Little Miss Emergency

Since Saturday night my Little Miss has been sick. The dreaded gastro has gotten hold of her and she's miserable. Saturday and Sunday nights were pretty much sleepless, the crying is endless and the poor little thing can't keep anything in. It's her first real illness aside from the odd sniffle and coincidently she's unwell after attending daycare twice. Read from that what you will...

After a horrendous night my hubby stayed home yesterday to help me out with the kids and thankfully so as the whinging was out of control. Nothing consoled her, not cuddles or being left alone, she puked after every bottle or meal and I couldnt get any panadol into her for more than 2.3 seconds before that was hurled across the room too. I've washed countless sheets, blankets, sleeping bags, clothes, towels etc etc. I've changed her clothes at least 5 times a day and also changed my own more than once due to a puke in my bra or down my front. Once it was clear nothing we were doing was helping I decided to head to the GP, just to make sure there was nothing more sinister going on.

Our GP took a brief look at her and then told me she was dehydrated and needed to go to hospital. Really? I didn't think it was that bad yet, I really didn't. I was overwhelmed with mummy guilt that I should have done something sooner? and so off to hospital we went.

We queued at the triage desk for probably 45 minutes before we were checked in. Once I showed my medicare card to 3 different people (why??) we were given some hydralyte, a syringe, instructions to administer it to her every 5 minutes and told to take a seat. I was also told 'it shouldn't be long'.

Little Miss was calm while we sat for the first 45 minutes and while were being checked in so no doubt she was categorised lower priority due to her happy and placid behaviour. Don't you hate that? She screamed blue murder most of the bloody day but a ten min power snooze in the car had her all chilled out. Once we went into the waiting room with 55 million other people she decided she'd had enough. She cried and screamed and cried some more. I had a random lady ask me if I needed her to hold the baby so I could go to the loo? Thankyou but no I'm fine. I was looking for the parents room at the time as we had a funky nappy on board that needed attention stat. Perhaps I should have handed her the stinky crying baby?

After a solid hour long screaming session, she gave in and fell asleep in my arms. I was of course in the most awkward position and facing away from the TV, and I was then stuck like that:

She slept off and on for a while, woken constantly by screaming kids and crying babies. I can't believe how many people go to the childrens hospital and the patience of the staff...

So we waited....

After a few sleep spurts Little Miss started to empty my handbag... this was not able to hold her attention for long though as she was so tired.



and she was soon asleep, sitting upright in a chair:

I picked her up, wrapped her in a blanket and there we sat, and waited

and waited

and waited

5 long hours after we arrived we were called to the triage nurse for a check up. I was so cranky at this point, I could see no end in sight and my little girl was so unbelievably tired. When the nurse indicated it would still be another hour to see a Dr I cracked it. I told the nurse I wanted to take her home, Little Miss that is, not the nurse. We both agreed she was not needing IV fluids, she was taking in the rehydration stuff - lapping it up actually, and when awake she was quite perky and happy. Yes she was lethargic but it was 11pm! So I signed a form, popped her sleeping bag on and out into the night we went to find the car and head home. She slept all the way home, and had a much better nights sleep with only a couple of wake-ups for a drink.

I could go into how pissed I am that my GP made me go there in the first place rather than trying different avenues of treatment, how overstretched our hospital systems are, how understaffed, how abused the staff are by worried and exhausted parents and how patient they all seem to be despite the pressure on them. I could go into how stupid some people are to take their baby or child to an emergency department for a trivial thing that could be handled by a GP. I could go into how uncomfortable those chairs in waiting rooms are, how for a childrens hospital it wouldn't hurt them to get some stuff to entertain sick kids. I could go on about how people are filthy and selfishly trash said waiting rooms and toilet facilities provided to them, or how inconsiderate and rude people are. I could go into the fact that alot of kids in the waiting room with colds and snot pouring everywhere are wearing no shoes or thongs and shorts when its 12 degrees outside and what the fcuk is up with people taking 25 members of the family to the emergency waiting room? It's crowded enough already and surely the entire extended family does not need to be there? I could go into my thoughts on all of this buuuuuuut then this blog would go on for hours so I'll save you the eye rolling and soap box spiel for another time.

My Little Miss is ok and really, along with her siblings, she's all that matters to me. Until next time.


xx