Note: I have just re~read this. Please forgive my language...
Good Morning Everyone!
We are HOME!
Sometimes, good as it is to be away from the temptaion of mowing lawns, and pulling weeds, it is nice to be back home again. hehehe
The picture above, taken from Highway 41/141 North, rounding the bend by the Bay of Green Bay...
As many of you already know, we were back down to Milwaukee (and of course Froedtert Hospital) for the past few days. Casey awoke during the procedure, as they were taking a few biopsies... I believe she even cussed then, profoundly, at the doctor.
hehehe Too bad, so sad...
They quit cutting at that point, and she was in awful pain for the remainder of the late afternoon.
They informed us they were NOT going to give her anything for her pain.
That is, until her Mama might have told the nurse that she wanted it IN Casey's FILE that she would be leaving the hospital, untreated, for #10 pain.
The nurse told me then that she had already documented that Casey was a bit uncomfortable.
A "bit" UN~freakin~COMFORTABLE???
I repeated that I wanted her PAIN LEVEL documented in her file.
(The nurse promptly called the doctor back in).
He asked me what was wrong. I repeated my request for him.
All of a sudden, they magically came up with offered medication for her pain.
Hmmm.... "The squeaky wheel" and all that...
Now I don't know how many of you have watched your own child go through 3 pneumothorax's, and too many exploratory surgeries to count, three pancreatic surgeries, etc etc etc...
There is nothing worse than seeing your own capable child in such intense pain.
Casey is NOT one to moan and groan and cry when she is in pain. But all you have to do when this happens is to actually "listen to her, look into her eyes, and you will KNOW that she is in intense pain."
Good enough for me is that when she says she is in pain, the girl is in pain.
For my own self, I have finally develeoped a way to handle my own stress levels when Caseys pain gets too bad.
***You will see this stress relief, (my own great equalizer), on my top page, under "Languages Spoken", then see "OTHER".
Why is it that the nurse and the doctor only listened to "OTHER"?? I am still MORE than upset about that all...
In addition to being down there, and having The Punkster with, and being on a cheap hotel mattress, (which I likened to sleeping on my very own little rock pile), I had cooled my heels waiting for all this to be done with in the 1st place...
When we had headed back to Froedtert from the hotel, this is exactly what the temperature was...
.
.
(Nasty eh)? ...And complete with enough humidity to choke a fish.
.
.
Arriving at Froedtert, I always park in one of their many ramps... Much cooler this way for us, a little closer to the GI Clinic, (and much easier on Punk too, with no direct sun). I have never left her in the sun anyway...
As soon as I had Casey in her cubicle...
.
.
...and wired for sound, (j/k)...
.
.
I then bought another quart of cold water from the Gift Shop for the dog. I brought it out to her. (The water she had was already warm). I sat in the car with the AC running for 20 minutes, then Punk and I took a walk. She peed and pooed like the good pup she is, and I returned with my dog to the car. She drank a bit more water; then as is par for the course when Casey is not in the car, she made herself comfy in the passenger seat.
I sat with her a few more minutes, with the AC on again.
Then returned to the GI Lab/Clinic. Casey was still in surgery. I went back out to sit with Punk. Cooling the car after we had once more walked outside for a while.
.
.
(At this point, I have already walked two miles between the ramp and Froedtert)... Back once more to the GI Clinic, and they told me that Casey had just come out of her biopsies. (This is when I found out she had awakened, and how very much pain she was in at that point). For her sedation, they had given her 400 mgs of phentynal, and 40 of versed. (Please correct the spellings for me if you know)...
...The doctor did not want to be giving her anything for pain. "Besides," HE said "She should not be having any pain anyway."
"Uh, wait Doctor, but then, with respect to those dosages, she should NOT have woken up during the damned procedure to begin with!!!
He said, "It happens." (And went away).
Over the loudspeaker then comes this announcement...
Would the person with the Maroon Buick Rendezvous, Wisconsin License plate # ****** please call extension **** ?
I heard it repeated in rapid succession, before it dawned on me, "Wait! Thats MY freakin' car!!!"
(The hell with calling any stupid extension!!! My DOG is out there)!!!
I told Casey I would be right back... (So now on top of being in pain, she has to be left worried also)...
