Last night, Raphaela and I (accompanied by a friend of mine for moral support) had our surgical consultation at Hadassah Hospital, with Dr. Jeffery Weinberger. He is a modest and warm man who gave me as much time as I needed and answered all my idiotic questions until I felt more informed about what lies ahead for Raphaela and the removal of her tonsils and adenoids. He seems absolutely competent as a surgeon, worthy of his fine reputation.
Dr. Weinberger concluded the appointment by saying, "This kid isn't breathing. If I had my way, I would schedule the surgery for tomorrow. But..."
With the doctors' strike and the already busy summer surgical schedule, combined with the fact that Raphaela is considered a more complicated scenario and would need the Pediatric ICU, Dr. Weinberger is having a hard time actually setting a date for the surgery. Furthermore, even if he can find a date sooner rather than later, he explained that it is absolutely possible that Raphaela could be prepped for the surgery and then sent home, if an emergency case arises.
If this were a straightforward case, she could be snuck in between other already scheduled procedures.
Knowing that Raphaela needs the intervention, and knowing that beaurocracy and fate are preventing the scheduling, it has made me angry and frustrated and depressed. I have spent all day today, when my brain was otherwise unoccupied with thoughts of work, trying to formulate a plan to make the surgery happen, so we can move on, and so it does not G-d Forbid, interfere with Raphaela's long term development.
8 comments:
Don't stress out. The stress you feel will impact RR. Remember you originally thought you would have to wait until september to have her evaulated. it happenned much earlier than that. It will work out here too especially since dr. weinberger knows the importance of RR's case
Wishing you good luck for a speedy resolution to all this so that you and RR can move on. Keep nagging - it really does help.
Trust JF, he will come up with something.
can't you do the surgery privately but with Dr. Weinberger? Most drs, even the top ones, will all operate privately. I thought you have insurance (sorry if i remembered incorrectly)
Dr. Weinberger would be paid privately by me, when he does the surgery. I already have approval from the insurance company. The problem is that Raphaela requires a special post-op set-up, and at the moment there isn't space on the surgical schedule at Hadassah.
Doc, do you have a little oxygen tank, just in case RR needs it before you get in there? They're not expensive. I'd ask Dr. Weinberger if he thought it'd be a good idea to have around.
As long as we are giving tips, one question you might want to ask the doctor is how much blood, if any, might make its way down her esophogus. If she might get blood in her digestive tract during the surgery, I recommend asking them to pump her stomach before she wakes up. You don't want her throwing up blood. I've been there, done that when I had ENT-related surgery (as an adult), and it's really unpleasant.
it looks like from your fb post that it has been scheduled. Baruch Hashem. Thinking of good things for RR and for you.
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