They're Moving Us Again, Again

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It's about 7:00 on Friday morning and Ellen and I are awaiting rounds. We've developed a strategy for getting the most out of Dr. Abel and all his hangers on while they're showering attention on our patient. Ellen asks questions and I take notes. Brilliant, I know. It's taken us the better part of a week to develop and perfect this technique.

Meanwhile, in the news, we were on the move again yesterday. We got turfed out of PICU and down the hall to Acute Care. After the Tuesday Waiting Room Incident, we were anxious when we heard the rumblings of an impending move. Having been trapped in PICU for a while, we had developed a bit of Stockholm Syndrome for the people there.

Soon after we were moved to the new settlement, we realized the advantages and the reasons for the move. The new room is much more quiet, it has it's own bathroom with a camper-style shower, it has a TV with a DVD player to watch The IT Crowd (thanks John), the parent slab is even slightly better. The reasons they moved us are good as well; Ro isn't as needful of the PICU nurses as the other kids who were in there, and she's at less risk of various infections by being where we are now. At this stage of the game, infection is a huge risk, which is why I've become a Door Nazi. Nobody comes in without washing hands first. Nobody comes in unless it's for patient care. Ro really likes the singing balloon that Ellen M sent, but the delivery dude didn't make the cut for entry and was greeted outside the door. The little production our VTC family put together was brilliant - and germ free.

Ro is making the rest of us look like punks. She's managing so much pain and so many drugs, needles, drains and other necessary evils, and she's doing it with uncanny poise. It's been a tough 24 hours. She's been exercising her lungs and moving her legs and doing a lot of other things that are really really hard work.

We deeply discourage in-person visitors at this point, not only because of the infection risks, but also because Ro would prefer it to be that way. She wants a shower and a chance to brush her hair before holding court. Also, she'd like to remember that she saw you, and that's hard to do when you're busy working out minute-to-minute living.

If you'd like to send her a note, please do. Ellen and I promise she will get it. You can send it to my email or Ellen's. We also read her notes from the comments section here. UVA also has a nice e-card system HERE. The nurses will print your card and deliver it to Ro. The very best gift you can send is words. She likes having us read emails to her, and sometimes she dictates replies (but no promises ... sometimes she dozes off in the middle).

Docs are here. More news in a shorty.




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