Mom on a Rampage!

Boy Howdy! This is in bright green because I am feeling crazy today. I have a beef with the medical profession (which I am actually a part of). It seems that it has become one giant ball of red tape! If it isn't a policy preventing you from achieving your end game, it's physician's personal preference or politics. Drew had his surgery cancelled yesterday- an hour and a half before we would have left for the hospital. See, that happy little questionnaire they call you about the day before ACTUALLY has a purpose! When they asked if Drew or a family member had bleeding problems, I answered honestly that of the last 2 major surgeries he had, there WAS bleeding issues! Then I opened my BIG DUMB RN mouth and mentioned that he was just diagnosised with a Chromosome 22q11 Deletion and that can cause thrombocytopenia (fancy word for low platelet count). And the floodgates opened.

I had to take Drew back to the Children's Hospital (we had been there that morning because the orthodontists office scheduled us incorrectly the week before) after his speech therapy at breakneck speed to make it before the outpatient lab closed. They took a sample for a complete blood count and prothrombin times (a fancy way of saying how fast your blood clots). We got the call the next morning around 8:30 AM. The results were abnormal. They were going to talk to a hematologist, but they were most likely cancelling the surgery. About 20 minutes later, another call. The hematologist feels that the abnormalities won't effect the surgery and we can go ahead. The plastic surgeon, however, will not. He wants Drew to be evaluated by the a hematologist and have further tests done to diagnose or rule out a clotting disorder before he will do the surgery. GRAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!! It's so bitter sweet! We are grateful to know that the surgeon wants to be completely sure there are no unresolved problems before we proceed. We may have just prevented serious complications for Drew. However, I feel so GUILTY! If I have just left out that "Thrombocytopenia bit" we most likely would have gone to surgery. That's how the medical field works. A history of bleeding... okay. We'll monitor him. A diagnosis (that may or may not be related) and -WHAMO!!! - tests and cancellation. Not necessarily "right", but the way it is.

So, I call to make the appointment with a hematologist at the number the doctor gave me. They won't make the appointment. The surgeon has to call them directly and refer Drew and then they can make the appointment. The surgeon's nurse is out of the office all morning. When we finally get ahold of her, she is upset that we are thrusting this on their office when it really isn't their responsibility- Drew's diagnosising physician should do it. After 5 minutes of explaining that there is no diagnosising physician (or clotting disorder diagnosis for that matter) and that this was all discovered through the pre-op process, she lightens up a little. I also explain that the genetics department that made the 22q11 diagnosis is IMPOSSIBLE to get ahold of and more so to make an appointment before the new year, so we haven't even seen the geneticist to know if this really is an issue! She softens slightly, but will still only talk to the doctor on Thursday when he is back in the office. BAMO! I am now officially on a rampage!

I had talked to the receptionist at the genetics department. She is, for the second time, NO HELP! I explained that things had changed. She asked me what the urgency of this matter was. Then I had to repeat the WHOLE thing to her so that she "knew what to tell the doctor this was about". DEATH TO CAROL (yeah, that's one name I am mentioning- Carol's on my blacklist!). I go downstairs to look for the paper I wrote the direct line of the genetic counselor that is assigned to us on. She had been my only help in the past with genetics. It was lost and I had looked for 30+ minutes at the beginning of the month for it with no luck. I find it in less than a minute. I thank God for divine intervention and head upstairs to make the call. She is in the clinic Tuesday and Wednesday. I leave a message- an "Oh, crap, this mom is PISSED!" message. I am praying she'll call me back and help us out yet again.

And so, after a night out with my hubby (thanks to his awesome parents for driving an hour both ways to watch the boys so we can collect ourselves after our nightmarish day) and a night of sleep, I am no longer on a rampage. I am a step above despair. Why can't everyone else do their job the way it needs to be done?! I wish I could do this job of motherhood that way some days- but I don't. And these idiots are getting paid!!!

It hurts me to see Drew so upset about this. He kept telling us he was running away. Now he keeps asking when he gets to go to surgery. How do you explain the twisted politics and workings of the health care system to a six year old? We'll work this out. We always do. I think God has a purpose for all this. He has never let Drew come to harm in all the things that have happened. Maybe it was Him saving Drew. Maybe, as my mom had to remind me, it is just the cost of being alive. Crap happens- so get your shovel and start digging!