those “hero”-ly things to do. That, plus, I wanted to grab a drink and a washroom break.

I got back to the hospital just after 19:00, and the girls were busy playing. Tamie was feeling a bit peckish, so I took the baton from her and ran the final leg of the hospital relay race. We played until 20:00, at which time I had to take the toys back to the playroom before it got locked up. Lights out came soon after, so I read Layla a couple of books before she ultimately laid down to go to sleep.

While we were laying in the bed, a nurse came into the room to do whatever it is that nurses do in lights-out rooms with people trying to put their kids to sleep before visiting hours ends. Much to my surprise, Layla leaned over and whispered to me. “That nurse is scary!” she said in a hushed voice. I chuckled, and agreed. “Scary nurse, eh?” she asked. I’m not sure why, but she’s recently picked up the use of the term ‘eh’. It’s hilarious.

After the nurse left, Layla closed her eyes to try to sleep. I laid beside her, waiting until she was out before getting up and leaving for the night. As I watched her suck her thumb and squeeze her miffy, I was surprised to see her eyes pop open and her lean over to me one more time. “Dad?” she asked, innocently and still in a hushed whisper. I leaned in closer to hear and she continued. “Tomorrow – grape juice.” she smiled. “And don’t tell mom!” Silently, I nodded before answering, “Okay, but don’t tell the nurses either.” She agreed, and with that she finally closed her eyes and eventually fell asleep.

In case you missed the link inline, pictures from today were uploaded here:

Click here for pictures
Pictures uploaded to here.

12+ Times a Year in the Hospital… Yikes.

Published on January 24, 2010 in Japan. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Just an article I read the other day about Japan’s medical system. Where I come from, you don’t go to the hospital unless there’s a chance you are going to die… I’m not sure if that’s every Canadian, though, or just got that from my Mom. Anyways, here’s the link:

In Japan You Visit A Scary Japanese Doctor 12 Times A Year,
from Tofugu
Interesting stuff. How true it all is, I’m not sure but I know at least some of the points are definitely valid.

One Week Down… Damn.

Published on January 23, 2010 in Hospital and Parenting. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Saturdays are usually days I look forward to – sleeping in as long as Layla would let us. Today, if not for the expected morning delivery of a shelf we ordered to try and organize the growing number of toys/books/etc that Layla’s acquired, we could have slept in as long as we wanted. And that idea, as nice as it might sound, really sucks.

I got up around 9, the alarm for some reason going off. Tamie said she didn’t want to miss the delivery, so I turned off the alarm and let her sleep while I got up to await the package. It eventually came (sometime around 10:30-11:00), and Tamie eventually got up, not surprisingly at around the same time (the doorbell woke her up =).

Visiting hours at the hours start at 12, but in order to get Layla to eat everything we usually show up a little bit later, after the nurses have fed her lunch. Today, I let Tamie go ahead as she wanted to be the “hero” of the day, showing up and taking care of Layla. Since I was the “hero” yesterday, I figured it was fair enough. Plus, Tamie had a dentist appointment so had to leave at 14:00, meaning I had the afternoon alone with Layla.

When I showed up, there were toys all over the bed – something I took as a good sign. Tamie took her leave and I was left with the poor kid and a bunch of toys. I offered to play with her but she looked tired and asked just to watch Elmo on the laptop and have a book read to her. So I obliged, holding her as she watched her show and reading the books she wanted. It wasn’t long before she fell asleep.

After her nap, she wasn’t in a very active mood, wanting nothing more than to continue laying on me and watching the activity (or lack thereof) around her. It was a pretty quiet day, once you get past the constant sounds of babies crying… I think we’ve all learned to tune that sound out (if Layla ever has a younger sibling, they’re not going to be too happy =).

Tamie eventually came back and I took my leave again, giving her a couple of hours time with Layla, at her request. I came home for a while to kill some time before heading back to the hospital. By the time I got back, Layla’s eyelids were getting heavier, but she still wanted to play so we all played with the toys on her bed. By 20:00, she was busy watching a video of herself dancing on my camera and took the opportunity to return the toys to the playroom they’d come from. Normally, lights out is supposed to be at 20:00, so I figured she’d be getting ready for bed soon anyways…

Eventually, lights out did come and Tamie and Layla laid to try to sleep while I read the next exciting chapters of Robert Langdon. By 21:10, Layla was sound asleep and we were free to grab some dinner and head home for the night.

Overall, I’d say her condition is definitely improved. She still is coughing more than anyone would like, and still has some kind of rattling in her chest, but her spirits are improving, her oxygen levels are up, and her coughing, while still present, seems to be getting better. I guess marked improvement is about all we can ask for every day, so for that I am grateful. Tomorrow is another day, hopefully another day of improvement.