Day 29 – 21/04/2011 Alice Springs Hospital – Children’s Ward.

Day 29 – 21/04/2011 Alice Springs Hospital – Children’s Ward.

After awaking at 6:15am I was almost crying when the nurse woke Callum at 6:30am to give him pain medication!! Callum was upset also about being woken but happily settled down to watch ABC 3.  We then settled in to wait for a surgeon….and Callum was advised that he couldn’t eat breakfast!! Oh my goodness it was like he got his throat cut!! The surgeon came at 11am and advised that she needed to take more photos and send them to the specialist in Adelaide, Callum checked that there was still a possibility that he would get to go to Adelaide on QANTAS!!  Yes she said still a possibility!!  Callum still didn’t get all clear to eat as the surgeon was waiting to hear if he needed to have surgery on his foot today!! 

At about 12pm we received three pieces of really good news 1) Callum did not need to go to Adelaide and 2) and he did not need surgery to clean up the wound!! but he did need to remain in hospital until, at least, Sunday!! And 3) Callum could eat!! To say I was relieved is an understatement but Callum was a little disappointed, he really was looking forward to a trip in an aeroplane – as he told me he hasn’t ever been to an airport!!

My surprise at the hospital though was the way the ward catered for carers, not only did I get a mattress on the floor but I was also provided meals – certainly a different experience for me. Then not only did I get lunch, but the ward put on a BBQ for lunch, the Easter Bunny turned up and Pete, Zac and Claudia joined Callum and I for our NT Health provided BBQ.

As the day wore on it became difficult to keep Callum settled and I was wondering how the heck I was going to manage him until Sunday.  I think though that I had it easy as Pete was at Melinda’s trying to get Zac and Claudia to do school work.

Then there was an angel – Rachel the CNS came on shift and decided that we could go home and she was going to make it her challenge to get us discharged!! I could only agree with her!!  After about 1 hour Rachel came back and advised that she had spoken to the surgeon and we could go home but we needed to come back on Sunday to have the wound redressed, I promised that we would.  So armed with wound care pamphlets and extra bandages we happily left the hospital and returned to the wonderful hospitality of Melinda and PJ.

Being in the hospital for 24 hours though was very much a cultural experience for Callum and I.  Callum was one of two non-indigenous patients on the ward and there was about 20 kids on the ward.  During the day it was not possible to tell who the child patients were and who the visitors were!! It was certainly a different experience to being in Wollongong Hospital Children’s Ward where every visitor is scrutinised and the number of visitors per patient are limited and visiting times are generaly adhered to by all people other than parents. Again I worked with Callum about cultural differences.

It is great to be out of hospital and Callum is enjoying being on his crutches.  He can walk on his foot when the tenderness subsides and we will get his bandage changed on Easter Sunday.  We are truly grateful that what we believed was going to be a really serious injury, has turned out to be nowhere near as serious as it could have been.