Mama told me there'd be days like this....as I have said more than once, she really needed to be more specific. :) We woke up this morning to find our little Natey had transformed into a wet dishrag over night. He refused all food, was just lying on his bean bag staring off into space, and eventually he spiked a fever. Coincidentally, he finished his antibiotics late last week....yeah, not coincidentally at all. I was already taking Jack to the doctor for a GI issue, so I called and made it a two-fer. Long story short....both boys now have strep...Jack's happens to be GI, Nate's remains in his throat. I remain suspicious about chronic infection with Nate...we shall see. So we have upgraded our antibiotic, hopefully that will do the trick. In the meantime, more nystatin. Bugger.
Luckily, I was at home working and able to take them to the pediatrician myself. Our home has many functions these days....family home, day care center, my office...to name a few. Some days (days like today perhaps), in some ways, I am wishing for the office away from home, the "peace" of not knowing every single time my children cry or misbehave. But honestly, working from home is the biggest blessing for us right now. Between the in-home therapies I can "pop in" on, and the doctor's appointments I can run the boys to, being here during the day lets me stay involved, and even when I have to be a spectator in their daily activities, at least I can see them. We can do lunch, if one of them falls and hurts themselves, I can kiss their boo boos. These little privileges more than make up for the few disadvantages. Such as the recorder that my son is currently incessantly blowing in my ear, ha. There, just put it up high....mean mommy. I would say that I feel torn between the two worlds of work and home life more than the average bear....I have the boys while I am working for about an hour and a half each day (on a good day) and I try like the dickens to have all of my crucial calls made before this time. However there have been occasions when I have had to lock myself in the bathroom with my computer in order to attend a conference call or talk to a doctor who isn't available before 4pm. We make it work, no biggie, but I will admit it's a little stressful. If all hell breaks loose, I can always work on cases after the boys go to bed.
So on days like today, when my "lunch break" is at 9:30am and consists of holding two screaming children down to have their throats and ears examined, and having one of these lovely children vomit on me during said examination, I feel a bit stressed. I guess that would be true for any mom right? First I took time off to get the boys checked out, and since they can't go to school, they are hanging around with me for a larger chunk of my work day. Their afternoon has unfortunately consisted of Disney movies and a whole lot of "shhhhhh". I wouldn't trade this scenario.....I want to be the one my kid vomits on (if that, you know, has to happen). Thank God I chose nursing....for so many reasons.
I guess that is my way of saying HAPPY NURSES WEEK!!!! To all of my friends and colleagues who administer chemo, blood, and bone marrow infusions, and then turn around and scoop poop, change sheets or hold hands this job is so so important. At my previous job, it could be all about comfort, participating in a code, or providing a peaceful death. At my current job, it could be about getting an expensive and needed prescription pushed through quickly, or making sure my patient has a ride to their appointment (and actually goes). Some days it's all about listening....it's amazing what patients will tell you over the phone. Other days I am working on a life flight for someone to get to their transplant center in time to get their organ, or comforting a family member when the patient isn't doing well. I never know what each day is going to hold, but I do know that at the end of the day, I will feel like I have left the world a little better than when I began. Only nurses know that physicians, nutritionists, social workers, chaplains, physical therapists and everyone else involved in patient care would be lost without our knowledge of what's "really" going on. We are the technologically savvy moms of the health care world. We take on huge responsibility with very little acknowledgment. And most importantly we CARE. There just is no better job...oh except motherhood.
Luckily, I was at home working and able to take them to the pediatrician myself. Our home has many functions these days....family home, day care center, my office...to name a few. Some days (days like today perhaps), in some ways, I am wishing for the office away from home, the "peace" of not knowing every single time my children cry or misbehave. But honestly, working from home is the biggest blessing for us right now. Between the in-home therapies I can "pop in" on, and the doctor's appointments I can run the boys to, being here during the day lets me stay involved, and even when I have to be a spectator in their daily activities, at least I can see them. We can do lunch, if one of them falls and hurts themselves, I can kiss their boo boos. These little privileges more than make up for the few disadvantages. Such as the recorder that my son is currently incessantly blowing in my ear, ha. There, just put it up high....mean mommy. I would say that I feel torn between the two worlds of work and home life more than the average bear....I have the boys while I am working for about an hour and a half each day (on a good day) and I try like the dickens to have all of my crucial calls made before this time. However there have been occasions when I have had to lock myself in the bathroom with my computer in order to attend a conference call or talk to a doctor who isn't available before 4pm. We make it work, no biggie, but I will admit it's a little stressful. If all hell breaks loose, I can always work on cases after the boys go to bed.
So on days like today, when my "lunch break" is at 9:30am and consists of holding two screaming children down to have their throats and ears examined, and having one of these lovely children vomit on me during said examination, I feel a bit stressed. I guess that would be true for any mom right? First I took time off to get the boys checked out, and since they can't go to school, they are hanging around with me for a larger chunk of my work day. Their afternoon has unfortunately consisted of Disney movies and a whole lot of "shhhhhh". I wouldn't trade this scenario.....I want to be the one my kid vomits on (if that, you know, has to happen). Thank God I chose nursing....for so many reasons.
I guess that is my way of saying HAPPY NURSES WEEK!!!! To all of my friends and colleagues who administer chemo, blood, and bone marrow infusions, and then turn around and scoop poop, change sheets or hold hands this job is so so important. At my previous job, it could be all about comfort, participating in a code, or providing a peaceful death. At my current job, it could be about getting an expensive and needed prescription pushed through quickly, or making sure my patient has a ride to their appointment (and actually goes). Some days it's all about listening....it's amazing what patients will tell you over the phone. Other days I am working on a life flight for someone to get to their transplant center in time to get their organ, or comforting a family member when the patient isn't doing well. I never know what each day is going to hold, but I do know that at the end of the day, I will feel like I have left the world a little better than when I began. Only nurses know that physicians, nutritionists, social workers, chaplains, physical therapists and everyone else involved in patient care would be lost without our knowledge of what's "really" going on. We are the technologically savvy moms of the health care world. We take on huge responsibility with very little acknowledgment. And most importantly we CARE. There just is no better job...oh except motherhood.
Props to you! Working in the health profession gives you a head start comparing to a lot of individuals with autism and their caregivers. Learning to work with professionals is important for individuals with autism and their caregivers to learn. Then there is also knowledge on what is good information on autism and what is not. The latter is something mentioned in Aaron Likens' book and blog (Aaron is an individual with Asperger's who is diagnosed at age 20... and is the author of Finding Kansas.).
ReplyDelete