Move

I didn't go to the hospital all day yesterday. My children were out of school and needed a little Mommy-time, as did the laundry and the house.

Once I got them off to school this morning, I headed up. My sister greeted me warmly, then sent me into the room to spell my other sister who was sitting with our niece, but had been there all night and needed to go home and rest.

Amanda and I watched the end of a movie together, then the trauma doctor walked in. Below is pretty close to verbatim what she said.

"I went downstairs and talked to the Chief of Orthopedics about your case. He said that although they have this new pelvic guy on staff, he started as of Feb. 1, he doesn't yet have his Georgia credentials and, until he gets them, there's nothing he can do on your case. It may be a week or two more before he gets a permit to operate in Georgia. So, I've decided to move you to a hospital where they can begin working on your pelvis. I have to transfer you to another Trauma doctor and the hospital where I send you must have an available bed in the Trauma Unit, so I'll be looking at Savannah, Atlanta, maybe Charlotte . . . "

I jumped up, stopped her, and ran to get Amanda's mother. Then I stood and listened while the doctor explained that they just couldn't wait any longer. I got the impression that, if Orthopedics expected the credentials imminently, they might wait, but another week or two was just too long. Early on, they had told us that the bones would begin to harden in about 3 weeks and the pelvic work needed to be begun by that time. Today was day 18.

She said that she wanted to send Amanda by ambulance, not helicopter, and that her mother could most likely ride with her. My sister suggested Columbia and explained that the pelvic specialist who used to be at MCG is now there. The doctor thought it was a very good suggestion. She said she hoped to move Amanda tomorrow.

I took off for the waiting room and Mom and I started calling family - first Amanda's, then the extended family. I had to leave by 12:30 to go pick up Dane from school for a doctor's appointment on the same floor of the same hospital as Amanda, just around the corner.

Dane's appointment finished about 2:45 and we headed for the ICU Waiting Room to say hi. We were greeted by my mother who told me they were moving Amanda between 3:00 and 3:30 to Richland Memorial Hospital in Columbia, SC. I was shocked! But, it seems they had an available room in ICU and the timing had all fallen into place.

Amanda was pretty shook up, as were my sister and Amanda's father. This all happened very fast. And moving meant the family would not be there for support. But, all along, we've prayed for the Lord to open the doors for the best possible care for Amanda, and we trust this is it.

Amanda arrived safely and was getting settled in the new ICU unit. I called my sister around 8 p.m. to check on things. Again, I was shocked. She said that there were at least 50 people in the waiting room (it was amazingly loud), that lots of people were sitting cross-legged on the floor, the room was full of hard, plastic chairs, and there were NO sleeping accomodations. Apparently, people do not sleep there. She went on to tell me that you can only visit from 1 to 1:30, 5 to 5:30 and 8:30 to 9. She said that the unit had four beds per room and they didn't put same sex patients in the same room. She said there was one room where a man was propped up, drooling, while across from him was a woman not fully covered. Amanda was very frightened and started to cry.

My sister sounded pretty shaken, also. But the nurse talked with them and said she would arrange for a private room for my niece and that her mother could stay in there with her tonight. Grandma and Amanda's father are driving home tonight and will drive back to Columbia tomorrow. A medical student is reviewing Amanda's file overnight and plans to brief the necessary doctors either late tonight or in the morning and they will schedule surgery very soon. We'll know more in the morning.

We're all a little shaken by this sudden turn of events. While it's very good news that we got a great pelvic surgery specialist to take on her case and they'll begin moving on the reconstructive work this week, it's all a little upsetting. None of us will be able to stay with her or frequent the hospital like we have here. And whether or not my sister will be able to stay with her regularly is dependant on the nurse she has each shift.

We need to pray for peace in this situation. State of mind is such an important issue at this juncture, and none of us have it right now. Pray for a bubble of peace and grace to surround Amanda and her family to carry them through this next traumatic season. And pray that she can return to MCG to recover soon after surgery.

Pray, also, for Amanda's levels of pain and for a medication that can effectively treat it. And pray for each of us left here in Augusta, that we can support from afar and be what's needed in this next step of recovery.

Amanda's made so much progress forward, we don't want any steps backward.