Hospital Stay Part 1

Well, we're sitting in the hospital. Brian and I are finishing up our breakfast while Audrey sleeps. Brian is polishing off a bag of Honey BBQ Fritos and I had a couple of eggs...of the Reese's Peanut Butter variety. No, we're not stress eating or anything :s

Audrey developed a fever of 100 degrees on Friday afternoon and daycare called and asked us to pick her up. Brian got her and took her home. I took her temperature when I got home and it was 101.3. Since our doctor's office had closed for the night, I called the nurse and she said for us not to worry about bringing her in until she reached 103 degrees. I stripped her down to her diaper and put a cool compress on her body to cool her down and noticed that her stomach was retracting and expanding very visibly and she looked like she was working really hard to breathe. I gave her some Tylenol, took her temp again, this time 102.5, and decided to get her bag together and take her to the ER.

We recently switched over her insurance to UCSD so that she could go to Shiley Eye Center, and in the flurry of things going on, I didn't know where I should take her in an emergency, to Children's Hospital or UCSD, an oversight that I'm completely expecting the Mother of the Year award for. Both are equidistant from our house, so I decided on UCSD since they have her on file and because I was worried about being slapped with a $20,000 hospital bill. Sad, huh? There she was admitted, given Albuterol, a breathing treatment, and had her chest x-rayed. There was some haziness on her lungs in the x-ray so the doctor decided to transfer her to Children's Hospital so that she could get more specialized care. Note to self for next time: Go to Children's. At this point it first appeared that we were going to make a night out of it. Baby girl and I took our second ambulance ride together (the first was when I got sandwiched by 2 cars at a stoplight downtown when I was 20 weeks pregnant with her) and she appeared to enjoy going over all of the bumps on the road.

Getting ready for the ambulance



She kinda looks like a cat in this pic. A very adorable yet sad looking cat.








We arrived at Children's ER at around 11, met up with Brian and that's when things got pretty stressful around us. All sorts of tired-looking nurses, respiratory therapists, and doctors huddled around our little one, poking and prodding and sticking things to her. Her heart rate was over 200 beats/minute and her blood oxygen level was in the 40%s. The doctor on staff said she felt like she was running a respiratory clinic as everyone in there had the same problem.

Audrey was eventually transferred to intermediate care after stabilizing at around 3am on Saturday morning. An hour later, Brian and I settled down into our fold out chair meant for one, we were squished together just like old times, except we're now too old and tired to enjoy reliving that. Brian was asleep in seconds (he can sleep anywhere), I was awake all night.

Cutie girls in her hospital bed



Audrey woke up bright and early Saturday morning and set the day into motion for us. Brian and I clearly weren't at our best and would go on to be disrespectful to at least 3 hospital employees that day.

The first incident occurred when I sent Brian out to get us breakfast because I hadn't eaten anything since noon on Friday. He left the hospital and realized he left his keys. Upon trying to reenter, the desk attendant said that they don't allow visitors to come and go between 7 and 8 because of the shift change and nurses communicating about their patients. He called me and said they wouldn't let him through the door and I went to see if at least I could give him the keys. The desk attendant said "No, hospital policy". Right at that moment, the door opened for a nurse and I threw my keys as far as I could down the hall, past the nurse, and through the door where Brian was waiting, then turned around and said something to the effect of "Then you should install a blinking neon sign that says that you'll be separated from your child if you walk through this door!" and stormed away. I would normally never dream of yelling at anyone, but I was at the end of my rope and it just flowed out of my mouth before I had time to regroup. A couple of hours later, after the prison gates had opened and I had eaten something, I went and apologized for snapping at her and she apologized for not telling Brian he would be locked out. We were cool after that. A nurse later came to our room, said she heard that there had been a "miscommunication" about hospital policies, and wanted to review them with us. Ugh.

Audrey stabilized throughout the day, was taken off of oxygen and the IV and was transferred downstairs. We were under the impression we were going home. If only it were that simple.

Upon arrival at our new floor, we were greeted by a whole new staff who proceeded to hook Audrey back up to all manner of equipment, almost all of the same stuff she had just been removed from, as Brian and I sat there mortified at the sudden reversal of fortune. They were asking us all sorts of questions as if there had been no communication between the last staff and the new one, and that there had been no chart transferred. In the middle of the flurry, the respiratory therapist came in and started talking about eczema and asthma and proceeded to give us a 15 minute remedial-level bio lecture on the respiratory system telling us nothing new when what we really wanted to know was why the sudden shift in her prognosis? We started yelling again--Both Brian and me this time. Why does there seem to be no communication between you and the upstairs??!! Why are you telling us one thing and the others upstairs telling us another??!! We don't need a 15 minute explanation about what Albuterol is, if she needs it could you please just give it to her? So much talking and talking and about nothing we hadn't already heard three times over. I hated this woman at this point, but I managed to hold my tongue knowing that nothing good would come out of anything I had to say. We later apologized to her too.

Well, long story, Audrey stayed Saturday night and it looks like she's going to be here at least another one or two. She's being treated for Bronchiolitis, a viral infection of the respiratory system. She's on oxygen now, and nurses are coming in periodically to suction out her nose and lungs and to give her breathing treatments. She's been taken off of her IV, but is still laboring to breathe normally. Her fever has gone away and her appetite is getting better. She's in good spirits and sleeping a lot better now. Brian and I are too. He slept at home and I slept pretty well here. We're feeling better rested, and so far today parent/medical worker relations are on the upswing. We'll write again to update in a few days.