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Home › Webmother's Musings

It Takes a Village When a Child Is Hospitalized

By Elisa Ast All

Julianna's fever would not go away, and she couldn't keep food down. The doctor's office advised fluids, Tylenol and rest, but I wasn't comfortable with that. When her breathing became rapid and rough, I rushed Julianna to the emergency room. With the wait for care taking entirely too long, I asked the people ahead of me in line if my daughter could be seen before them. Seeing the fear and tears in my eyes, they agreed to let me cut in.

The triage nurse looked alarmed when she saw Jules' breathing. She picked up the phone. "I have a child out here who is retracting," she said. "Get me a room right away."

I answered her questions through a lump of gnarled terror lodged in my throat. With several kid-trips to the E.R. under my belt, I had never seen the staff act so quickly. We were ushered in to an exam room, where several nurses and residents examined my brave daughter, who suddenly appeared tiny against the stark white bed. Terms like "unspecified virus," "bronchiolitis" and "blood saturation levels" whipped around the room like knives.

Over the course of the day, she was given two nebulizer treatments of albuterol to help her breathe, a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia (negative), a nasal swab test for RSV (negative), an IV to help the dehydration and several blood tests – because the first test showed high levels of glucose, an indicator of diabetes. For about 24 hours, we were led to believe that – in addition to her current health crisis – our child was diabetic. Terror times ten. Turns out, albuterol can raise blood sugar levels in some kids, including Jules.

With no one being able to say precisely what was wrong and Julianna not improving, she was admitted to the hospital. Round-the-clock oxygen, albuterol and vital signs followed, with no sleep for 48 hours.

All the while, "the village" was rallying around us. Friends, family and even her school offered support in the way of meals, gifts, visits and more. One friend brought activities for Jules to play with while she was bed-ridden. Another brought homemade cards and flowers to brighten the room. Still another picked up Cassandra, Julianna's twin sister, from school and took her home to play with her daughter all day. Project Linus dropped by with a handmade security blanket that made the sterile room feel more like home. The sense that we could lean on the village for a while was relief flooding through a broken dam.

We never did find out exactly which wicked virus caused Jules' problems, but she was discharged after three days – nebulizer in tow – and has made a full recovery. What I did learn is that what comes around goes around: It was my turn to be the village for others. A friend of mine gave birth to premature twins the same day that Jules was admitted to the same hospital. After Jules recovered, I brought them food and helped secure postpartum care.

Consider this when dealing with children in crisis:

  • Trust your instincts. If you think your child needs immediate care, go to the emergency room.
  • Be your child's voice. Do not be intimidated by anyone – you know your child better than they do and are the point person in her care.
  • Stay calm. Being rational can make all the difference.
  • Don't be afraid to ask for help or to accept it when offered.
  • Lose the guilt. Your turn to give back will come around soon enough.
  • Contribute to the village, and the village will support you. It truly does take a village to raise our children.

Learn more about Project Linus at www.projectlinus.org.