Soapbox

Time for me to get on my soapbox again. You see this bruise? This is what happens when a doctor insists on doing things their way even though that way DOES NOT work for Clayton. I get so sick of "protocol" and rules at the hospital, and especially sick of doctors who refuse to listen to the people who know the patient best. A little background for those who don't know or don't remember: Clayton has to get his Botox injections in the O.R. because when they do it the "normal" way in Day Medicine, an I.V. has to be started and he is completely awake. And since his veins are completely ruined from having so many I.V.s, it is an absolute nightmare to get an I.V. started on him while he is awake. So the solution was to move to the O.R., give him some gas, and in ten minutes the injections are done and over. It's worked well so far, but today's anesthesiologist thought she knew better. And even though Shuna (the nurse practitioner who administers the injections) put up a good fight on Clayton's behalf in the O.R., the doctor insisted on poking and prodding on him anyway. And of course, the injections were over before she could ever get one started. Shuna was very upset when we got to Clayton in recovery and knew we would be too, so she told me even she was having to take "deep cleansing breaths" in order to calm down. It really irks me because I'm sure all the doctor managed to do was just create even more scar tissue in his little veins. Like he needed any more. It's just one more example of how some people in the medical profession want to fit everyone into a certain box, even though their circumstances dictate otherwise. Lucky for us Clayton is as resilent as ever and seems to be feeling well anyway. (But when I said something about those "goofy doctors," he said "MY HAND!" with no prompting at all. He knows exactly what's going on, and I'm sure it bugs him even more than the rest of us since he actually has to live through it!)