What a week!

What a week this has been! Peyton had a ballgame on Monday evening and boy was it a hot one! We got home late Monday and the boys were messing in the bathroom when Aubrey decided she was going to go in there with them. They were slamming the door to prevent her from coming in and she kept trying to get in there...well, I no more had the words out of my mouth - quit slamming the door before someone gets hurt...when someone got hurt! Aubrey's right ring finger was smashed in the door - I ran to see how bad it was and there was blood gushing out - I honestly thought she had lost the tip of her finger! David was in the shower and he rushed out and got dressed and we rushed her to the ER. I had some toilet paper wrapped around it to keep pressure on it and off we went. They did x-rays and it came back that her little finger was broken. The doctor was all concerned about her ring finger and her wedding day - it was the sweetest thing, the only thing was it was the wrong hand, but he still wanted to make sure since she was a girl that her finger was perfect. He called a hand specialist at 1 a.m. to see if he wanted to come in and he advised at our follow up appt that if it would have been her left ring finger, he would have came in to make sure it was properly stitched up. I thought that was really neat that they thought of such a thing for a 3 year old. The boys were very upset over the whole ordeal and hopefully now will listen to their mother when she tells them to stop before someone gets hurt!

I left for Chicago on Wednesday afternoon and when the plane landed it was a smooth, dry landing. By the time we had taxied up to the concourse - the rain just came down in buckets and it was quite a sight. We ended up being delayed at the airport over an hour because they shut down the luggage carousel due to the rain/lightening. We barely made it to check into the hotel before leaving for orientation at the hospital - and what an experience.

This hospital is in the inner-city of Chicago and safety has been a big concern. It is really a humbling experience to be down in the hospital. This hospital is for the poorest of the poor and I can honestly say that most of us probably take for granted our healthcare and the ability to go see a doctor. I just got off from a 12 hour shift and wanted to type this before I forget anything from what I saw last night. The patients that come to the hospital are not coming just for an emergency situation - they are coming from what you and I would go to our primary doctor for - a pain here or there - a prescription and they sit in the waiting room for hours waiting. Not just a couple hours - there were people there who had been there before my shift started at 6pm and were still there waiting when my shift ended at 6am. The hospital ended up going on bypass at 11p.m. because the shortage of nurses couldn't keep up with the demand of patients. At 3am, we had a situation where a man came in to the ER in handcuffs escorted by a policeman and turns out he tried to beat his wife up and his son threw a crate in his face to defend his mother. The guy just needed some stiches, but to avoid going to jail for awhile was wanting an x-ray so the policeman stood there the entire time. At 5a.m., a prostitute came in escorted in handcuffs by two policeman, and had just got caught shooting up heroine. I thought it was rather funny that the lady required two policeman and the man only one...but she was dead weight and these cops were trying to hold her up. The doctor ended up using smelling salts to get her to come to life and to find out why she was there. When she was arrested she demanded to come to the hospital and they had to bring her. She finally yelled out that she was raped, which turns into a four hour process once a rape kit is involved. The policeman that was there with the man said that normally they use rape as a Get out of Jail free card. It is really sad that people get to that point in their lives and such a shame.
The nurses and doctors are all so nice and fun to be around. We didn't have any other outlandish things happen - but I'm sure tonight being Friday will pose some interesting characters...we'll see. I will be sure and blog about the next couple nights. It has truly been an experience to say the least and as I said - a humbling one at that.

Be thankful for the medical care that you are able to receive - I know I am fortunate to have what I have and I am even more grateful after experiencing this.

Dawn