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First I just want to say that I have a ton on my brain, I haven't forgotten that I have been tagged for a meme, I will do it....soon.
I also want to rant about religion and do a give away....soon too.
Once I am back on a roll of sorts, I guess the roller coaster kind since that seems to be what it is like around here I will get to it all.
Maybe once I finish disinfecting every corner of the house...almost done, and the last load of laundry is done I will sit.
No time now so I will blow threw a little update instead.
Here are our two little ones all hooked up to their IV goodness. Poor Kaitlyn couldn't bend her arm and Ethan couldn't walk.
I sure don't see how they could have managed being in separate rooms without getting all tangled and kerfuddled in their wires.
Stupid nurses!
Anyway I am over that, and glad.
(this is now edited so I can clarify myself based on some of the comments I am getting)
I do NOT think that all nurses are stupid, by no means! I have some great friends who are nurses and I really admire the job that nurses do.
They really do the majority of the work in hospitals and they are usually outstanding, especially the ER nurses we had, amazing!
However the way we were treated my these two cranky old nurses in the children's ward was outrageous! They were so rude and didn't want to help and when they did they frowned and said awful things. They were a exception to the norm, and I do not judge all nurses based on their behavior. I did write them up in a survey after our stay there, it was really that bad!
Now on with life.
We have been busy trying to get back to normal...
painting,
and blowing paint,
hanging out with straws in our mouths,
more painting,
and paint brush sword fighting.
Then things got a little out of hand when the sparkles came out...unexpectedly.
So we made a crafty fun time of the mess.
Then we glued magnets on the back of the wood shapes they painted and posted the art on the fridge.
Next up, we baked, Kaitlyn was begging to make cookies and she did.
That chair is soooo toast.
Guess another reupholstery job will be in the works, maybe with a more kid friendly fabric...plasticy.
This morning we tackled gymnastics.
Kaitlyn tried to escape.
The back home we colored, got bored and decided to head to the park and feed the geese.
We got stuck trying to get to the cleared path, wouldn't you think they would clear a path to the path, just a thought.
We found a few geese. way out in the middle of the lake in a patch of open water.
We didn't feed them.
Instead I dragged a screaming mad Ethan around the park so I could work my buns and by the time we reached our street on the way home he fell asleep.
I decided to keep walking and take advantage of the peace, I was loosing my mind when I left the house for the walk and any excuse not to go back was good by me!
We headed over to a friends and once the kids woke up we did a little puddle splashing together and then had tea and let the kids play.
I love normal!
21 comments:
Well, that sounds like a really nice day! I love the blow-paintings Ethan & Kaitlyn did. They definitely have your talent for art! Very impressive.
I'm so glad everybody seems to be on the mend. Yay!
just so you know, i am a nurse, and we aren't stupid. i'd love for you to walk a few days in our shoes, especially in the ER. if you think 2 children are a challenge, try dealing with 30-40 adults and children, and try telling all of them there are no beds upstairs for them. and then be called stupid because all of them have their own agenda. yah, i leave my family at home everyday so i can be called stupid because i can't cater to yours... for reasons WAY beyond my control. hospitals aren't hotels. if you want to be catered to, go to a hotel. and then call them stupid if they don't put you in your own room. oh yah, you are PAYING for the hotel, guess you can call the shots.
Wooooah here, I do work in ER and what she went through with those kids WAS stupidity on the part of the hospital. And those nurses should have NEVER responded the way they did and vocally, if they had here in the States they would have been fired!! There is no reason in this world that those babies should have been seperated as sick as they were and Anna did the right thing!! Way to stand up for the rights of your children! Sorry but I just had to voice my opinion here Anna. You went through a terrible ordeal there honey and you are one great Mama!
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umm. gee, good answer,.. if you want US medicine, go there. But in canada, we don't pay for our health care, and the mess the hospitals are in is NOT the nurses fault. while I agree, no nurse should be rude... we've only heard one side of the story. it isn't the nurse's fault there are NO beds. So don't take it out on the nurses. How would you like us to say "stupid parents".. oh yah, that would get us fired in the states!
What a horrible experience. I know nurses get a bad rap but sometimes, they deserve it.
My heart goes out to you!
Um, what is going on with the anonymous comments here......
Like you need someone else attacking you yet. A mom who has been through what you have deserves the right to vent.
