Estoy esperando.

Another month down, just 45 short months yet to go. I leave this month of pediatric surgery, and am thankful to see a few of my kids get to leave with me. I've mentioned before my strong distaste for perforated appendicitis. We had more than a few come through this past month. It's not fun watching a child suffer. Mom & Dad struggle with it even more. And it doesn't matter how many times you answer their questions, reassure them, explain the situation to them, TIME is not the treatment anyone wants to try. Usually, as the care provider, you find yourself plowing ahead with TIME, albeit with very unwilling occupants on board. Mom & Dad following along begrudgingly. The patient, sometimes dragging their feet, other times planting their feet requiring you to bring them along kicking and screaming.

One such patient came to us early morning, so sick her various organ systems had already started failing, mental status altered to the point of nonresponsiveness. It took days before I even saw her with her eyes open. After that, initially all she could muster was a whimper. But she wouldn't stop whimpering until I had left the room again. As she continued to heal, her strength came back, followed by her voice, and what was once a whimper grew to an all out protest. Of course which would end only by our exit. She didn't speak English, so I couldn't explain what was happening, couldn't tell her I loved her. All she saw was that when I came into her room, someone was going to push on her belly, or mess with her tubes, and not allow her to eat or drink. I'd hate me too! But even after belly felt better, tubes came out, and she could finally eat again; she still loudly protested our presence. So I refrained from patting her messy head of curls, approached her bedside only when necessary standing instead a foot or so back when speaking with mom & dad, and took care to always smile at her. Maybe when she's old enough to remember and understand what happened to her here, she'll finally forgive me.

Protesting is one thing when it's limited to words, but when another's protests resulted in a swing narrowly missing my nose, I called for backup. When a few moments later a med student had come to my aid, I gave him only one instruction. "Don't let her kick me!"

The human body is amazing. Especially in kids, when its still a new and healthy body that's really good at healing itself. It'll do so, despite the protests of its inhabitant, just takes TIME.

Much Love.