I’m sure you’ve been wondering where I’ve been or at least I hope you have been missing me a bit. My 9-year-old son had broken his arm on my birthday and needed surgery. As you can guess, my birthday sucked, but I did get to ride in two ambulances. It has been quite the ordeal and I have been working on a blog post about it. I’ve been trying to care for him, put our lives back together and get ready for back to school. I haven’t left the house much and have missed several opportunities. ( I actually had an invite to the VMA after party and won a jazz cruise just to name a few.) It’s been tough all around, however I learned a few very important lessons. Here they are:
This week I learned that:
10. once again waiting till the last-minute to do something can work against you. ( I’m still behind on my blog posts because of the entire hospital stay. I could have had many of those done ahead of time. Instead I was stressed about my deadlines as well as my son.)
9. there is always at least one person waiting in the wings to say or ask completely inappropriate things when you are grieving. ( Seriously? You needed to PM me in the hospital to ask me that? Don’t you think I was a bit busy?)
8. you don’t just get a cast and go home. ( The accident happened at 4:00 P.M. Tuesday. We didn’t come home from the hospital till 3:30 P.M. Thursday)
7. texting, posting/getting Facebook messages really can help the healing process. ( I felt so supported and not alone while we waited in the hospital. I’m so grateful for my online friends. Thank you to everyone for all your love and support! It really made a big difference and Noah loved all the “likes” on his pictures!)
6. just because you are nurse at a children’s hospital doesn’t automatically make you a nice and caring person. ( What a bunch of snotty bitches! One of my favorites was the nurse that came in to take my son’s vitals with a bag of Doritos on her cart when my son hadn’t eaten in over 12 hours.)
5. when you need help you just need to ask for it. ( People don’t always know what to do to help you when something like this happens. All you need to do is ask and people are usually ready to lend a hand.)
4. I love that ShopRite delivers groceries more than ever! ( I’ve had deliveries before, but this was a huge help to my family. I just ordered online and didn’t have to bother anyone or leave my house.)
3. even my 9-year-old knows that his meal was not healthy in the hospital. ( He had 3 meals while we were there and they consisted of chicken fingers, fries and apple juice for lunch. Dinner was cheeseburger, fries and apple juice followed by lunch the next day of chicken nuggets, fries and apple juice. When he first saw the food he said, “This isn’t real food! I thought a hospital was a healthy place.” Needless to say we did take out.)
2. you truly find out who your friends are when something like this happens. ( I’ve gotten a lot smarter since I spent an entire month in the hospital a few years ago. I expected a few to fall this time so it didn’t hurt as much as it did long ago. Hey, at least I know. The good part is there is also always a dark horse that rises and surprises you. )
1. my kids will always come first. ( I guess I make a lousy business person, but family always comes first. Deadlines, events, everything takes a back seat. I admit it and I’m fine with it. I’m a mom.)
ruth says
I still can’t wrap my head around what you all have been through.
And… when you wrote that the nurse had Doritos.. .my blood just boiled. Wow, she is lucky I wasn’t there. I can’t believe how insanely angry I just got from reading that!
beyourbestmom says
Doritos nurse also had big fake eyelashes on that drove me nuts. By the end of her shift one was coming off and the other was clumped together. She was a mess. I hated those people.
Penny says
#2- Yup, I so get it!
beyourbestmom says
You went through something so horrific so far away from home P. I can’t even imagine what that was like for you. Then when friends fail to be there it just makes it worse.
Alyssa C says
I completely agree with number 7! When my daughter was in the hospital for a week (RSV) I felt so cared for!
beyourbestmom says
That must have been scary too!
Kristyn says
i totally agree with number 3! I’m about to deliver my baby any day now and know that hospital food is no bueno so i have a huge box packed of food for us to last our stay. I even brought a rice cooker to cook my quinoa in for dinner lol
beyourbestmom says
See I was spoiled! I spent a month in the hospital during my pregnancy on bed rest and had the most awesome food! It was a buffet for breakfast and lunch. Plus the cook came from the Culinary Institute-I could have eaten there forever! LOL!
cindy b says
So sorry about the bad luck! Nothing like an accident to make us realize how thankful we should be when the arm is working! Hope you get better soon!
Amy Honious says
what a trial. you would think that the children’s hospitals would have better food for the kids. my daughter had an operation 2 years ago at our local children’s hospital and it was like pulling teeth to get her a salad for lunch. ugh! fyi-i think false eyelashes should be banned in any hospital setting! good luck!
beyourbestmom says
I agree on the ban of false eyelashes! Yes, the food is just awful!
mommasbacon says
Family should always come first and that doesn’t make you a bad business person! I’d rather work with someone with integrity. 🙂 Hope he heals soon!
beyourbestmom says
Thank you!
Amanda @ Adorkablii says
I am sorry you had to go through this. When I was 4, I was ran over my a car and was in a cast for 8 weeks. It was a horrible experience. Not that it would be a lovely one… lol. But I get it! This was 20 years ago and I wasn’t the parent but I can totally understand.
Now the mom in me is even more understanding! Family should always be first. Whats a life without a family… A life with just a bunch of things!