Glad to be a fish out of water

I've spent the last 8-1/2 hours navigating places I don't know, people who speak a different language and things that are different from anything I can relate to. And I am so thankful for it.

I am at Children's Hospital with Ava. On Wednesday she developed an infection on her bottom. On Thursday I took her to our doctor where she got antibiotics and they did a wound culture and tried to drain it. (Three minutes of Ava screaming at the top of her lungs.) On Friday, after three doses of antibiotics, the infection was getting much, much worse instead of better. So, Friday at 4:10 I drove home, handed Ava to Dave while I cried, then went and packed for her and me for the night.

We got to Children's right at 5:00 Friday night. It took about an hour for triage, an hour for a room, an hour for a doctor, two hours for a surgical consult and she was admitted and got a room around 11 PM. It's a MRSA infection, which means it can just keep coming back if not careful. They're going to put her under tomorrow (hopefully early in the morning) and open it up and clean it out. Right now her entire right butt cheek is bright red and tender, but afterwards she should be able to go home fairly quick.

Ava has been an absolute trooper. She didn't go to sleep until 11:45 PM, despite her tylenol with codeine, but was not crabby at all. Well, not crabby unless someone was touching her sore area or trying to get an IV in (which didn't work the first time in her hand, regardless of all the moving and prodding and poking the continued to do, so they did her foot). She finally just passed out, so tired and worn out.

As for me, I'm exhausted. I don't want to be here, but am so thankful it's only one night. When the surgical doctors apologized profusely for keeping me waiting for so long, I knew they were good guys, but they just made me glad that I didn't know the horrors of what kept them so long. When the nurse gave me the tour to show me the playroom, the family lounge and the resource room, I was thankful to know that I probably won't be needing them.

This has always been one place that I'm thankful is here, am thankful that the most caring people work here, am thankful they're so qualified, and so, so thankful that I've never requierd long-term service.