It’s Going To Be A Rough Day
By Wyatt Earp | June 15, 2009
By the time you read this, I’ll already be stressed.
Three months ago, Julia spent four days in the hospital for a urinary tract infection. Two weeks later, she had a checkup at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and the doctor scheduled her for a battery of tests to make sure everything was okay with her plumbing.
That day is today.
The appointment is scheduled for 9:30am, so we have to leave the Earp Ranch at 8:00 or so. Philly rush hour traffic is a nightmare, and there is no easy way to get to CHOP, which is located in West Philly. When we get there, Julia will be set up for an ultrasound. After that, there is the VCUG test – a radiological exam which examines the kidneys, bladder, and urinary tract. It is also more in-depth than the ultrasound. After those two tests are completed, she is scheduled to see the doctor at 12:30pm. Basically, we’ll be at CHOP for most of the day.
Not that I’m complaining. Julia needs these tests, and there is no better place in the region to have them done than CHOP. It’s just the fact that Julia was sick enough to warrant these tests in the first place that freaks me out. The last thing I want to see is her in pain, and I am not sure how I’ll handle seeing her poked and prodded for a day. She’s usually very good with doctors, but if she starts screaming, that’ll be it for me.
As is stands, I took the night off from work. If everything goes well, I may just go in and save the vacation time. If I am exhausted after the entire ordeal, or if Julia has any issues, I’m staying home tomorrow night. (I may stay home, anyway – it’ll depend upon my mood.)
I’ll post an update when I can, and I would appreciate if you would say a prayer or two for Julia. It’s going to be a rough day.
UPDATE: Well, that was exhausting. And considering I had the chance to post this update, I obviously took the night off. Here’s the skinny:
The drive down to CHOP took an hour and fifteen minutes. Not as bad as I expected – especially for a normal Philly rush hour. We registered and got Julia in for her ultrasound fairly quickly. The ultrasound tech was terrific, and did a great job putting Julia at ease. A few minutes for the exam, a few to print the report, and we were off to the VCUG.
That sucked. The VCUG was really invasive, and while Julia was okay for the first part, she was really upset by the end. The procedure took about ten minutes or so, and while Julia was crying I was trying not to imagine claws coming out of my fists before I dispatched the hospital crew like Wolverine. Don’t hurt my daughter, and everything will be okay.
Obviously, I knew that the staff was doing their best, and the procedure was necessary to make sure her health was still tip-top. That being said, it is tough to see your child in any sort of pain. Thankfully, the VCUG showed that Julia had no urine reflux, which was the $64,000 question at the start of the day.
The doctor – who was fantastic, by the way – confirmed the VCUG test results. No reflux, no other serious issues. He still wants Julia to continue her antibiotics for another six months just to be sure.
So overall, Julia came through with flying colors, and I am now one happy pappy.
Topics: The Girl | 22 Comments »
June 15th, 2009 at 7:06 am
I know exactly what you’re feeling. No matter how old your kids are, watching them go through these procedures is torture. You want to say “Let ME do it for my kids! I’ll take the pain instead!”
Hopefully this won’t be a regular occurrence in Julia’s life.
June 15th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Put me down for two prayers.
June 15th, 2009 at 7:35 am
I cried at my son’s first vaccination.
It’s tough when they’re that little.
We’re very fortunate to live in a metropolitan area with an excellent children’s hospital, so I hope that’s somewhat of a comfort for you.
I’m sending prayers for Julia.
(She’s a beauty!)
Hang in there.
June 15th, 2009 at 8:41 am
I will pray all goes well for the Little One.
IMO It seems much tougher being a Dad when it is a daughter screaming at the doctors office.
June 15th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Here’s hoping that the doctors find nothing wrong at all. That’s my prayer for the little one. (Can she be called an Earpette? Or would that be and Urpette? Whatever, she’s a cutie that will break hearts for many years to come.)
June 15th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Hope it’s nothing Wyatt. She’s a cutie.
June 15th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Hang in there, Wyatt. CHOP does a lot of things right, you’re in a good place.
