Addison was born with a Giant Congenital Nevus on her left leg. The journey is a struggle. Decisions are hard. We hope that Addison's experience can help others dealing with the same issue. While we know that there are others that are more extreme, we hope that in sharing her story, we can provide support and encouragement. Leave a comment, let us know you've been here.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Round 3 Complete!

So remember last week when I posted that Addi would be going back in today to have her staples removed and the dressing changed? Well, in order for that to happen, the doctor must communicate with his scheduler so that she can communicate with the hospital. It's a new concept they just started using, but it works great!
We waited all day yesterday for the hospital to call and let us know when Addi needed to be there, what time she was scheduled for, her eating limitations, etc. The call never came. About 30 minutes before the doctor's office closed, I called to talk to the scheduler to make sure Addi was on the list. I had to leave a message. The evening goes on, and we hear nothing. I'm getting more irritated by the minute - this bandage has been leaking for several days, Addi is still in pain, she stinks, which makes the room that she is in stink, as well as all of her bedding, the arrangements are all made for the kids. Finally, I sent a nicely worded not so nice email to the doctor expressing my frustration and asking what I should do. We missed his day at Primary Children's and the Child Life Specialist that will play with her, and I am sure that it is too late to get in for the day we had discussed. He sends me an email back with one line - I'm sorry for the mis-communication, I will have the scheduler put her on the list for tommorrow. Hmmm, more waiting.

So this morning, I withhold breakfast from Addi, but do provide her with a dose of Lortab as she was screaming and her whole body was shaking in pain. The scheduler called to verify that Addi hadn't eaten, and told me she would call me back in a few. She is a miracle worker, I think. I'm pretty sure that the doctor does this to her frequently, where she is left scrambling to find an operating room because he hasn't told her that he needs it until the last minute. Anyway, the Rapid Treatment Unit called me about three minutes after I hung up from the scheduler, and we got everything under way.
Very quickly, Addi was sedated with just the laughing gas, they unwrapped her leg, pulled the staples out, left the splint off (it's irritating the back of her foot, and really doesn't need it), checked the leg progress and the donor sites, and wrapped her back up. In and out of the hospital in 2 hours! No pictures because they kicked me out of the operating room as soon as Addi was asleep, but we have to go back once a week for bandage changes for the next little while, so I'm sure there will be some forthcoming.

Way to pull a rabbit out of your hat Lindsay.

No comments:

Post a Comment