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| Doctors and nurses need sleep too! |
It's a potentially dangerous situation. I have seen it happen on more than one occasion where medical personnel, or parents, or both lose their patience. I have seen tempers flare, and the result is that it interferes with important communication and patient care. Unfortunately, the lack of sleep can also lead to mistakes and shortcuts that could have been avoided if cooler, more rested minds were making decisions.
However, I must point out that the people who choose to work in the medical profession are well aware of the demands that will be placed on their time. They know that sleep deprivation is something that they will have to deal with. That is why many safeguards are built into medical protocols, and medical staff make adjustments to help reduce the possibility of negative outcomes for their patients.
I have to say that I have great respect for what these men and women do for us despite the long hours. I have witnessed many hard working, dedicated professionals who work "tirelessly" (pun intended) to help patients who are in desperate need. In my opinion they are to be commended for all they do!!!
This was definitely true of the medical staff who helped take care of Christopher. Their altruism and commitment was amazing and much appreciated! Despite the fact that his diagnosis was mysterious, rare, and difficult to determine, they never gave up. They kept digging for the truth. They kept looking for answers. They kept searching for a way to save him.
This was abundantly clear after everyone had been debriefed on the "tube down the nose, stomach contents on the floor" situation. The GI doctor came to talk to us about what had happened and what should happen next. She explained that Pyloric Stenosis was not causing the problem. The first surgery had been successful in repairing that problem, but she did suspect that there was something wrong with the stomach itself. For some reason it wasn't emptying properly. She told us that she would be ordering another round of tests to help determine what was going on.
I tried to remain positive despite the fact that I was "drop dead tired." Part of me wanted to give up, but an even bigger part of me knew that I would NEVER give up until Christopher had a way to eat, grow, and live. I had to talk to myself a lot, give myself "pep talks" like a coach in a game trying to encourage his players. Don't give up! Shake off the sleepiness. Keep going. We're getting closer to an answer. They're going to figure this out. Christopher doesn't have a choice. He has to do this. He is doing this. I have to do this too. I can't give up because that would mean giving up on him. I should stop feeling sorry for myself. He is the one who is REALLY going through this. I'm just along for the ride. I am his voice, his advocate. His life depends on me "keeping up the good fight." I can do this. Lots of other people have been through this. Being a good mom means being there, doing it, fighting for him even when it's hard. Hard is not an excuse to give up!
This was not the first time I had to have a good, long "pep talk" with myself, and it would not be the last. Caring for a chronically ill child is a tiring and difficult ordeal, but it's what being a mom is all about. It really is true. Having kids is not just birthday parties and graduation ceremonies. It's the hard stuff too. It may be unexpected and hard, but that doesn't matter. What matters is doing it anyway.
God carried me. He encouraged me and never let me give up. He blessed Christopher and I with time. Time to celebrate those great childhood moments. You know, the "expected ones". Here is a picture of Christopher blowing out the candles on his 5th birthday cake and another picture of him receiving an award at school. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can pray like this:
More tomorrow...
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