Take care and let's get together soon!
sorry to reply on your blog when i don't even know you (i am a friend of nicole's)
i am a er pediatric nurse in the canadian health care system - where we believe in family centered care (not just the child is the patient but the whole family). i was really saddened to read the response by the other nurse going off on you for having your children's best interest at heart. i am sure that her job just as mine and the parent of a sick child is very stressful but i don't think that gives anyone the right to be rude. i realize that hospitals are a very frustrating environment to work within due to often limited resources but all we can really control is our own reactions and responses to inevitably difficult situations we will all face. if we as front line health care professionals start blaming the system for our bad attitude the patients will suffer and i also believe we will suffer as negativity tends to spiral out of control very fast leaving us like the hag nurses (and we all know there are some pretty grumpy nurses our there) this mom experienced on the inpatient unit. hearing a story like this gives me renewed incentive to treat each of the families that i work with in a compassionate and respectful way – a way i would hope my family and friends be treated (it is not always easy – so I will keep working on it). lets try to work more as a team (families and health care workers) and i think everyone's job would be so much easier.
sorry for the rant
jayne
Ummm - if there is such a bed shortage, why would they want them in two different rooms, and want to leave one child unattended, since the nurses are so overworked and likely can't be focusing on one child all that much? I don't see their reasoning, either. Also, just because they are overworked and frazzled is no excuse to be rude to a worried mom. That is inexcusable. If I were you, I would at least consider a formal complaint - nothing nasty, mind you - just the facts. That is how problems really get addressed. Think of it this way - you could be sparing other parents what you went through!
I was going to comment yesterday but decided it was not worth my time.
Here are a few things that I would like to comment on.
1. I think the use of the word "stupid" was a poor choice.
2. Your medical care is free and you get what you pay for. Which is NON PRIVATE rooms and over worked Nurses.
3. The Nurse that has already posted here has already pointed out that Hospitals are not Hotels.
4. Nurses are very under staffed in the US so I can only imagine what they are like in Canada.
I am suprised the Nurse that posted here did not point out to you that anyone with any SENSE does not give Children that have been throwing up MILK. A child that is throwing up should be on the BRAT diet. Milk or any dairy on a sick stomach leads to DIARREHA and subsequent dehydration.
There are also two sides to a story and I would bet the "stupid" Nurses would have a slightly different account. You tend to whine quite a lot and seem to feel "entitled" and it was not too long ago you were calling a couple of Doctors are few choice names.
Also, why are you taking your children out so soon after being so sick? The last place you should take them is to some filthy, germ ridden gym.
Over all I find it ironic that YOU would have the audacity to call anyone 'STUPID'.
ugh on your misfortune with meeting ugly nurses! I am glad the kids are getting better!
Thanks for your comment on my blog!
sorry anna that you are being attacked here. for those of you who are all fired up about what anna has written / said / done.... she did apologize and clarify her comments which should be considered, especially after such strong words were used! also, you do realize you have a choice as to whether or not you read her blog? if you don't like what she writes, don't read it! good grief, there's no need for you to attack her- she wasn't intentionally degrading you! anyway, anna this is just so you know that there are those out there that realize "blog bullying" is not acceptable. don't lose heart.
This note is for anonymous. Free speech in an integral part of the Canadian constitution and you are entitled to it as is my Anna. Consider the volatility of your comments and the quantity ratio of yours/hers. Did the post of an exhausted, sick and frustrated mother really deserve such large a rash inconsiderate reply? You were not being personally attacked and while I respect that you are standing up for your fellow nurses I am also sure that there are nurses in the health care system that are not as attentive to their jobs as you are. (As in any other career, some are better then others) I can also appreciate that you, as a nurse, may feel that you are being victimized by what is perhaps Anna’s over generalization. As for our health care: we do pay for it. Consider the amount of income tax Canadians pay verses the amount Americans pay. In addition to being taxed we also pay for private health insurance to cover additional costs. For the amount of income tax Anna has paid over in her life time / the amount of time Anna has utilized the health system means that she paid for her stay at the hospital this weekend. Dear anonymous - Please examine the words health CARE. In my opinion your response has confirmed that our health care has come to represent. Please find another medium of dispelling your animosity toward the ill or find a new career. I don’t want to be in your care…….. dare I say the wrong thing. One last word of wisdom - you catch more flies with honey: Anna is a sweet person you could have caught her with honey no problem.
Oh - and to the other anonymous on here - the one with the list - if you don't like her blog then why are you reading it? Get a book if you don’t want to read uncensored opinion or as you put it ‘whining‘. It's interesting that you stay anonymous yet feel completely free to judge a stranger. Judge not - that ye be not judged.
TT
Look at you guys knee deep in Spring. Good for you for getting out into some fresh air. There is nothing better for sick kids than some good old fashion fresh air. And it is great for you too. With our sickies here and record snow fall we couldn't walk the streets or sidewalks, but we did open a few windows to change up the air and I do believe it helped a lot.