.................
Me...
...(in the meanwhile)...
On one hand, I tried to calm myself saying:
"somebody must have hit my car and they are looking for me now." (I knew I had shut it off, and opened all the windows for a breeze for my little Punkin)...
Then came the way too UGLY voice on the other hand...
"Someone has broken into my car, set off the alarm, and stolen my dog!"
Calm down Anne.
(The ramp is not near close enough for me NOT to break into a run at this point).
Out of breath, (yes I smoke too much for sprinting 100's of yards); I finally to get to the level my car is on...
Rounding the corner, there is NO alarm going off.
("Maybe it doesn't work")?
"The alarm works fine Anne, CALM the hell down."
Run some more.
...Breathe, you idiot...
I see my car. It is surrounded by more than a few security guards.
(I cannot see through those guards, so STILL had no idea what was going on)?
I basically holler "What the hell happened to my dog?"
They see me... and one guy (calmly) asks, "is this your car?"
"Yes."
(Still getting nearer to my car)...
"What the hell happened to my dog?"
The same guy replies that they had received a complaint that the dog was in the car, uncared for, AND ...in obvious distress.
At this point, I shove myself right through this man...
And there was my beloved Punk inside my car...
.
.
.
... Sitting up, and just LQQKing at everyone!!!
(And quite thoroughly enjoying the attention too)!
Making sure I'd heard tha man correctly, I said, "WHAT?" as I unlocked the door.
I checked her water, and told them I had been out there just moments ago to bring her cold water.
(At this point, there are only 2 men left out there).
I dipped my finger in her water. The water was still nice and cold.
(I had them to verify that for me too).
Then I offered Dr. Spires phone number if they thought for one minute that I neglect my dogs...
They declined. (I think hearing those 1st words out of my mouth actually might have clinched it for them anyway, because that is when the other guys had disappeared).
Still madder then hell, I told them to go check their security cameras to see that I had just been out there. And that I had been out there not too long before that.
That I had cooled the car off.
That we had walked.
That she had peed/pooed.
That I had cooled it off once more before I had gone back inside where my daughter was just waking up in the GI Clinic!
They told me not to worry, just that they "have to respond to these complaints."
Before I left, I did ask them "had they seen any distress from the dog?"
They admitted that "they had not."
And then I asked them if THEY would kindly pay my own medical bills for the heart attack they had given me????
A few more pleasantries exchanged; and I was back to the hospital to see that Casey had still not been given anything for her pain... But first she wanted to know about Punk. I filled her in that all was alright with the dog. then back to her pain...
..."SQUEAKY WHEEL", remember???
The doctor wanted to know if I wanted her admitted? (No, I don't want her admitted, I want her treated for her damned pain.")...
Then comes the offered complacency... "I know it must be hard on you..."
...I cut him off almost immediately. ("Don't you dare patronize me. You are to finish treating my daughter appropriately!").
They finally gave her some demerol; and within about 10 or 15 minutes she was feeling MUCH better. I helped her dress... and then hightailed it once more back out to the damned car, to get it out of the ramp, and to wait for them to wheel Casey out to me.
By the time we left Froedtert, it had cooled down considerably...
.
.
Such NICE weather they have in Milwaukee...
.
..
The dog is fine.
As is Miss Casey. We now await the results of the biopsies they did. Her regular surgeon and his assistant will be back next Tuesday, (thank God, and the Powers that be), so we shall have those reults then.
They also want to be doing an Upper GI Series on her, so that will be yet another trip to Milwaukee. (Yes, they CAN do these in Green Bay, but then should the need arise and she must go back to Froedtert anyway; and I don't want them to be having to repeat all this bs as they have had to do in the past)...
Anyway, this is enough from me this morning... And to come home to a message on the machine, one of those NICE reminder calls, that I have a dentist appointment scheduled for this morning at 11:00. (Thanks, could I just offer to pull my toenails off with a tweezer?)...
And life goes on... But I was very happy to have slept in my own bed last night, which felt much like a bed of roses to me!!!
Oh yes, and to return to more "normal" temps too. It is currently 58 degrees, sunshiny and beautiful outside!
I hope you all are having an awesome week!!!
XOXO
Anne
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