It's Been A Long Day Full Of Broken Promises

My kid doesn't have cancer, doesn't need a transplant, and has a good heart, and for that I am thankful, but this hospital crap is getting old. Mae was supposed to get her PICC line today (it has been scheduled for days) but noooooo.

Last night she fell asleep before her dinner arrived and was NPO (not allowed anything to eat or drink in preparation for her PICC placement) after midnight last night. This morning she was not given breakfast, so we colored and squished play-doh instead. Finally around 10:00 am the nurse came in and said Mae would be allowed clear liquids until noon because her procedure would be at 2:00. She had a popsicle and a few sips of apple juice to calm her hungry tummy. The woman who would be performing the PICC placement came in and explained the whole thing to us. The home care coordinator was here to set up equipment and medication details. We were ready to go. Then around noon, the nurse came in and told us that she canceled the procedure and rescheduled it for 8:00 tomorrow morning. There were still 9 other patients ahead of Mae and she hadn't had any thing to eat in 24 hours. The likelihood of her having the procedure today was slim, and at that point the thought of having to wait on an empty stomach only to be told that they couldn't do it anyway was not worth it. I was so hoping that this would be done today so we could have a little get-to-know-you time with the PICC before we are sent home tomorrow but I guess that's not how it's going to work out. After that shitty disappointing news I ordered Mae some lunch and the Nurse slipped some laxative in Mae's apple juice because, well... do I really have to explain that one?

During lunch one of the hospital teachers came in and invited us over to the school here. Mae was so excited to go over the classroom, so I told her she needed to finish her lunch then we would make our way to the other side of the hospital to the classroom. Just as we were getting ready to head out, the nurse walked in with Mae's antibiotic to put in her IV. Bad news, the second IV (that was placed on Saturday) was no longer functioning and she would need a new one. Obviously, this was not good news and would not have been necessary if she had the f*cking PICC placed today! Ridiculous!

The nurses tried to put a new IV in and Mae held so still for a very long time but the nurse missed the vein and was chasing it all around. Mae lost her patience and started screaming and kicking because there was a big fat needle dodging all around under her skin. That poor kid has been stuck more times in the last week than most people are in a lifetime. Her little arms are black and blue, full of little needle holes and covered in sticky band-aid and tape residue. The nurse finally gave up and called someone from the Infusion Clinic to come up and place the IV. With only one quick try the IV was placed and her antibiotic was given, but by the time all of this was over, the classroom was closed for the day. More tears and disappointment for a little girl who has had bad news and disappointment for a week.

Tonight was a little better. She had Spaghettios and a Robinade for dinner. Oh, and the kitchen forgot to send up her cupcake. I asked her if she wanted me to call in another one and she said no. She seems to be getting used to disappointment. I sure hope that she gets to go home tomorrow. She has excitedly told nearly every person she saw today that she'll be going home tomorrow. I would hate for that not to be the case. She deserves a break!

The hospital bed is proving to be lots of fun.