Frustration, part 2.

     Last night the apnea monitor went off about twice an hour. It was one of those nights where I was lying there at 4 am weighing the pros and cons of taking Eddie to the ER. I came to the conclusion that my best option would be to see if I could set up the pulemnology appointment for the soonest they could get us in.

      Today I called the Children's Hospital Pulmenology department,  to make an appointment for Eddie, as all his papers had been faxed over. This was after I had to have Eddies Health nurse contact the ENTs office to get them to fax his records over, because they had not gotten around to it yet.

     The receptionist told me that they would call me to make an appointment after the referrals doctor looked over his paperwork.  That's just to see their doctors, it has nothing to do with medical insurance. 

I asked how long that would take.

Two weeks, up to four. TWO WEEKS. 

     After I pointed out that Eddie needs to be seen ASAP,  because so far no one has a clue as to what to do with him, she told me if it was marked urgent,  they would speed it up.

      The ENT's office tried to tell me that there was nothing they could do.

     I got mad, because no one wants to help Eddie, they just hand him off to someone else, and leave us hanging in red tape. Meanwhile,  every night I go to bed wondering if this will be the night I can't wake him up from an apnea episode. 

      Exhaustion coupled with rage at all the hoops we have been made to jump through, and the apathy towards my son's wellbeing fueled several phone calls.

  The first to the ENTs office, telling the doctor's assistant that I found this unacceptable.  If he was going to push us off on to someone else, than he needed to do everything in his power to make it move faster, because, stopping breathing is not an okay problem to have.
     The second was to patient relations at the hospital.  I relayed the whole mess,  and they are stepping in to try and speed things up as well, agreeing that this is very much not okay. 
I am expecting several phone calls tomorrow.

    Hopefully tonight will be better, and hopefully so will tomorrow.  I don't like having to get angry and pushy. I don't like crying in frustration,  and I really don't like the feeling that Eddie is being treated like just another medical record number, rather that a little boy with his whole life ahead of him.