Rachel's First Hospital Admission

   After Rachel's February clinic visit, the doctor called to tell me that she had cultured a bacteria.  We treated with an oral antibiotic and went in for a follow-up throat culture.  The next throat culture grew the same bacteria plus another.  So, to make a long story/phone conversation short,...it was decided that for Rachel's best interest she would be admitted for iv antibiotics.  I was a mess.  She had managed to make it 7 years without having to ....go there.  It was kinda funny that most of the Pediatric Ward staff thought we were new to the island because they've never seen us.
   We get to Tripler around 10am on March 19.  We had an awful start to our first experience with this admission.  The computer system went down and the admissions staff acted like they wanted us to leave because they couldn't get their computer to work.  I told them that we weren't going anywhere, the Pediatric Ward was expecting us, and for them to get out the pen and paper & do it the old fashioned way.  The person that was supposed to be working our admission didn't care for that, but you know what....it's her job whether her computer is working or not!  You don't turn patients away.
  After the first day of  Tripler's computer chaos, things went pretty smoothly with the Pediatric Ward care Rachel received.  I had issues with other departments within the hospital.  I won't bore you with those details; Tripler has received my 6 page write-up on that.  Tripler probably has a photo of me that they throw darts at!  hehe.  
   I wanted to share some pictures of Rachel and her stay.  I wanted to share how she passed the time and tried to make the stay fun.  Rachel was able to have friends visit and she got several passes to leave the hospital.  She absolutely LOVED talking to her friends on "her" room phone.

Talking on "her" phone.

Painting while getting iv's.

Child life took Rach to a "secret" garden.
Rach being artsy with sidewalk chalk.

A window marker drawing of a rattle snake
eating a hotdog.
Who knew?

Music therapy came by.
Rachel had to use her feet too!

Chest theapy, watching a dvd, and about to
open 3 new toys that child life gave her.

Rach with the iv pole....well,... being
silly Rach.

Doing nails with child life.

Shhh.....nobody knows about this...
Rachel figured out how to turn her bed
into a slide.  

Sliding down.

Down and ready to go again.

I believe it was Tripler's nursing department that put on
an Eggstravaganza the day before Easter.
Rachel got to go and have fun there.
Here she's doing the bunny hop with her dad.

I'm with Rach at the water balloon toss.
It was about the only thing I could do.....
hopping, running, and jumping is out for me.

Rach wasting no time making the
cotton candy disappear.

At the Easter egg hunt.

She found a prize egg!

On Easter morning.....the Easter bunny
found her at Tripler.

One of the many picc line covers
we decorated.  We just couldn't have
plain white. 

Rach flying a butterfly kite. 

   I'm praying for another 7 plus years of no hospital stays.  It was "ok" for a hospital stay
 but it sure wasn't home.

Rachel's 7th Birthday

It's been....forever....since my last post.  Things have been crazy and I've been exhausted.  Let's go back to February....Rachel turned 7!  Yay!  Happy Birthday Rachel!  All she wanted for her birthday was to have breakfast in bed, go to Germaine's Luau and have her friends over to the house to play & eat cake/ice cream.   So, that's what we did.  A week before her birthday she had a clinic appointment and the the CF care team surprised her with happy birthday decorated room and a chocolate birthday cake.  

Thinking about her wish.
This is the cake from clinic.

Breakfast in bed.

Balloons and flowers from us.

Miss Rach doing the hula at Germaine's Luau.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!