Coming to the hospital for a urinary tract infection, only to find yourself in the middle of more tests than you can name, medications you can't pronounce, and surrounded by confusion regarding your child's health is a scary place to be.
After my daughter C was admitted, we found out that there were more health concerns than we had originally anticipated. We were seeing so many different doctors and specialists and the lines of communication were blurry. I found myself extremely overwhelmed and with no support system of my own, because of COVID-19 and only one parent allowed per pediatric patient.
Our nurse was Stephanie. Finding Stephanie was a small miracle for me, especially as the overwhelming feelings were quickly turning into panic and dealing with emotions that felt extremely hard to manage. Especially when you are trying to keep a brave face for a little person depending on you.
Stephanie stayed with me while each of the doctors came in and explained different scenarios. She stayed with me when the cardiologist came to visit and was giving me news that was completely new to me, although he seemed to think that it was something I should have already heard. That may or may not be the case, all I know is that it felt, even more, overwhelming on an already emotional day.
After the cardiologist left, it was time for Stephanie to go home and the night nurse would be coming in soon. I hated to see her leave, especially since she had been there for all the communication during the last few days and everything was still so confusing, keeping a brave face, I told her to have a great night and we would hopefully see her the next day. After the shift change was finished, I was surprised when Stephanie came back to my room with a pen and paper and sat down on the couch with me. She said, "Oh no, I am not finished with you yet. I just can't leave and go home until I know you are ok and until I know that you have gotten answers to all of the questions that you had today." It was so amazing to have someone care that much. She took the time to write down my questions and was able to answer almost all of them since she had been a part of the consultations. Most of it was just things that I was confused about and had missed. When you have so many doctors coming in and out, it is like trying to get a drink of water from a fire hydrant.
The next day C was scheduled for a CT scan but they were not sure about the time. Not having anyone here really to help me with meals, I was ordering and having food delivered in between her different appointments. The only problem is I have to go downstairs to pick it up. I was headed downstairs for a quick trip to meet the delivery driver, when the CT transport came to pick up C. I was so stressed out because I had to go meet the driver right then, but transport was saying that they had to get her and leave. But I needed to be with her too. I asked our nurse if they could wait just long enough for me to get down and get back up, and they said that they could not. Stephanie was standing nearby and overheard, and she corrected the situation, and explained that they could put the transport on hold for 15 minutes. It was like a wave of relief came over me, because of course my 9yr old daughter was not wanting to go to the CT scan without me. I was able to run down, get food, and come back up in time to go with her for the scan. If Stephanie had not been there in that moment, the situation would have been a nightmare for me. On top of that, starting that evening the food and nutrition folks came by with a tray for me also. We had been here for days and I did not know that was an option, but Stephanie put in a request, unknown to me, and suddenly I had meals that I did not have to try to order and pick up. Just one of the many thankless things that she handled for us because she noticed the needs and handled them all.
The next day we found out that C had to have another IV put in, and her anxiety was through the roof. Stephanie was not even our nurse that day but she was on the floor, and she came in to talk to C, explained that she has some friends on the IV team and she was going to reach out to them to see if we can do it with minimal pain. Later they came back in, and Stephanie was sure to come with them, and she held C's hand and walked her through it and we were able to get another IV after many other failed attempts. This was a huge relief not only for her but I think even more for me. It is so hard to see your child suffer through something that you know is a painful experience, and it is such a helpless feeling. It was so amazing to have her find a solution and the right people to help with something that was causing so much stress.
I know that during our 12 days here in the pediatric unit, we have had so many helpers and great nurses. But out of all of them, Stephanie just stands out and consistently went above and beyond the call of duty. She not only made everything better for C, but she made everything so much better for me too. As a parent dealing with so many unknowns, it was so wonderful to have someone slow down and take time to make sure I was OK too. She is so amazing and this hospital system is extremely lucky to have someone like her.