As for your hospital experience. I, unfortunately have had more than my share of not so good ones, so I feel your pain entirely. I think you did fabulously with the options you had.
And for those Anonymous commentors, well I have a few choice expletives for them. Same as I had when I posted about Officer Olaf. Perhaps it is the same person jealous and bitter trying to crush us when we are down. I don't know but you sure have picked up well after the sickies invaded and good for you.
Hats Off Anna!!!
p.s. J was at gymnastics 24 hours after his flu, there was nothing keeping him away.
To reply to some comments that have been made about my wife and my kids,
Our healthcare system is not free, it is paid for by everyone in Canada, you know taxpayers. as taxpayers and residents in Canada we are entitled to have the best healthcare that can be provided. Billions of dollars gets put into the system every year with, among with increases in spending and the common patient does not see an improvement. The problem is not with the nurses and doctors so much as it is with those in charge of the healthcare system, who waste money our do not inject money soon enough or well enough to the areas that it is needed.
Now saying that, there has been a dramatic decrease in talented doctors due to system that does pay them what they are worth, and the same can be said for nurses. Now obviously there are very nice, experienced, caring nurses and doctors, who really take the time and effort to CARE for people, but like anywhere else in the world this is a 2 way street.
Sit in our shoes or another parents shoes, and use common sense for a moment:
The nurse tells us that the kids will be separated as it is their policy and that even Twins that come in, get separated. How ludicrous does that sound? For one you have 2 kids who are under the age of 3 that need to be cared for by their mother, and just their mother, because their father has to work so that they can eat. To separate the kids for a night is stupid, to even recommend it is stupid. Then comes the term Policy. Well everyone has policies and we know that, but to sit there and tell me in rude voice that "it is policy", well thats not good enough, nor appreciated. It was "their policy" until we said, either they stay in the same room or we go home without signing a waiver. Funny how that changes things, oh, and of course the thought of a possible lawsuit or public exposure if anything happened.
As patients, we walk into a hospital to receive care for whatever ails us. Oh thats right, nurses and doctors are to provide care. Not be rude, unattentive and condescending. Of course we had a couple great nurses at the General, and I know that there were nice ones at the Pasqua as well. However, this nurse was not, and nor were the other nurses that I observed. They seemed second rate and weren't very nice.
Thats probably because of the healthcare system and a lack of funding, or maybe they were having bad days. Of course we all have bad days but that is no excuse. As someone who has a very extensive customer service background, you are taught to smile at any situation no matter how bad.
No matter what the reason was, it was unacceptable and unappreciated, and because we do pay their salary and we live in a democracy, we have every right to complain.
Of course there will be people that disagree with what I have said and people that agree, but unless you were working on March 6th and 7th at the Pasqua Hospital, then you should not be mad, this is not directed at you. We are not talking about all nurses, we are talking about the two that booked us in and the ones that cared for us on that shift, or should I say attempted to care for us with rudeness.
One last note, yes my wife whines, and yes my wife complains. What's your point? You are whining and complaining about her whining and complaining. If you don't like what she has to say, then why are reading her blog and posting comments? Also if you are so upset with her comments, why be anonymous? What are you hiding from?
From the Father of the 2 greatest children and the husband of a caring and loving woman.
Dave
I am also a nurse. And I don't like being called stupid. But I also know there are many times that coworkers have dealt with families with "less than acceptable" attitudes. So I apologize on their behalf. I also know that there is often NOTHING we can do to change the situation. However. There are sometimes options, like moving a child to another room, so to make 2 beds in one room. However. Having suggested that in the past, I've received nasty, horrible, degrading comments from the parents of the child being moved to another room...
"HOW DARE YOU THINK MY CHILD SHOULD MOVE? ISN"T MY CHILD JUST AS IMPORTANT?" So, Please realize we are not stupid. I realize it was said out of frustration, and I understand, and care about my patients. Please realize we are often up against more than what is obvious to you, one parent of 2 children. I wasn't there to see how you were treated, so I won't try to justify those nurses words or actions. All I ask is the next time you deal with nurses, please realize we are also up against great mountains trying to accomodate many patients and families. Address our rudeness if it needs. But please be patient with us. I wish I was your nurse, you would have had a much better experience, even if I couldn't have solved your situation.
thank you to your husband for understanding you. thanks for listening to me, a caring nurse.
