Lest I lose patience with a little girl's antisocial tendencies, here's her last six days:
- Near-daily blood transfusions
- Nonstop IVs of antibiotics, chemotherapies, and a dozen other substances being pumped into my 29-pound body
- A half dozen syringes of "oral only" medicines being plunged into my mouth every couple of hours, every day, and thus, no opportunity to sleep more than 2 hours at a time.
- Oxygen mask with a stupid dinosaur nose strapped to my face.
- General anesthesia an surgery that included bone marrow removal, spinal fluid removal, and a metal box installed in my chest.
- Blood, blood, and more blood removed every single day, from multiple access points.
- Respiration (with a mask) and chest therapies every few hours as well.
- Not to mention constant vitals taken and machines beeping
- Dozens and dozens of residents, nurses, attending physicians, researchers, technicians, and volunteers entering the room every few minutes to poke the same holes, prod the same parts, and ask the same stupid questions.
- People talking to me like I'm a deaf foreigner -- loudly, and slowly--and with a disturbingly large smile (HELLO ARIA! HOW ARE YOU FEELING??).
- No desire to eat or drink for 5 days in a row.
- Lips and face bleeding from dryness.
- Constipation that required 8 rounds of milk of magnesia, mineral oil, senna, miralax and a suppository shoved into both orifices.
- Mommy constantly telling me that if I didn't eat, wear the mask, take the medicine, hold my arm/chest/leg still, or drink the fluids, I would have to stay in the hospital longer.
- Constantly asking mommy to take me home and always being told "not yet"
- Asking the scary people in the masks to please not hurt me anymore, but they do anyway.
- Waking up in a strange place that they won't let me leave, not even to go in the hallway.
- Being unable to walk to the bathroom because of all the wires attached to me.
- Stupid TV plays "commercials" and doesn't let me watch what I want. But I don't feel like watching anyway.
- Feeling so badly because I always either have a fever, a rapid heart rate, the shakes and shivers, nausea, stomach pain, bone pain.
- I miss my sister so much I have bad dreams and call out her name.
- I miss my bed
- I miss my feetie pajamas.
- I miss being able to decide to do anything I want to do.
- Mommy looking exhausted, scared, worried, and confused while having tense conversations about all the things they are going to do to me, did do to me, or are happening inside me.

1 comment:
I'd be a pissy kid too. Thinking of you guys.
Post a Comment