Arrgh! damn emergency doctors! (and what have I done? )

[SenoraPostrophe]

Need to tell someone this.

I posted a thread a couple of weeks ago about a weird lump behind dd's ear. I took her to the emergency doctor, who told me it was just a bump, but why don't I give her antibiotics anyway? (she had had a fever, but it has passed)

I bought the antibiotics but didn't give them for a few days as I don't like to give my baby drugs for nothing. It didn't go away so i started giving the antibiotics.

But it's got worse so today i took her to the proper doctor (almost left it till Monday - she is fine so it didn't seem an emergency). I swear everyone was giving me odd looks in the waiting room for having an emergency appt. with such a healthy-looking little girl.

Anyway doc has told me to take her to hosptial today without fail. I would be there now, but she said it was OK to give her a nap first. She's written "mastoiditis" on the form - eeek! that's a v important gland for hearing isn't it? Why didn't I listen to my instincts and take her back to the proper doctor as soon as I could? Why do they bother having emergency out of hours clinics anyway? (this is Spain, so out of hours is any time after 3pm).

The thing that makes me feel better is that she seems fine, but as the doctor said, it's a very dangerous place to have an infection. At least the hospital is the same one where I'll be going to give birth any day now.

Fine now, thanks, Popsycal.

Frustrated and a bit tense, maybe, but dp is doing his turn tonight so I should get a good night's sleep at least - it may be my last one for a while!

I really hope she can come home tomorrow.

Sp, i am so glad things are working out! What a nightmare for you
It is horrible, horrible having your child on a drip. The thing i really hate when my son is in hospital, is feeling like i am not a parent anymore, everything you do or say has to be over ridden really. Your child is not your own for that time, and you really bloody have to learn to trust.
I hope you are looking after yourself, i hope you have your child home soon, and i also hope you have a onre hour labour

I'm pleased to hear things are on the up, SP, and I hope your dd gets home tomorrow. Enjoy your sleep tonight!

Sp- Glad dd's on the up, take care.

FF- the one hour labour sounds great...unless your more than 55 mins from the hospital

message withdrawn

SP, hope she's home now and feeling better. Now you just have the small matter of giving birth to contend with....

Take care XX

SP - best wishes for a speedy recovery for DD and of course a healthy delivery for you. What an awful thing to happen, especially at this time.

I missed all this SP. I am sorry to hear about your DD's troubles this weekend, bless her. I hope you are doing okay too; must be very tiring for you being so far pregnant as well.

How is she now? How are you?

Take care of yourselves. And send your DD all of my love and hugs.

SP, sorry about your little girl - but so pleased the op went well. You must have been so worried

Hope your dd is home soon and that your bump stays where it is for a bit longer

UPDATE: Can't quite believe this. Today the doc said that they will not let dd out of hospital untilher operation wound has healed. Since it looks pretty much as it did, this is highly unlikely to be before Monday.

I just don't know what to do. I am absolutely exhausted from the visits to the hospital (involving much sending of messages and messing around because obviously 3 day old ds can't go near the children's ward) and it's just heartbreaking seeing dd cry when I have to leave. I probably should have asked to stay longer on the maternity ward, but then I would have gone mad through lack of sleep (why do they have to keep waking you up there? )

At least we've found an auxiliary nurse to do the night shifts with dd (someone has to be with her at all times to stop her from strangling herself on the damn drip/climbing out of bed etc.) But dp or someone has to be with her at all times in the day. I guess I'll have to phone everyone we know within driving distance.

On the plus side, ds is doing very well - he's strong and eating enough for several babies. I want to get him weighed as I'm sure he's reganined his birthweight already, but that will have to wait. Dd also said "adios" for the first time yesterday.

Oh, lucy, I am sorry, how frustrating for you. I wonder if it would be different here? I suppose with it being a head thing they have to be extra careful?

Looking on the bright side - I bet it will do wonders for her Spanish! And at least Lucas is being co-operative...one day you will dine out on this story!

xxx

Que Lastima, Senora.

Oh SP, how pants Sending all my healing wishes to your DD so she can come home to her new little brother soon.