I linked to your blog from Melissa's blog and check back periodically. Like Jayne, "I don't even know you" but feel like I too must comment. I have found you delightful and I love your creative and generous spirit. I am drawn to your honesty and to your loving parenting. It saddened me to read the irrate comments you received from your last post. Had they read carefully they would have noticed that you were not catagorically deeming all nurses as 'stupid'. You were simply venting about a stressful situation. I think the health care system Tommy Douglas dreamed about did indeed include dignity and respect. You are right to expect both even though you are not paying. Don't let these comments get to you.
thank you for acknowledging the good nurses... some of those are my own coworkers... I work at the General ER. Any of my friends will tell you that I care about my patients, and I will go the extra mile because I love my job, except when I am being assaulted, kicked, swore at, etc. Thank you for acknowledging that we were busy the day you were there. And like I said earlier, I apologize for those nurses who hurt you.
I don't know you, but I respect that you need to stand up for your children. Prayerfully, they won't ever be that sick again at the same time.
Ask Deb, who posted above this comment, she'll tell you, I REALLY DO CARE my patients! I hope your next experience is with a nurse like me!
Wow. I had no idea there was such a firestorm going on here in the comments. It's funny how we American's always threaten to run to Canada when we don't like the way things are going in the states. I guess the grass isn't so green up there afterall. In fact it's white!
Look at your snow stroller! I have never seen such a thing.
I think you all should come vacation down here and warm up your barefoot toes in some warm sand.
Seriously, someday. Some winter... you have to come visit. We'll take tours of nice hospitals! Ha ha!
1. Medical care is not free in Canada. We are taxed out the yin-yang to pay for the system and most people carry supplemental insurance to compensate for our systems shortfalls. Free- I think not, but you can hand me the right to write off the interest on my mortgage ANYTIME! :) Lucky Americans.
2. I work in a hospital, and have for a long time. Yes - Nurses are hard working people (as are 99% of the people who choose health-care related fields), generally. BUT there are a few who make the rest of the great nurses look really bad, and for that I think the word stupid is completely justified. Like it or not there ARE complete idiots in every medical field including the illustrious Doctors, Technologists, Therapists and Nurses.
3. You have no right at all telling someone how to speak on their blog and flaming them anonymously (pure cowardice). You have the right to never read the blog again and Anna has a right to free speech. A stressed mother with two hospitalized kids has every right in the world to speak her mind on her web-space. It is not as if she ran a poll asking all of her readers to to vote if they think a certain profession is stupid or not.
4, The last time I looked I was in Health Care to take Care of People. Thats why I got the 9 letters after my name and work the ridiculous shifts. To take care of what sick people need. Not to be rude and belittle anyone. It seems that some of the anonymous nurses on here are the same type you ran into at the hospital.
Sorry you had to listen to the cowardly anonymous comments. I call bullshit.
Oh.my.goodness.
I'm hopping over from another blog, except now I can't remember which one.
This has got to be the largest show down I have ever seen on any blog.... even bigger then the "mommy wars".
Hats off to you for working it out.
Bravo David!
Anna, sorry you guys had it so rough. Ignore anonymous or HEY, you know you can set blogger up to where you can't receive anonymous comments.
There's an idea.
TTYS!!!!
((hugs))
I haven't read through all the previous responses and I can see that this is a hot topic. I have read your more recent posts explaining what you meant etc. I can see why it's a heated topic and subject to misinterpretation. I'm glad you got it off your chest and explained the situation in more detail.
I, too, am a nurse who worked in an adult medical/surgical ICU. I do not understand the policy of the hospital to not allow two siblings to be in the same room together. Perhaps if they are not related then sure, only one child per room. If I was the nurse making the rooming decisions on that ward, I would be so thrilled that you as the mother would want your two children to be together. Why? For a few reasons. Part of it would be for infection control. It's pretty clear both siblings had the same bug. Therefore, wouldn't you want to confine that bug to ONE room rather than contaminate two different roommates?? Secondly, whether patients are children or adults, having their family members there can be an asset to a busy, overworked nurse. If the family is unobtrusive and compliant with helping follow the care plan, then who better to be there with the patients. A family member present can help with activities like feeding, bathing, changing clothes, fixing covers etc. Having you running back and forth between rooms would be less efficient for both you and the nurses. Not to mention the potential spread of the bug from one room to the other as you go back and forth...
Nurses deserve much praise. That I am sure. Unfortunately you encountered some that stuck so strictly to their policy and procedure manual that they forgot the essence of nursing care for the patient and family...Good for you for sticking to your guns and advocating for your family. Hopefully they will learn that bending the rules occasionally is what creative, competent, resourceful nurses do.
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