Max's Surgery

Here's a recap of our week...

Monday:
-Max got upset during the school day because I told him he was having lasagna at school. Well, turns out I looked at the wrong day and it was really hot dog day. He told his teacher he didn't feel good after art but she thought he was still upset about lunch and told him to splash some water on his face and he'd feel better. When he got home he was laying on the couch and said he didn't feel very well. He sat up and puked. He went and laid back down on the couch for a while. When he woke up he had a fever and couldn't stand up straight because he belly hurt so bad. Nate and I thought he probably had some virus and intestinal cramps.

Tuesday:
-Nate woke me up before 6:00 am saying Max still couldn't stand up straight and that he'd had to carry Max to the bathroom because it hurt him too much to walk. I got up and made an online appointment to see the pediatrician (I love that our pediatric office does that!). I got a message later than Max had a 9:00 am appt. with Dr. Payton. After Dr. P checked him out he said that Max was exhibiting all the syptoms of appendicitis but he wanted to wait 6 hours to make sure. He said he didn't want Max to have unnecessary surgery but he also didn't want to wait too long so that it ruptured. He said to come back around 3:00 pm if Max didn't feel any better to get examined again. Max tried to convince himself and me that he felt better knowing that he'd probably have to have surgery if he didn't get better but I could tell he didn't... he was still grimacing any time he moved, still couldn't stand upright, etc. When I told him I called the doctor and that we were going back in he teared up and admitted he felt worse.
-Dr. P checked him out and ordered a CT scan which he got done around 4:00 pm. It confirmed that his appendix was enlarged so he sent us over to the ER to get checked in at 4:45 pm. This is where the real fun began.
-WRMC has no communication among itself. Dr. P had already talked to Dr. Hudec (the surgeon) and we were told that everything was getting prepped for the surgery. Well, the ER sent us to admissions where we waited at least a half and hour because they had no clue who Max was. Then, we got sent back to the ER (where we had tried going initially) to get his vital signs read. We waited over an hour before we finally got sent back to a room (in the meantime Max starts to cry saying it's hurting more). At this point I realize that my definition of "emergency" isn't the same as the hospitals. Dr. P made it sound as if Max would be in surgery immediately. Nope. There's no sense of urgency in the ER. They just stroll around, chatting on the phone, without a care in the world.
-After we finally got sent up the surgery prep area they weighed and measured him. The nurse doing these tasks told us they do this so they know how much anesthesia to give him AS SHE IS WRITING HIS HEIGHT AND WEIGHT ON HER HAND. Back in his little holding area she transfers the results to a paper towel and gives them to another nurse. The other nurse leaves then sticks her head back in asking, "Now, cm is height and kilograms weight, right?" Really?! These are the people prepping my baby for surgery? We then get asked the most ridiculous questions including but not limited to: If he needs to go to the bathroom what words would he use to tell us? Max's response, "ummm... I need to go to the bathroom?"; How much TV does he watch a day?; How many times a day does he brush his teeth?; Does he have a job?; Does he smoke? Seriously? A) he's 7... think about it before you ask. B) What does any of this have to do with his infected appendix?
-Dr. Hudec comes in and talks to us. He tells us we're in luck because the pediatric anesthesiologist just happens to be on call tonight. He tells us it won't be too long.
-A while after that we learn that there has been an emergency that involves a man bleeding internally so it's going to be awhile. I asked the nurse what "a while" means in hospital terms because we've already been waiting 3 hours. She says, "Oh, probably another couple hours." Super.
-Max finally gets back to surgery at 10:15 pm and is done by 10:45 pm. Dr. Hudec said his appendix was longer than normal (reached below his belly button) and was pusy but hadn't perforated. Thank you, Jesus! (We knew it hadn't ruptured at the time of his CT scan but since that had happened 6 hours before don't think the thought hadn't crossed by mind that while these people were trying to find their heads and we were waiting forever that it might.)

Wednesday:
-In the hospital.... not a great experience. A nurse who couldn't care less, his wrestlers got thrown in the laundry when his sheets got changed, only given pain meds once, promised an Xbox at 9:00 that he didn't get until after 1:00, etc.
-Dr. Hudec came by at 3:15. He said Max looked great and we could go home.
-At 6:00, I request more pain meds for Max and tell the nurse he has blood in his IV line. She nonchalantly says, "Oh, I'll just take it out and he can be discharged." So why didn't that happen 3 hours ago?
-Discharged around 6:30ish.

Ready to move on to the next adventure... but hopefully not for a while because we are tired!