June 18, 2004
Rosie Skywalker
Rosie had her catheter test at the hospital today. Whe I arrived she was all kitted out in a white Luke Skywalker-style outfit, ready to do battle with the dark side! She was also heavily sedated, so was fairly sleepy, and none too impressed with the various cords and wires that were attached to and poking out from her body.
She was then wheeled away, and the sight of her tiny little body in the big bed disappearing into the unknown made both me and Megumi shed a tear or two.
Now, in case some readers have no idea what a 'catheter test' is, I will explain. In order to measure the movement of blood around the vessels of the heart, a long tube was inserted (by injection) into one of Rosie's veins in her leg. It was then manipulated along the vein and into the heart. The doctors put dye on the catheter, so that when they tookan x-ray, they could see more clearly. In an adult, a local anaesthetic would be fine, but since she is small, a general anaesthetic was necessary.
Explanation A (LINK)
Explanation B (LINK)
As it mentions on one of the pages above, for kids, this test is a bit tricky, because after the test, the patient had to remain still for a few hours. Now Rosie doesn't know how to stay still. She generally kicks her legs quite fiercely. Since the doctors had just made a small hole in her leg, they didn't want her moving too much or the wound would not heal. So, when she came back from the test, while she was still heavily drugged, they tied her to the bed so she couldn't move. The Luke Skywalker outfit swiftly turned into a straightjacket, to prevent our baby from escaping the madhouse of the university hospital! I'm sure she is crying, and pleading with Megumi to pick her up, but for the rest of the day she just has to lay on her back, trussed up like a chicken.
Posted by Gary at June 18, 2004 04:38 PM