It’s done and finished. The solo mission I went on with E to
SickKids was yesterday, and it went well. SickKids currently has restrictions in place so that only one caregiver may accompany a child to an appointment. For the first time ever, I'd be headed there by myself.
We left the house
about 7:20am, and made it to SickKids by about 8:00am. There were
vehicles on the road, but traffic was not an issue. I’ve heard that
many hospitals have opened their gates, and are allowing free
parking. This is very much NOT the case with SickKids. There is a
security guard posted outside the entrance to the parking garage, and
you need to state your business of why you need to go underground to
park. After we found a spot on the lowest level, we rode the elevator
to main floor, and hung a right. Immediately, you are presented with
the following scene:
 |
The screening station, before the atrium
|
At the screening station, they ask you a number of questions about
the health of your child, and you, the caregiver. They mark it off on
a form, which you must present at the registration desk where you
have your appointment.
 |
Our COVID-19 screening form
|
After receiving a
mask, and putting it on, you were allowed to enter the hospital. E
wasn’t given a mask. I think it was because of his age. Even if
they gave him one, there is no way I would have been able to keep it
on his face. Going through the screening station, there is a physical
distancing line you must wait in before getting in the elevator:
 |
| The
physical distancing line with 2m space stickers on the floor |
They’re allowing a
maximum of 3 people on an elevator at one time. It wasn’t busy when
we arrived. There wasn’t anyone in the line, and the security guard
stationed at the elevator banks waved us through to the first door
that opened. We pushed the button for the 8th floor, and
took a ride up.
We checked in at the
registration desk, then went in to the waiting room for our turn to
be called.
 |
E, and me, waiting in the playroom
|
We didn’t have to
wait too long, and we were called to the vitals room. After measuring
height, weight, pulse, temperature, and answering some questions, we
were off to the next room for E’s port to be accessed.
Unfortunately, his
port wasn’t co-operating, and there was no blood return. They had
to inject a chemical called TPA into his port, and this is used to
dissolve the clot which is likely preventing blood from being drawn.
It takes at least an hour to work, so they sent us to the phlobotomy
room so that they could collect 2 small vials of E’s blood via a
finger poke in order to do a CBC before his lumbar puncture
procedure.
After that, it was
off to visit our team. We didn’t see E’s oncologist this time,
but it was another oncologist that we’ve seen before. She did a
brief check up, and chatted with me about how we were doing, and if
we had any health concerns about E.
When that was done,
it had been about an hour since the TPA was injected, so we went back
to the recovery room to check on how his port was doing. The TPA had
done its job, and while slow, there was blood return. We returned to
the playroom/waiting room to wait our turn. It wasn’t too busy, and
only 5 kids were having procedures done. I believe we were the 3rd
ones called, right around 11:00am. By this time E was pretty hungry,
since he needs to fast before this procedure. He was crying for milk,
and cookies for about the last half an hour until it was our turn.
He’s still too young to understand why I’m not giving him any
food, and it breaks my heart.
E picked out a
Thomas The Tank Engine mini figure out of the treasure box before we
went in to the room. I carried him in, the way I always do, but that
day he said to me “no daddy, I don’t want to go into that room”,
and he tried to grab the doorjamb on the way. A few quick identity &
safety checks later, and the anaesthetic was being injected through
E’s port, he went limp in my arms, and I helped lay him down on the
stretcher before I left.
I waited outside,
and the lumbar puncture was QUICK. By that time, I was hungry, and
thankful to be able to eat without eating in front of my fasting
child. I had packed a lunch because I didn’t want to deal with
extra interaction with people by buying my food. I wolfed down my
sandwich, and hadn’t even finished my piece of fruit before the
door opened, and they wheeled a sleeping E into the recovery room.
He stayed asleep for
about 45 minutes, which I think is a new record for him. There was
one time he was awake after 5 minutes, but he usually only sleeps
between 10 and 20 minutes before he wakes up. He was hungry when he
woke up, and the first thing he wanted was milk. After that, he
wanted cookies. Oreos are usually his post-lumbar puncture food of
choice, so he got his treat.
When his hour of
lying flat was done, we walked back to the orange pod, where E’s
team is so that we could pick up our appointment card for next time.
His next procedure is in July, and it should also be his last one! We
took the elevator back down to the main floor, walked to the SickKids
Shoppers Drug Mart to pick up his new prescriptions for chemo, and
then took the parking garage elevator to get back to the car. The
drive home was uneventful, and I think I can honestly say that this
was the first time I have ever driven on the northbound DVP where I
did not encounter any traffic slowdowns or stoppages.
