As I mentioned before we were trying to get our oldest out of the hospital in the middle of the night, because we felt that as long as there was one opinion that said it was not appendicitis there was little reason for her to stay — the fever was manageable and she was hungry and an operation was not likely in her future. But the doctors persuaded us to stay and we relented. She was her usual self Tuesday night and slept well.
The doctor who poked her Tuesday morning was back the next day, still saying there was no appendicitis and annoyed she was not yet released. Another blood test for white cell count. More pricking. more screaming. I arrive before morning rounds with baby and my nephew — he’s such a great kid, I can’t tell you — his parents dropped him off in the morning and he entertained the baby long enough for me to pack up my stuff and get us ready — then I told him to create a parking space in his mind close to the hospital, which he did — and there we were right across the street! We could not bring the baby up to the ward but he was our intermediary, staying with Big Sis while my wife when out to nurse the baby. My mother-in-law met us and took my nephew and the baby to her house while we played the waiting game. By now the eldest daugther had developed pinkeye, and we had to give her drops. I go out for lunch and bring her back some papadum from the Indian restaurant — she loves the stuff. She’s active, restless and bounces around – -and messes up her IV. They have to pull it out but only after failing to put it back in — something which displeases my daughter — it took four people in the ER to put it in Monday afternoon — she gets so upset she falls asleep from the stress.
We’re waiting for the urine culture results. Nothing to report. we have to give her an antibiotic thru an IV, so again she gets jabbed. the IV is done with and we wait for the final paperwork. We can’t get out fast enough but she does say good bye to the girl in the next bed — she came in tuesday night, and her story is also worth her own rant — and gives her a surgical glove-balloon she and my wife made before the young girl’s arrival. We leave with scrips for the pinkeye and for possible kidney infection if the urine culture shows anything. Her stomach still hurts her but less.
My wife is filled with self-loathing for putting her through this — the radiation of the CAT scan and X-rays, the shots, the IV’s the blood tests — for no reason at all. We could have treated this carefully at home, with Motrin and lots of fluids and we would have kept feeding her. I agree but it’s done. the only good thing was that the IV kept her fluids up — there was a risk of dehydration. The interns and the doctors just tried to placate us into staying and that was frustrating. G was fierce in her determination to get her out. And of course the pinkeye would not have happened had she not stayed so long, though perhaps just that time in the ER was enough. Hospitals make you sick. At least I saw no back issues of golfing magazines lying around!
We went home. The oldest is her usual defiant self. I am angry that both girls want their mommy all the time. So we are more or less back to normal.