So yesterday, I was picking our girls up from school when my cell phone rang. I could tell by the number that it was Lilybear's Ortho dept calling. I thought, oh, they must be calling to confirm Lilybear's surgery times for next week. So I answered the call. Turns out "something more urgent" came up and they have to postpone Lilybear's surgery until DECEMBER 13th! Over a month away! I was just gutted, right there in the lobby of my kids school. Surrounded by lots of smiling happy kids, and parents. I politely asked the nurse if she could call me back in one hour to discuss as I was picking the kids up from school, had no way of writing anything down etc (and I didn't want to dissolve right there in the lobby). She agreed to call me back. . . . but never did!
I can honestly say that this is the first time we have been so disappointed in the service from the IWK. On top of hearing this bad news, the way I was informed was very blunt, and uncaring. I just felt like she may as well have said that someone else was more important than my kid. There was no apology. There was no phone call back.
Don't get me wrong. I totally understand that a more urgent case came up. My issue is how it was handled, and how the information was delivered. We have been waiting for this surgery to come for months. . . and now we need to wait more. I don't know if they understand the amount of prep that goes into planning a trip from out of province for your child to have surgery. It left me wondering why they couldn't bump someone that lives closer to the hospital, that wouldn't have been impacted as much? Maybe that's selfish for me to think, but there it is. It is also frustrating for us as my husband had to fight to get time off of work to go over with us, and now we are losing the income from those shifts, and he will also need to try and get time off during a period at his work where time off is rarely given (right before Christmas).
I've spent the evening last night thinking about how just when we thought Lilybear would be getting out of her double leg casts (just in time for Christmas), we will be just heading in to put them on. Thinking about how the weather will be during her casting time now it will be in the winter. Thinking about how she will spend her first Christmas break from school in double leg casts, and not able to play outside in the snow. I've had a good cry. Now we just need to focus on moving forward. I will try to focus on continuing to get my little girl ready for her surgery. I will focus on taking it one day at a time as we count down again. Here's hoping I don't get another phone call a few days before Dec 13th telling us we have to start over again. . .
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