When Emma came home from school yesterday she looked pretty tired and within about 15 minutes was asleep on the couch. She had been at a ripper rugby tournament all day, so I thought she was just exhausted. She hadnt eaten much all day either. After a few hours of dozing on and off, she ate a little bit of dinner. While I was putting the other two to bed and having a fun time, hubby was sitting with Emma. Then he comes up and says "I'm really worried about Emma, she just drifted off mid sentence...".
A quick temperature test showed she was up to 39.5 C and we cant get more than a vague groan out of her. A quick call to healthline said get her to hospital. A dose of pamol and the ambulance guys turn up, temp already coming down 38.6C. A trip to North Shore Hospital, temp continues to come down, bloods and urine taken. Bloods come back clear but urine shows a UTI.
Its about 12.30am now, the dr says she is happy to admit her for observation but we will have to be transported to Waitakere - I'm like, you cant be serious that's like over 1/2 an hour away. After talking with Emma's Doctor, I decided to take her home and do the observations myself. They gave her antibiotics on discharge and her temperature stayed down.
Because of her medical history and especially because she is on Methotrexate, the doctor contacted Starship and we now have an open letter so she can be taken straight to Starship by ambulance should she get sick again. Methotrexate is an immunosuppressant drug so her body cant fight illness like others can.
There is no peadiatric facilities at North Shore hospital now, not even an over night observation room, or a pediatician yet the ambulance still has to take sick kids to North Shore hospital as it is the closest, then if they need admitting they have to go to Waitakere, not Starship which is about 15 minutes away, because North Shore is part of the Waitemata Health Board, not the central one. How crazy is that.
Oh Barbara that's horrible! You poor guys, that's scary. It DOES seem ridiculous that the system is so messed hey? Its further to Waitakere than to Starship too! I hate how there's no continuity between Auckland Hosp and North Shore, I had a lot of that last year with the oncology all based at Auckland but North Shore being the DHB in charge of my care. Crazy.
ReplyDelete