Your Dr vs Your Internet

Yesterday was our pre-op appointment over at the Children's hospital.

I went in armed with all of my internet research and all of my questions written down.

Daren wasn't able to make it, so I was going it alone. As I sat in the waiting room cooing to my baby I noticed that I was the only one alone. I felt like telling Georgia, a voice a little too loudly, that Daddy wasn't there with us today because he is at work working extra hard today so that he can be there with us the whole time on Friday. But instead I just told Maureen.

Once in the exam room, it was on. Maureen sat down with me with our file and waited. Waited for me. Then she asked "So how you doin'? "Better" I told her, and we began a warm conversation about how this feels and how I spent the weekend in tears but then we bought several dresses for our girl to wear over her cast and that now I am preparing. "Good" she said with her comforting smile.

Next in came Kathleen. Kathleen is now a very important person to me since she is our Drs. physicians assistant and will be the one who gets to bath Georgia "with real soap and water" in between casts one and two. She too came in and sat down, looked me in the eye and smiled a patient smile as she asked if I had any questions.

And did I ever! You don't spend hours on the internet and not come up with a few outlandish fears and a couple of valid questions. My main outlandish fear was how certain I was that I was going to give my child urine burns underneath her cast. Thus resulting in removal of her cast to heal her skin then starting back at square one three months later. According to the internet it happens all the time and very easily. According to Kathleen, she's seen it happen twice in 15 years.

One point Drs. office. Internet, zero.

Next came the growth and development line of worries.
Q-Babies grown so fast how will she grown while in the cast?
A- Normally. I've never had a child outgrow their cast.

Q- Will this delay her development?
A- No. At most she will be on the late side of normal for pulling herself up and walking.

Q- I kept my own cast dry when I was 12. I will be able to keep hers dry at 30 right?
A- Yes! You will be able to handle this just fine.

After an hour with Maureen, Kathleen, Dr. A, and Sophy the brace guy I was feeling much better and Georgia was napping.

Now armed with my pre-registration paperwork and a confirmed schedule of appointments, CT scans, and the final cast removal date my heart rate returns to near normal and I don't cry all day long.

Turns out, the internet stirs up many more fears and worries than the Drs. office ever could.

Note taken.