I’m normally a very honest person. Honest to a fault to tell you the truth. I offer up way more information that I really need to, just because it makes me feel……well, honest.
Growing up, my Dad had this bizarre 6th sense where he could tell if I was even trying to get by with a white lie…..or merely an exaggeration. He didn’t tolerate anything along those lines, and I have the memories of an abundance of time being grounded and having to go out and pick up any litter around our neighborhood to prove it.
Yup, one of my Dad’s favorite punishments was to hand me a giant leaf sized garbage bag and tell me not to come back until I had filled it up picking up litter around our apartment complexes.
It finally dawned on me that there was NO way I was going to get by with anything but the truth with this man, and so I became very good at telling it. It just made life simpler.
However, there are times I find myself in positions where telling more than the truth gets me no where…..especially as a parent of a medically fragile kid with special needs.
For instance, since Parker’s surgery to stitch down his epiglottis we noticed some strange side effects. Calling to get an appointment with the ENT, I was told his next appointment was over a month out.
Uh…..Parker could drown in his own spit by then.
When the receptionist asked if this was an emergency, I answered ‘yes’, without even blinking an eye.
It’s been an hour now, and I still don’t feel one drop of guilt.
Will these side effects themselves kill Parker within a month?
Nope.
Could they cause an aspiration pneumonia that could land him in the hospital for a week?
You bet your sweet patoot.
While not the typical definition of an emergency, in the Parker’s world it’s pretty dire.
If there’s a hell for these kind of not-quite-the-truths, then I’ve got me a reserved seat with a flashing neon sign shining above.
Considering watching Parker die of something I TOTALLY could have prevented would truly be a hell on earth, I consider it a fair trade.
About Tammy and Parker
I don’t know, I think this fits the example of an “emergency”. No, it’s not a 911 emergency. For that you would have called EMS. But you didn’t, you called the doctor. And yes, it’s definitely something that has to be attended to right away, not just at someone’s convenience. Hope you’re seen soon!
Good for you for advocating. Sometimes I think I am too silent when I know I should be speaking up. When it comes to Jadon’s health, however, I’ve found I have to be the squeaky wheel. Luckily, Jadon’s doctor knows that I don’t just call whenever and he is good about making sure we get seen. Hope all works out soon.
I agree with Rebekah. Aspiration is a very serious pneumonia, and it almost killed my daughter. I find that people just do not understand unless they live it. They do not take the seriousness of the situation seriously enough. Even medical professionals do not get it sometimes, and we do what we can to help them understand.
Ok….I JUST went through this with Cardiology when making an appointment for Paelyn’s echo. The receptionist told me that her doctor wanted to see her THIS month but that he has no openings this month….uhhhhh…….then make room!!!! What he heck??!!!
Last Thursday we made her very first appointment to see the liver specialist up at GI and you know what it’s like getting in with GI…I had to take what I could get which happened to fall on the same day and time as her ENT appointment. So we dealt with the same thing….they wanted us to wait over a month to get back in with ENT….NOPE! I wasn’t having it with them either. Next time I will check with you or others in the group when giving up the most covetous ENT appointment to see if anyone else wants it =)
I don’t really think that they should put you in this position anyway. No, maybe it’s not an ‘emergency’, but it’s not a ‘wait a month and see what happens’ issue, either. I think by virtue of his history and issues, he should be put in faster. So, maybe not ‘emergency’, but definitely ‘urgent’, and I think Dr. Muntz will agree.