Friday, June 24, 2011

Crowding

It is becoming painfully obvious how overcrowded our hospital is.  They were just approved for expansion and will begin construction soon, but (hopefully) we won't be around to see that.  Nearly every time, there are not enough beds for the kids who need them.  Even when they use beds on other floors and in nearby hospitals, we still get pushed back for admission because it is just too crowded.  It took nearly three hours to get through our clinic visit on Wednesday, and we were not the cause of any of the delays.  Our doctors seem to be running from patient to patient, and while I always feel they are listening and that they really know Scarlett well, I feel bad taking up any extra time that I know they would be with another patient.  It is frustrating, but we are committed to the doctors here, as so many others are, so we try to stay calm and be understanding that it is not anyone's fault that so many kids in this area are battling such difficult diseases.

Scarlett's admission got pushed overnight.  We waited all day yesterday to hear that they were ready for her, and then heard at 5 pm that we were not going to get a bed.  It was nice to have an extra night at home, but it just delays the inevitable.  We got the call this morning that they were ready, so Scarlett and I got settled and chemo began this afternoon.  So far, no reactions or side effects, though they always seem to hit in the middle of the night.

We are, of course, in the one and only shared room once again.  Our neighbor is a very well-meaning 9 year old boy.  He is waiting for his levels to clear, something we are more than familiar with.  He has tried to be very patient and understanding when Scarlett cries (which has been a LOT!), and apologizes through the curtain when he gets a little noisy.  I feel bad for him and his dad, as Scarlett has recently become very difficult to get to sleep.  As hard as it is at home, it is even worse in the hospital, where the sights and sounds are distracting.  Just as I think she has settled down, she revs up again.  Hopefully its just one of those phases everyone talks about.

Tomorrow she gets another dose, and then we should be released on Sunday afternoon.  Thanks everyone for the well wishes and positive energy sent her way!

3 comments:

Terri said...

Brandi,

My son is 3 days younger than Scarlett and we just went though a similar phase where it got really hard to get him down for the night. His normal bedtime was 10 PM and he was staying up until midnight or 1 AM. Things are starting to settle back down. Doesn't help that the little guy was teething and in a growth spurt! Is there any chance that they will move you to a private room when one comes open?

Hope the consolidation phase goes as smoothly as possible!

Terri

Brandi Wecks said...

They won't move us. Sounds like we're in a similar teething-growing-fussy period, so I hope ours passes too!

Stephanie Monroe said...

Don't feel too bad about the sleeping. My daughter is a few months older than Scarlett and had issues sleeping, and falling asleep at night too. It's a phase and will pass soon. Even when you're frustrated, feel blessed that that's a normal thing. . . always praying for you.