So my in-laws are here from Australia for about 5 1/2 weeks. We are super happy that they are here and I know that they have missed Alex like crazy. BUT....Dan's father brought a nice cold/virus over with him...probably from the 24+ hours in the air. It's amazing that anyone manages to get off such a long flight WITHOUT being sick. Anyway, for the past two weeks, we have been passing colds back and forth.
Well, Alex started with what I assumed was a cold last Friday. However, by Sunday, her chest sounded very congested and I made the decision to bring her to her pedi on Monday. Fast forward to Monday-I bring her in. Her condition is no worse, but I did hear some wheezing. Other than that-she's her normal happy and active self. After listening to her lungs, the doctor diagnosed Alex with Bronchiolitis-which is most often caused by RSV :( :( Apparently, most kids fall ill with it by the time they reach three, but for some kids, all they display are cold symptoms so the parents never know. Alex is generally ok (knock on wood), just has the wheezing. Anyway, she was given a breathing treatment at the office (that was fun!) and then we were told that we would be giving her three breathing treatments at home per day with a nebulizer. And I was told that the doctor would order the nebulizer and that a home care company would deliver it that night.
Ok, so to make a VERY long story short...I was on the phone for about 3 hours that night trying to get the company to deliver it. They claimed that they did not receive the order, the doctor (who had to be paged because it was after-hours) claimed she sent the order in and we went back and forth, back and forth. Finally, be the time I talked to the 8th person from the company, I just blew up. I am *never* rude on the phone. I realize that it usually isn't the fault of the person whom I'm talking to. However, I had had enough and I was home alone (Dan was out of town on business) and I was stressed out and nervous. Let's just say all the "mama bear" instincts came out in full force-I was determined to get that nebulizer. So yes, I was not pleasant. I felt bad later, but I did end up getting it delivered...at 10 pm at night (which meant that I had to wake Alex up for a treatment).
Upon reflecting on the incident, I was really surprised by my reaction because it is so out of character. But I think that women really are truly amazing in that they will do whatever they have to in order to make sure that their children are ok. We know our children, we would do anything to keep them safe. This realization made me think about my own job and how I, as a professional, relate to parents.
In my job, I am often times giving parents bad news. I am taking the dreams that they may have had for their child and quite possibly changing them. The worst is when we have to talk about a classification of mental retardation. Absolute worst. I feel like an ogre. Anyway-I always understood the parents' tears and their mourning process. What I didn't understand was the anger, although I tried to. Now I understand. I understand the fear that can drive the anger...that worry that things *might* not be ok, that they might get worse. The feelings of helplessness. Anger is empowering, and when you are your child's best advocate, sometimes you need a little bit of power. I guess it comes down to this: don't mess with a worried parent ;) Kind of joking there. But it's quite honestly a good lesson for me to bring into my practice with parents.
Update on Alex: she's on day three of her breathing treatments and I think they are helping. I don't hear the wheezing anymore...it seems more like a common cold now. She's still happy and very active. Praying that she keeps steadily getting better!
Loving her puppy
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