Jan - I was wondering that. My sister (the one still in England who is a trainee children's nurse) says they sometimes give antibiotics for months, but on day appointments rather than in hospital and I don't think they do that kind of treatment here (it may just be for older kids anyway). They're definately being extra careful because it's on her head though and I just don't like to argue with the docs (get too emotional to form coherent Spanish). But you've just reminded me that I met a fully bilingual midwife a couple of months ago. Think I should call her...

Lucy, I've just caught up with this thread. How awful for you. The last thing you need right now is more stress. I wish I could do something to help, I dont suppose I can but I am sending you loads of sympathy. Getting a bilingual midwife sounds like an excellent idea.

Oh I'm so sorry, what a nightmare. I feel so sorry for all of you. I can see why they want to be careful, but it's such awful, awful timing.
Big hugs.

Sp I so feel for you....I was in a similar situation but the otherway around, baby in hospital long term and two other little ones at home (50 miles away). It absolutely tears you in two , but at least I didn't have the language/cultural issues aswell. Get any help you can from wherever you can get and please try to look after yourself too. Sending hugs X

Thanks again for the messages of support.

But I think I'm going to have to rant some more...(and maybe I should change the name of the thread to "damn Spanish nurses" )

dd was really ill last night. It could be the infection coming back (god, I hope not) or it could be an unrelated bug - she's been of very very heavy antibiotics after all. She's in until at least Wednesday now - she'll have another CAT scan on tuesday for which she needs a gen anasthetic (because she won't keep still).

Meanwhile the nurses -
-have thrown away her toothbrush
-still haven't realised that the best way to deal with a child who hates the shower is to get it over with quickly rather than to keep saying things like "don't be silly" and prolonging the process.
-didn't bother to let the doctor know that she had been up all night with sickness and fever when she was examined this morning
-won't provide us with a bottle except at 11pm.
-won't look after her except for 5 mins when whoever is with her needs the loo. When dp is there he can't even go out for something to eat.

That last one is just the way things work here, and some are very nice, but I just don't know how we can cope with this anymore. My sister was helping but she's gone home now.

Also meanwhile poor little ds isn't getting the attention he deserves as I'm so pre-occupied with my other baby. He's asleep now.

I wish we were back in England.

I'm sorry to hear that dd isn't yet home, SP. It doesn't sound as though she is getting optimal care, poor little mite. Is your Spanish up to complaining, or is it all too much for you to consider doing? Don't worry about ds too much. He won't remember this episode, although if you're bfing I appreciate that it must be very difficult indeed.

Do you know anyone at all who could help out? Ime people are very happy to be asked in an emergency, even if you don't know them that well. I'd offer to help myself if I was close by. Thinking of you.

so sorry SP, hope things improve soon - isn't there anyone who can help you out locally?

Oh SP - is there no one around who you could turn to for help??

Lucy, I'm so sorry to hear this, I'd been hoping you'd be able to take her home tomorrow. Suedonim said what I was thinking about ds - fortunately he won't mind a bit that you're preoccupied with dd, as long as he is fed and changed and can sleep when he wants he'll be fine.

If the nurses won't look after the children what do they do all day? And what happens if a child comes in whose family can't provide constant attention? Sounds mad. Don't they understand that as you are breastfeeding you can't provide overlapping care with DH because you can't bring ds in - or do they think you should bring him in anyway?

I do hope what she's got now is nothing to do with her mastoiditis and that she really will be well enough for you all to go home soon. (How is the wound looking or haven't you seen it?)
I wish you were in England too...isn't there anybody near who could watch her for a short spell for you?

Jan - the nurses do express sympathy for us, but it's just not their job to look after kids. If a child doesn't have family then they call social services in as far as I am aware. Admittedly we haven't asked if they will look after dd while dp has lunch but I do know it would be very out of the ordinary.

We have found an auxiliary nurse who has been doing the night shifts (they don't provide beds for carers - only arm chairs - and dp is rubbish without sleep. Don't know how the Spanish mums do it night after night).

Must go - ds needs feeding.