We got up the next morning and had a light breakfast before heading to the hospital early. I'm not the best on directions and my little Tom-Tom is a lifesaver but sometimes even Tom-Tom can't get me where I need to go. That's not necessarily Tom-Tom's fault, sometimes I can't figure out where left is because there aren't good enough signs on top of there being too many distractions. Anyway, after several trips around the complex we finally found our parking garage and guess what? It was underground. Well, let's just say I started off the day embarrassing the fire out of my child. When you turn and go into this parking garage there's a lane in and a lane out and they are both really small! Once you navigate in, the in lane splits into two lanes and there are these little boxes on posts on the left in each. I could see the people ahead of me doing something but I was not sure what they were doing. I was praying it was going to be like the ones in the metroplex that print a little card out but nope, not so lucky. I pulled up into my spot and I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do. It was so damn frustrating, all these people lined up behind me and no card. There was a slot like I should put money in it and a blinking green light but no instructions. What the heck? Cheyenne was in the passenger seat, already stressed out and of course, I look over and she's sliding down further and further and further in the seat so I do the only sensible thing.
I get out of the car and with my arms up I start asking the people behind me, "What do you do?"
By this time, Chey was just writhing in her seat "Mom, Mom, get back in the car!"
Luckily, the nice lady behind me motioned that you just push the button. I did and ta-da, a little yellow chip came out. You hold onto the chip until you leave and that's how you get charged for your time parking. So once we parked, and Chey climbed out of the floorboard, we looked at each other and just busted out laughing, we just rolled! Here we are, small-town America in the big city and can't operate a parking box, thing. I don't know what to call it, kiosk, I guess? It was a riot.
We eventually gathered ourselves up, got the instructions Alli had sent and headed in. We, okay I, was worried about finding our way back so while we were walking, I was taking pictures of our elevator, our parking area, the building... while trying to figure out where we were going. Once again, Chey was like "OMG Mom," and shaking her head. You’d think she would be used to this by now.
Texas Children's Hospital in Houston is like many other hospitals, being made up of multiple buildings that are connected by enclosed walkways. We had parked under the Clinical Care Center and were due in the Interventional Radiology Department, in the West Tower, for Chey's FNA, (fine needle aspiration) at 0800. The hospital was very overwhelming the first time we were there but they color-code everything and there are plenty of information desks, which helped immensely. We arrived at our destination and checked in and shortly we were escorted into a room. It was kind of like an ER bay, several rooms separated by curtains. A nurse came in and took Chey's vital signs and a medical history. She was very nice and put us both at ease (Pretty much the norm there.) She explained how the procedure would go and allowed Chey to ask questions. Chey only asked about the needles used for the biopsy. The nurse told her they would use a really small needle to extract the cells from her thyroid and then place them on a slide for the pathologist to look at. She said that one pass is usually three specimens.
Chey's face lost some color then and the nurse immediately added. "They will use numbing medicine so you won't feel much, and don't worry if they take several passes, that means they aren't finding much so they are checking more areas."
She handed Chey a gown to change into and a bag for me to carry her clothes in before leaving the room.. Soon there after, the doctor came in. He was so young! He was really tall and skinny and he had braces! I was thinking, "You've got to be kidding, I've got uniforms older than this kid." Then he started talking and I knew - Doogie Howser M.D! He was very knowledgeable and very personable. He was from India and Chey would just love him. He went over everything the nurse had said, had me sign consent forms and then we headed down the hall.
It was like a maze as we twisted and turned down back halls until we came to a little waiting area, for me. I sat down and watched as my daughter left for the most important test of her life. The hall was like a refrigerator and I was shivering. I had brought a book to read but I couldn't seem to get past the first paragraph. I tried but all I could do was keep looking at my watch and the door that had consumed my child. I remember praying over and over, "Please, let him take lots of passes." It seemed like an eternity that she was gone and sitting alone in that little, deserted area made it longer. In reality though, she was gone well less than an hour. I had leaned my head back and pulled my arms inside my shirt when I heard their voices, laughing.
They walked down the hall toward me and the doctor smiled and said, "She is really brave and she's funny too."
All Cheyenne said was "I've got it, I know it because he only did one pass plus one." The doctor, as they are trained to do, told her she needed to wait on the pathology results and led us back to the original room so Chey could change.
She told me quietly, "Momma, he did the first pass with three samples and the pathology lady was right over from us in a little room. The girl in there with us carried the slide into her and then came back and said she only wanted one more straw. I HAVE to have it, the other nurse said it was better if they took more."
What do you say to that? The room that had been so cold suddenly became like a sauna and my mind was whirling again. I was thinking the exact same thing but I told her we would just wait to see the doctor at 1100. Chey seemed very matter of fact about it and after she dressed and we cleaned the residual betadine from her neck, we left and she told me what had transpired in that room.
She was really kind of giddy and her eyes were huge and glassy. I think she was scared to death and talking was her way of working through it. She described how the room was like any other X-ray bay and they had asked her to lay on the table. She said they positioned her just like for her other ultrasound, on her back with a roll under her neck to hyperextend it and then they cleaned it with "that orange stuff that burns a little" and numbed it. She said he described the procedure to her again while they waited for the numbing and then while using the ultrasound as a guide, he took the samples and then the tech carried them to the pathologist. She said they waited for the pathologist to look at the slides.
Then she started giggling and said, "He asked what I wanted to do in college. I told him Ag/Comm. He had no clue! The guy in there with us was in FFA too and we tried explaining about showing animals and such. He couldn't believe I walked pigs!"
She said they talked about his home too. The pathologist was in a room adjacent to theirs and it only took about fifteen minutes for the decision and then the doctor told her, "We only need one more straw." He took the sample, cleaned her up and that was it.
We spent the next hour walking around the hospital just taking in all the sites, it's like several mini museums spread throughout to take your mind off of where you really are, I think. Soon enough however it was time as we moseyed on over to the Clinical Care Center towards Chey's destiny, Dr. A and Allie....
Next time; Hugs all Around.
XXOO Make Everyday Count,
Bonnie
So very interesting. You need to put this in book form. Another good job Bonnie !
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