Lesson Learned, Part II

So, I have just shown the ER doctor my annoyance, and (here comes the lesson part) he calmly says "I know the wait is long. We had a car accident come in with a lot of kids involved this afternoon, and we've been running behind since then."

"oh."

*sigh* It is hard to be patient. Even when you've got a good book. But, thankfully, we were only there for a fever. And we wouldn't have been there if we had any other option. I won't even go into the people I saw in the waiting room who I couldn't imagine why they were there! But there I go judging again, and I should have learned my lesson by now!

But I'll finish my story. The doctor ordered lab work. I think by now I could almost just stop at the lab before I hit the ER next time and ask for the lab work myself (if they'd let me!). I think this would be a great solution! Heck, they would probably have the lab work done *before* I saw the ER doc! :)

So the drew blood and ordered chest x-rays. Those break my heart. D just started crying when I picked him up out of his stroller in the x-ray room. I think he knew where he was and what they were going to do - they hang him by his arms to take a chest x-ray! They are good and they are very quick, but... poor D!

We went back to our exam room and waited. The boss of all ER doctors came in and chatted for a few minutes with me. Then young doctor came in a while later. And when I was JUST about done with my book, young doctor came in and told me we'd be admitted. They had some more lab work to draw, and they wanted a urine sample, so the nurse would cath D and we'd go up to our room. ("cath" being "insert a catheter into his penis" to draw out urine)

"I don't want you to cath him. They can tape a bag on - we use these all the time at home."

"Yes, but sometimes with the bag you don't get a clean sample."

"I understand. I don't want him cathed."

"But if the sample isn't clean, it might come back as a false positive."

"I understand. I don't want him cathed. We can tape a bag on him."

"OK" and he left.

To explain my point of view, I've had this conversation before with other doctors. I already knew he was going to be admitted. I figured they could bag him. If the urine culture was positive for infection, but they suspected contamination, the could cath him the next day for a "clean" sample. He'd be in the hospital already anyway.

So a couple minutes later Mr. RN comes in with a cath kit in his hand. I spoke up right away. "I don't want him cathed. We can tape a bag on to get the urine sample." "Alright" and he sets the cath kit down, and I might be mistaken, but he looks relieved. I go on to explain "I did tell the doctor I didn't want him cathed." Eye contact. "He didn't pass that on to us. I'm glad you spoke up. The bag will be fine." And everything in Mr. RN and Ms. RN's body language is telling me that they are very glad I am speaking up for D.

I'm frustrated that I have to do it more than once. I wish I was fast enough with words to have been able to say the following to young doctor:

"I want you to pretend that you are my son laying in that stroller. And think about how you would feel, not being able to talk, or speak for yourself. Wouldn't you wish that your mom would speak up for you?" That's not even eloquent enough. *sigh* I am not a very assertive person, and it's such an adrenaline rush (and not in a good way) to speak up against an "authority" but I'm so glad I can do that for D. And I'm getting better at it.

So, they bagged him and we went upstairs to D's new room. We've been there enough times that we know the nurses. If I don't recognize them, they tell me they've taken care of D when he was in his previous foster home!

We settled into the room at 2am. And I thought to myself that this was not actually my longest ER-to-admit stretch. Whew. Oh, and I finished the last 10 pages of my book the next morning. :)