123) Solo mission

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 8^th 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 3^rd 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.