Monday, January 19, 2004
Positive thoughts...
For those not in the know, DD was in the Montreal Children's last Friday morning to have a small procedure done on her right eye. It's nothing serious. She's had a blockage in the tear duct since birth, and they flushed it out. However it required her to be anesthetized.
She had to fast for four hours before the procedure. They had pushed her appointment up from 9 am to 7:45 am, and I needed to be there an hour early.
Traffic has been hell on rice cakes all week, so I left home at 5:15 am to make sure I'd be there in time. Normally, it's a half hour drive. Add morning traffic, and you're up to an hour.
Know what? There was no traffic. Lots of wind and blowing snow, but no traffic. I arrived an hour early. The main doors were locked, I had to walk around the building to the emergency room entrance. The upside is that I got a primo parking spot. :)
Everything went well. The doctor's pretty sure that everything is fine now.
She'll have to use antibiotic ointment for two weeks, and back for a checkup in a year.
For all my stress and worrying, it took 15 minutes. Tops. From the time she
left, to the time the doctor came out to say that everything was fine. She didn't cry when the nurse took her away. She didn't fight the mask that the anesthesiologist used to put her to sleep. He had asked if I thought an additional injection to make her groggy would be necessary, but I said no.
The nurse had to go wake her up after the procedure. She was long overdue for a nap, so she didn't bother waking up. :) The nurses didn't want to let her leave. They ooh-ed and ah-ed her and said what a good patient she was. And they asked where she got the cute little slippers she was wearing.
They brought her to me, and she just leaned up against me. No tears, no whining. Just an, "oh good it's you Mummy" kind of cuddle. I nursed her there. Whereas normally after a seven-hour fast (which is quite long for a baby) she would be eating voraciously, this was much slower and more deliberate. It really takes a while for the anesthetics to get out of the system.
I'm not a religious person. Like my Granny used to say, I'm not religious, but I do have my faith. I know that religion is not popular anymore. Any mention of religion seems to conjure up atheists/agnostics and zealots. I prayed, though, and I asked people to pray for us. Those who don't pray, I asked for positive energy, happy thoughts, or whatever else they were willing to send our way. I really, truly believe in the power of prayer.
I'm not the type of person who likes to ask for help. Ask my dad, and he'll tell you about the time I was two and he tried to teach me to swim. I went to the bottom of the pool three times, and *still* insisted that "I do it myself". :) But when it comes to my family, I'll do it.
It's times like these when I realize how truly blessed I am. I am blessed with a healthy daughter. I am blessed with free medical services. I am blessed that this problem can be fixed with a minor procedure. I am blessed by sympathetic, competent medical personnel who understand how a mother worries. I am blessed that I have a circle of friends and family who will stand by me. I am blessed with people who love and support me. I am blessed with people who will pray with me and for me and mine. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
I thank God for my life. It's not a perfect life, but it's a blessed life, and I wouldn't trade places with anyone else. I hope you can find the blessings in your life too.
She had to fast for four hours before the procedure. They had pushed her appointment up from 9 am to 7:45 am, and I needed to be there an hour early.
Traffic has been hell on rice cakes all week, so I left home at 5:15 am to make sure I'd be there in time. Normally, it's a half hour drive. Add morning traffic, and you're up to an hour.
Know what? There was no traffic. Lots of wind and blowing snow, but no traffic. I arrived an hour early. The main doors were locked, I had to walk around the building to the emergency room entrance. The upside is that I got a primo parking spot. :)
Everything went well. The doctor's pretty sure that everything is fine now.
She'll have to use antibiotic ointment for two weeks, and back for a checkup in a year.
For all my stress and worrying, it took 15 minutes. Tops. From the time she
left, to the time the doctor came out to say that everything was fine. She didn't cry when the nurse took her away. She didn't fight the mask that the anesthesiologist used to put her to sleep. He had asked if I thought an additional injection to make her groggy would be necessary, but I said no.
The nurse had to go wake her up after the procedure. She was long overdue for a nap, so she didn't bother waking up. :) The nurses didn't want to let her leave. They ooh-ed and ah-ed her and said what a good patient she was. And they asked where she got the cute little slippers she was wearing.
They brought her to me, and she just leaned up against me. No tears, no whining. Just an, "oh good it's you Mummy" kind of cuddle. I nursed her there. Whereas normally after a seven-hour fast (which is quite long for a baby) she would be eating voraciously, this was much slower and more deliberate. It really takes a while for the anesthetics to get out of the system.
I'm not a religious person. Like my Granny used to say, I'm not religious, but I do have my faith. I know that religion is not popular anymore. Any mention of religion seems to conjure up atheists/agnostics and zealots. I prayed, though, and I asked people to pray for us. Those who don't pray, I asked for positive energy, happy thoughts, or whatever else they were willing to send our way. I really, truly believe in the power of prayer.
I'm not the type of person who likes to ask for help. Ask my dad, and he'll tell you about the time I was two and he tried to teach me to swim. I went to the bottom of the pool three times, and *still* insisted that "I do it myself". :) But when it comes to my family, I'll do it.
It's times like these when I realize how truly blessed I am. I am blessed with a healthy daughter. I am blessed with free medical services. I am blessed that this problem can be fixed with a minor procedure. I am blessed by sympathetic, competent medical personnel who understand how a mother worries. I am blessed that I have a circle of friends and family who will stand by me. I am blessed with people who love and support me. I am blessed with people who will pray with me and for me and mine. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
I thank God for my life. It's not a perfect life, but it's a blessed life, and I wouldn't trade places with anyone else. I hope you can find the blessings in your life too.
# posted by SilverFlame @ 9:25 p.m. 
