A Month of Thankful: Day 19

DuPont docs, nurses & staff

For about 20 zillion reasons, but the biggest one - it's a hospital who treats kids who are sick, not a place for sick kids.  That seems a difference of semantics, but it's not -- they treat the *child*, not just their medical problems.  Between the gang, we've amassed a team staffed by docs that treats the kids from head to toe:

Psychiatry
Psychology
Developmental Pediatrics
Genetics
Allergy
Neurology
Endocrinology
Neurosurgery
Ophthalmology
Audiology & Otolarangology
Dermatology
Gastroenterology
Cardiology
Hematology/Oncology
Pulmonology
Urology
Orthopedics
Therapy Services: 6 Physical therapists, 3 Occupational therapists, 2 Speech Therapists and 1 Feeding Therapist
Lawall Prosthetics/Orthotics (a contractor, but with an office in the hospital - they even have a skate-boot-orthotic specialist who is there three days/week).

plus "incidentals" like Pre/Post op staff, Day Med, Radiology, ER team, Anesthesiologists, etc. I've lost track of the actual head count of docs.


But the folks I'm most thankful for:

Dr. Rhonda Walter - she's Celia and Jude's doctor.  She is incredibly helpful, but does not limit her "knowledge" of you to the exam room.  We were talking about Celia, and she noticed Jude's eyes crossing and put in a referral to cattle prod opthalmology to see him asap.  Yesterday, I was sitting alone in the cafeteria (Damien was in the MRI suite having a test, and the other kids were at school/home) and the first thing she said, before even "Good Morning!" was "Is everybody OK?  I don't see anybody else with you."  (I specify "Dr. Rhonda" because there are three Drs. Walter in the hospital - Dr. Rhonda, Dr. Andrew who heads up Hematology/Oncology (also a great doc - Cel was his patient a few years ago), and a third Dr. Walter, general pediatrician, whom we have never met.)

Miss Tanya - she's a "floating" registrar who sees us everywhere.  She never fails to say hello, or even just look up and wave if she's with another family.

Dr. Scavina and Alisa Clark, NP - they're the heads of our Neurology team.  They are resourceful -- both for in-hospital things AND knowing when they're over their heads. (The hallmark of a good doctor is one who says "I don't know" rather than bluffing.)  They see all five kids and are always willing to field a call or email.

Dr. Heinle - also another doc who knows his stuff, treats the patient like a person, and knows when to say "I need to find out more."  When Luke first had his sleep study and the EEG portion was nothing like it should have been, he called to say, "I don't know what this means, but I'm going to go stalk neurology until somebody tells me what to tell you."

Dr. Yost, our psychiatrist, and Jeanine, the NP for the unit.  When things go badly and we call for help, call backs are *immediate.* In fact, the last time I needed to speak to Dr. Yost, as we left the hospital for another appointment I left a note with the secretary in the module.  I wasn't even out of the parking lot when he called!

Miss Jaime - Damien's Feeding Therapist.  She has tons of patience and doesn't stop trying.  When every other technique to get Damien to chew wasn't working, she kept researching new ones until we finally found one. Then she took her own time & money to purchase the supplies to try the theory out.  It worked!  It has taken a year of therapy and he can now chew a potato crisp, but I'm glad she kept trying and didn't say, "Take a break, come back in six months," and kept trying to find new ways to see things.

Miss Nicole - Physical Therapist for Luke & Damien.  Another person who doesn't take no for an answer, and keeps pushing until kiddo gets what he needs.

The nursing team on 3F (the GI unit) - especially Jason. He's been there since Celia was first admitted & diagnosed 7 1/2 years ago.  He's taken care of everybody except Luke since then, and still talks to us.  I don't particularly enjoy being inpatient (who does?) but it's always nice to see a familiar face!

Finally - the GI team.  We still miss our beloved Dr. Horvath, but Dr. Jimenez is doing an awesome job, too.  She is the best kind of doctor -- the one that knows enough to be a great resource, but also recognizes that parents know their kids, and just because kiddo doesn't follow the "if this symptom, that is wrong" rule doesn't mean everything's OK.

I wish our list was a lot shorter, but I'm thankful that every one of them is there!