Back to the wrist again.

The following telephone conversation took place between myself and a nurse at our pediatrician's office yesterday at 5:0o pm:

Me:  Hello?

Nurse:  Erin?

Me:  Yes.

N:  I don't exactly know how this happened, but Shaun's complete hand x-ray was not read by the radiologist last week.  Apparently he only looked at the thumb x-ray,  which was normal.  We received a call from another radiologist this afternoon who says that it looks as though Shaun's wrist may be dislocated.  Can you come to the Imaging Center right away for some more x-rays?  

M:  What?  His wrist is dislocated?  How did this happen?

N:  I'm not sure and I'm really sorry, but it needs to be looked at again.  The Imaging Center closes at 6:00 but they will wait on you.  As long as you're there by 6:00 they'll take you in.  

M:  (with tears springing to my eyes and my chest tightening in a panic)  Okay.  We'll get there as soon as we can.  

I hang up the phone and yell for Chris to get changed and pack Jordan's bag.  I hadn't showered and had been cleaning all day.  I started my shower water then tried to call my dad to watch Jordan.  Couldn't get in touch with him.  The phone rings again and its the same nurse.  Now she's telling me to just take Shaun to the ER.  That way, she reasons, if we need to see an orthopedic doc, we'll be in the right place.  I hang up slightly relieved.  ERs never close, now we don't have to rush quite so quickly.  I take the time to iron a shirt and am about to get in the shower when the phone rings again.  Same nurse.  She now tells us to just take him on to the Imaging Center.  The doctor on call at the office said that it would be quicker there and we wouldn't have to sit all night in the ER with a non-emergency.  I call my granny and ask her if she can watch Jordan.  She agrees, and I finally get my shower.  The entire time I'm seething.  I cannot BELIEVE that Shaun's wrist has been injured this whole time.  Over a week.  I'm thinking that this negligent radiologist is going to hear from me when we get to the Imaging Center.  If we even make it in time.  I throw on some clothes and run a comb thru my hair.  No makeup, no nothing.  I rant to Chris and he tells me to calm down, these things happen.  He totally pisses me off with this attitude.  He says he wants me to calm down so that I don't embarrass him.  Whatever, I think.  We make it to the Imaging Center at 5:58   The doors are locked and the worker won't let us in.  So off we go to the ER, after all.

We wait for a few hours then get our x-ray.  The PA tells us he doesn't see anything dislocated or broken, but that the wrist is sprained.  He gives us a brace and tells us to follow up with an orthopedic surgeon on Monday.  Which we will do.  I asked Shaun if his hand hurt and he said yes, it has been hurting since he fell of the monkey bars.  I asked why he hadn't said anything, and he just shrugged.  I had noticed that when we put his brace on him at night his wrist would not lay down like it used to, but I shrugged it off because, I don't know....the doctors told me EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL!  I know everyone makes mistakes, but Shaun has been sparring, doing Taekwondo, all kinds of things with a sprained wrist.  I'm so relieved nothing else happened to it.  On Monday I am calling the Imaging Center and I will speak to the doctor who "overlooked" his wrist x-ray.  I know everyone makes mistakes, but people should still be held accountable.  I'm not going to sue or anything like that, I just want him to know that I'm not happy.  So that next time, all of my children will be taken care of.  

Stepping off my soap box now!