As you know, I'm not allowed to blog about Steph anymore, but she authorized me to say that she had "a procedure" today at the hospital, and it went well. All of the nurses and other personnel were wonderful.
There's a new profession out there called "Child Life Specialist." (Well, new to me, anyhow—I had to Google it when I got home.) This person's job is to make a child who's at the hospital for a procedure or surgery or extended stay or whatever just a little more comfortable and relaxed. Ours explained to Steph what would be happening, offered to fetch magazines and videos, told bad jokes, and just chatted with her to reduce anxiety and fearfulness. What a wonderful addition to the pediatric staff.
The prep for this particular procedure included fasting from Sunday night until she got home at noon today, and also some yucky medicine yesterday. Steph was such a trouper about all of it. She was braver and more cheerful than most adults would be in that situation (myself included).
As a parent, I'll just say that there is nothing like waiting for your kid to wake up from anesthesia—time just stands still. I sat in the waiting room the whole time, robotically playing solitaire on my iPhone. Andy paced. And walked. And strode. And then paced some more. What a relief to finally see Steph wheeled back in, flickering her eyelids and trying to speak.
I'm so glad she's OK. Our 4 year-old son broke his arm last summer, and watching him go into and come out of the anesthesia (so they could set the break) was excruciating. Best wishes for a fast recovery.
Posted by: Green-Eyed Siren | February 17, 2009 at 07:01 PM
Wow, I hope everything went well!
Posted by: Sharon | February 17, 2009 at 07:08 PM
So glad everything went well, Karen. My two youngest were both under anesthesia at the same time two years ago for minor dental procedures but I really thought I would go crazy with worry. The thing that kept me from losing my mind was seeing all of the young children at the children's hospital who had lost their hair from treatment or who were there for really serious procedures and how well their parents were seemingly handling things. It gave me a lot to be thankful for.
Posted by: Joanne | February 17, 2009 at 07:20 PM
I'm so glad everything went well and this is now behind all of you! I first learned of Child Life Specialists a few years ago when I volunteered at Yale. It's so important to have your child treated in a place where the staff knows how to talk to and deal specifically with children.
Posted by: Elena | February 17, 2009 at 08:37 PM
What a trouper! (I need to get myself "trouped up" for likely the same procedure...not looking one bit forward to it, though!)
Posted by: Tonya | February 17, 2009 at 10:04 PM
Joanne: When Steph was first diagnosed and hospitalized for a few days (back in 2003), that is exactly what I remember too: Seeing a young girl walk by with a big smile and no hair, pulling her IV along with her. Snapped everything right into perspective for me.
Posted by: Karen | February 17, 2009 at 10:34 PM
A good Child Life Specialist is pure gold. Glad you had one to help you & Steph through the procedure... and glad for both of you that it's over.
Posted by: TwoBusy | February 18, 2009 at 09:07 AM
not sure if you were at Children's, but their Child Life specialist program is one of the best. My sister did an internship at Children's in the early 1990's in the child life specialist dept (although she ended up teaching instead). Glad all went well.
Posted by: Kathy | February 18, 2009 at 02:36 PM
I'm really glad she did well. It's odd, but kids are often so much tougher than us adults with our worries and anxieties. Maybe they ought to provide Parent Life Specialists to help with the stress! :)
Posted by: Conor | February 18, 2009 at 07:05 PM
Steph is far braver than I am, even when getting blood drawn. But, by the same token, I know that she takes her cues from me and Andy, and we try never to let her see us expressing anxiety about her health or about "what's going to happen." The nurses even commended us on that, while Steph was still asleep.
Parent Life Specialist = Bartender ;-)
Posted by: Karen | February 21, 2009 at 10:19 AM
I remember the child life counselor from when Haley got bit, OK MAULED, by a dog and had to have extensive stitches in her leg.
I think Haley would have endured another dog bite/maul just for the chance to hang around the child life counselor again!
Posted by: Di | February 24, 2009 at 07:53 PM