Poor Princess Bear

Princess Bear (PB) is still a pretty sick kiddo.  On Wednesday I took her to the Dr.'s office for her follow up appointment after being released from the hospital.  The nurse practitioner didn't like the sound of her breathing at all and felt that she was very dehydrated.  She sent us to the lab in the building for a chest xray.  They sent her down there with a Pedialyte Popsicle.  Both the nurse practitioner and the Dr. she asked for a second opinion thought there were a couple of spots that might be pneumonia.  One more thing that they should have handled better during the recent overnight hospitalization.  She increased breathing treatments, and oral steroids and told me I had to push liquids big time.  She was actually considering readmitting PB to the hospital but I convinced her I'd keep a close eye on PB and take her to the ER if anything changed.  That way if she was admitted through the ER we'd have a different hospitalist and not the clown we dealt with earlier this week.  We had to make a follow up appointment for today and PB left sucking down another Pedialyte Popsicle (Btw...have you ever tasted those?  ICK!).  The nurse practitioner called a few hours later to check on PB and let me know that they didn't have a final report back on the chest xray and everyone was cutting out early due to it being New Years Eve.  She let me know that she'd already called the Dr. on call and gone over everything going on with PB and reminded me what to watch for.  I will say that the phone call meant a lot!

PB's stomach ache has been getting worse as the week has worn on.  She's hungry but as soon as she eats her stomach hurts.  I mentioned all of this to the hospitalist and residents before they discharged PB the other day.  They were unconcerned.  I took PB back for her follow ups follow up.  She know has Ileus.  Basically her intestines have decided not to work for awhile.  Seriously?!!!?  My kid cannot catch a break.  The Dr. did say that he wasn't sure if they would have started an IV or kept her in the hospital longer that they would have picked up on this but he hoped they would have.  Again the question became whether to admit her again or keep a close eye on her at home.  So we're at home.  I left with a list of things I need to watch for and that's what I'm doing. 

I also started the process to file a grievance against the hospitalist who did absolutely nothing for PB when she was in the hospital the other day.  After talking to her pediatrician today he was upset that the admitting orders hadn't been followed and he was going to look into it as well.  The case manager at the office told me how to start the process.  The problem is that he is employed by Hospital A and PB was hospitalized at hospital B.  So they aren't sure which hospital needs to open the investigation.  I personally think even though she was hospitalized at hospital B and treated by the residents of hospital B those residents had received their instructions from the hospitalist so it is Hospital A that should be looking into this.  The patient advocate was pretty horrified to find out that PB had just been observed with no orders being followed and how much has happened since she was released.  That made me feel a bit better and not like an over reactive mom.  I'm also not trying to get the hospitalist in trouble for shits and giggles.  He dropped the ball on PBs care.  How many other kids has he done that to?  Not ok.  I'm waiting to hear back from the patient advocate on what the next step is.

For now I'm just going to sit here and watch my little girl sleep and relish in the fact that she's at home!