Time Flies When You're Having Fun

It's hard to believe that it was a year ago today that Ben's fast slide to his last hospital stay began. Ben developed a high fever on Monday the 19th last year so we ended up at the doctor's office on Tuesday the 20th. Ben's regular pediatrician was on vacation that week so we got some female doctor that had never seen Ben before. We all suspected that he had a pretty wicked respiratory virus that I had just recovered from which is exactly what his blood work alluded to.

Now me and Joan won't pretend to the smartest parents on the block but neither are we just some run-of-the-mill dumb-asses. Lady Doc insists that the virus just has to run it's course and all we could do was treat the symptoms. Yes, Lady Doc, the dumb-asses know that already. We're here for the antibiotics. Lady Doc explains once again the difference between a virus and an infection. We then give her a quick run-down of how many times Ben has had a virus that eventually led to a hospital stay.

Now I must insert another bit of information relevant to the situation. Ben's primary nurse, Vickie, was also with us and participating in this conversation. Vickie is a Registered Nurse (RN). Throughout Ben's life we have learned how precious these ladies (and a few guys here and there) are to a special needs child. There have been times during Ben's PICU stays that a pediatric internist has sought the consultation and advice of one of Ben's RNs. Put another way, having Vickie or Lisa or Jenny stay with Ben each day is pretty close to having a doctor in the house.

Lady Doc weighs all the information and then reveals her medical opinion. Despite Ben's history she still has a problem with giving an antibiotic as a precautionary tactic to a sick kid with a virus. Her logic also includes that fact that we have an RN staying with Ben everyday so Ben would have extraordinary care in giving extra nebulizer treatments, Motrin, and Tylenol to control the symptoms. Never mind that the RN is also lobbying for the antibiotic!

So Ben's Christmas plans were sealed on this date, 2005. By Friday the 23rd he was running a fever of 104 and was having such a difficult time breathing that he would occasionally turn blue. He was working so hard to draw a breathe that we could easily see the shapes of internal organs through the skin below his ribcage.

When we get to the hospital we find the PICU rooms are taken by sicker kids. The nurses begin their assessment. Ben has always been a "hard stick." For those unfamiliar with hospital lingo that means finding a vein to put in an IV is nearly impossible. So the nurses on the floor start poking Ben's soft baby-like skin because the physicians who haven't even seen him order fluids and an antibiotic. After two nurses and about 10 tries "someone" makes the decision to put Ben under general anesthesia to get a central line in.

So far I've been giving you the situation in a nutshell. The fact is that me and Joan were emotional wrecks by this time. We had very little sleep the previous few nights. Ben, who hardly ever cries, was obviously in some severe pain. By the time the hospital staff arrived to tell us they wanted permission to put Ben under so they could get a central line in, Ben was exhausted. His little blue eyes looked up at us and they told us everything we needed to know. He wouldn't be back if we went ahead with it.

Joan was pouring tears. She and I both agreed about the situation. Here we were in a healing place and this entire hospital staff can't find a (bleep)damn person to get an IV into my son to save his life?

So I shared my sentiments with the folks from general anesthesia. I told them if I lost my son during the procedure that I would come hunt each and every one of the PICU docs, who had no frigging balls, down and make sure they suffered some kind of malady the rest of their natural lives.

Sweet Caroline from the PICU showed up about 5 minutes later. Ben was feeling better less than a half hour after that. It's a shame that getting royally pissed off in hospital makes people jump but it happens. Anyway, we've been on pins and needles the past week or so. Just 5 days left now. Ben and Jessie are getting excited and for the first time in 3 years, so are Mom and Dad.