Do you remember?!

Today has been a long, long day... I'm tired, I'm frustrated, I'm a little angry... did I mention I'm tired? (Or as my friend Jennifer says, I'm shopworn.) So... I'm going to stray from my usual positive self and I'm going to vent. If you don't want to hear it, I don't blame you. I'm going to whine and moan... so there's my disclaimer. Don't say I didn't warn you! HA!

SO remember the spine surgery Kennedy is supposed to have? The one we found out about over 2 months ago? The one that they said had to be done SOON because if we were to get into a car accident or she were to injure her neck any other way it would be a "catastrophic event"? The one that should have already been done but we seem to keep hitting road blocks and I keep having to jump through hoops to get everything done for Shriners? The one that the Army is so graciously bringing my husband home for and has been so super supportive over? Yeah. That surgery.

Remember when I had to fight with Vanderbilt so they could go through ALL of Kennedy's HUNDREDS of pages of medical records so they could mail certain specific parts of said records up to Shriners to appease anesthesia who didn't want to sedate her because of the defect in her neck even though she's been sedated over 30 times already with no problems? (Remember when I wrote the longest run-on sentence in history? I hope so, because you just read it.) Remember when I called and called to make sure those 240 pages of medical records actually MADE it to the right people? Remember when anesthesia READ those medical records? (Me neither, I was just asking.)

Remember just last week when anesthesia said that ALL they needed to set Kennedy's surgery date was a clearance from hemonc? Remember when they lied? No? Well... let me tell you about it.

So today I get an email from Shriners saying that not only do I need to get the hemonc clearance faxed, I also have to get clearance from cardiology and pulmonology. Hmmm Remember the last time she went to pulmonology? You don't? Maybe that's because she has never gone to one! Hmmm Remember when YOUR child had surgery and THEY had to see a pulminologist? No? Apparently EVERYONE has to before they can be sedated. Everyone. Remember the last time Kennedy went to cardiology? Me neither. It's been THAT long. Remember that "ALL Down's kids have heart issues"?!?! Seriously?! (Oh, sorry, that was a different post.) Apparently Kennedy is the only child with Down syndrome (and she is NOT a "Down's kid" for the record) EVER who is not followed by a cardiologist. Wow.

Remember how long it takes to get a new patient into a clinic at Vanderbilt? Especially if they are not sick and have no issues pertaining to the specialty? They can see her in... oh... about 9 months. Now remember those records? Those 240 pages of records that are sitting with anesthesia at Shriners? You remember! Well... somewhere in those 240 pages (that they said they read in about 30 minutes) sits a copy of Kennedy's latest EKG... it was done because of the chemo she was on... you think that would QUALIFY as a release from cardio?! Hmmm?! No.

Remember the day that I cried for 3 hours straight because I was SO tired of hunting down records and making appointments and jumping through hoops and trying to be everything to everyone just to get this stupid surgery done? Remember when I screamed because I've been asked for the 100th time in the last 2 months to fax something from my non-existent fax machine? Remember when I curled up into a little ball and cried every time I saw Shriners on my caller ID? Remember when they stopped answering or returning my phone calls? Remember that migraine I got the last day of April? Remember when I said we should just forget about this stupid surgery and just let Kennedy wear the neck brace for the rest of her life? You don't remember? You might... Very soon... you might.