You may already know that I have a heart defect, and I advocate for other heart defect survivors. Whenever someone asks me about the best place for a heart operation, CHOP is one of my top three. They are that good.
Best wishes for now, and many prayers are coming.
SteveC (The Funky Heart)
June 15th, 2009 at 10:42 am
I hope you leave the gun at home. I would hate to read headlines that berserk Dad shoots Doctors that made his daughter cry. I hate hospitals and tests but understand why we need them. MUD
June 15th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Everyone else has said it all!
Relax and enjoy the time with your daughter. There’s a lot of bonding going on there.
June 15th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Keep my fingers crossed for that little doll baby, damn she is a cute kid. I went through a similar situation with Little Dave was a baby. Good luck today, and just remember she is in the best place she can be with her Daddy who seems to love her more than life it’s self
June 15th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Hope everything goes well with the tests at the hopsital.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
GroovyVic – Looks like it may not be. The VCUG test showed no reflux.
Sully – Thank you.
Mrs. Crankipants – Thanks. Yeah, CHOP is awesome. It’s just so damned far away!
Admiral – Actually, I freak when it’s the boys, too, but after seeing Julia in the hospital, it was worse.
Joated – Thank you. All tests came up negative, so it looks like she’s free and clear for now.
Woody – Thanks!
SteveC – Thanks, sir! They were great down there. They have been every time we had to visit.
MUD – Yep, left it at home. I cringed a little and imagined smiting the people who made Julia cry, but said nothing. They do good work, and sometimes good work is painful.
Alan B – Especially when she sneezed on me in the waiting room as I was going in for a kiss. Ah, memories.
TGYDBHTM – Thank you. The only real issue of the day was that I am completely exhausted now. “Tommy need sleepy!”
Morgan – Thanks. All systems were go!
June 15th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
I’m glad to hear everything seems to be alright with your daughter Wyatt. It’s tough enough just worrying about raising a child in the world we have today without the extra worries of health problems in one so small.
My newest grandaughter is just shy of 5 months old and I can tell you that being the grandparent instead of the parent does not make it any easier or less worrisome.
My grandaughter has not had any problems out of the usual so far. Still, I worry about her.
I will definitely say a prayer for you and yours tonight.
Stay safe buddy. That little girl is going to need you around for a long time.
Joe
June 15th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
I’m glad to hear everything is a-ok with the darling princess. She is one adorable little girl. Now maybe her dad and mom can stop stressing a wee little bit.
June 15th, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I have been praying for her and for you and the Mrs. I know it has been a stressful few months for you, with regard to Julia.
I’ve prayed for her a lot the past couple of weeks, too.
Prayers answered. Thank God!
June 15th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
I’m so glad to hear that Julia is ok. I know how it feels to watch your kid in pain — tough duty, to say the least, so kudos to you and your wife for hanging in there.
CHOP is tops. We are so fortunate to have such a quality organization within our reach.
June 15th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Joe – Thanks. We were being watched by The Man Upstairs today.
E.L. – Well, maybe a little.
RT – Agreed. Thank Him.
Lisa – Yes, it is an amazing place, run by amazing people.
June 16th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Fantastic news Wyatt. If it’s not part of any dietary restrictions, get her some ice cream.
And while you’re at it, what’s ice cream without chocolate? Ooh, and bacon..and cheeseburgers and beer…wait a minute, where was I? Oh, yeah–that’s for you.
June 16th, 2009 at 7:44 am
Thanks for the update. It is so very hard watching the little ones endure what even adults hate.
Glad that the results proved so positive.
Prayers are answered.
June 16th, 2009 at 10:13 am
cbullitt – No can do. I gotta lose a few pounds as it is.
Maggie – Thank you. It turned out to be a good day.
June 16th, 2009 at 10:35 am
I feel for her. I had that test every 6 months until I was 5. I can remember how much it hurt. The last test, it took my parents and 4 nurses to hold me down.
June 16th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
We’re all relieved to hear that Julia is okay. She’s been in our prayers, along with you and the rest of the family. Also nice to hear you kept your cool. It ain’t easy when it’s your little baby, is it? Thank God it came out well.