Hospital Tales

Just call me Nurse Emily

March 25, 2014

Right after Little Dude’s initial diagnosis (last June…), one of the nurses was explaining to me all the different medications he would be given, plus the ones I would have to administer at home. Then she joked that I would be almost like a trained nurse in no time. The thing is, I never wanted […]

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An Unexpected Stay At The Hospital…And A Very Hard “Bed”

February 11, 2014

Last week, I was about to leave the house to take Middle Dude to basketball practice, when Little Dude stopped me. “Mom, I think you better take my temperature before you leave.” I instinctively felt his head and knew he had a fever before I even put the thermometer in his mouth. 101.6 For most […]

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A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To….The Hospital?

January 30, 2014

Little Dude and I drive back and forth to the hospital anywhere from two to three times a week. According to our GPS, the hospital is 7.9 miles away from our house. That should mean a ten to fifteen minute drive max, right? Well, if we lived in rural Kentucky it might mean that, but […]

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Hooray For The Nurses!

January 23, 2014

I’ve spent A LOT of time in hospitals over the past year, which means I’ve spent a lot of time around nurses. Of course the doctors are crucial to my son’s care, but when it comes down to who is spending the most time with Little Dude and me, it’s the nurses without a doubt. […]

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Barf All You Want, I Can Handle It

November 26, 2013

You know how when your kid has a stomach virus and is constantly throwing up and every time he or she makes the barf noise, you feel the bile rise in your stomach and think you might puke yourself? Yeah that. And sometimes, it’s so nauseating to listen to that you just have to leave […]

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Yesterday, I Met Wonder Woman

November 19, 2013

I recently published a post about our experience in waiting rooms and how they can mean more than just waiting. In case you missed it, click here to read it. The reason why I am bringing it up again, is that just yesterday, one of the other moms in the waiting room struck up a […]

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Waiting Rooms Can Mean More Than Just Waiting

November 14, 2013

Waiting rooms are the ultimate place for people-watching. Little Dude and I have spent and continue to spend A LOT of time in hospital waiting rooms. He mostly has his head down, buried in my iPhone, playing one of his favorite apps. Sometimes I am similarly plugged in, looking down at my iPad, and passing […]

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10 Phrases I Never Thought I’d Hear My 9-Year Old Say

November 7, 2013

When you are suddenly thrown into the medical world of tests, treatment, and medications, you become a very quick learner. As a parent, I had no choice but to decipher what a hemacrit of 20 meant and whether a neutrophil count of 0.5 was low. I never expected Little Dude — at the age of […]

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Is this a Spa, Dance Club or Hospital?

October 10, 2013

As you enter the waiting area of the Mass General proton therapy center (and no I won’t explain to you what that is, because it’s not crucial to my post), you first become aware of the cool temperature. It seems as if air-conditioning is a year-round part of this department. I’ve learned to wear layers […]

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“Mom, The MRI Was Fun!”

October 2, 2013

English: Philips MRI in Sahlgrenska Universite...

If you’ve ever needed an MRI, CT scan, bone scan or pet scan, you are familiar with the size and intimidating look of these machines. An MRI is probably the scariest of them all, because it takes the longest and if you have any trace of claustrophia, then good luck. Lying still in a mostly […]

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Adios MotherF***ers!

September 26, 2013

Little Dude and I had been at the hospital for seven hours. Seven. And I’m not even including the previous two days that were even longer visits than that. Seven hours of mostly waiting around is a long, long time for a nine-year old and his stressed out mom. And did I mention that Little […]

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