Monday, August 17, 2009

A Plan You Say…..

We have been so incredibly busy; I have not been able to write and am so behind on the blog. This may be a very long note. As usual; I have a lot to say!

Aviana ended up having so many feeding issues. For this reason, it took longer than expected for her to be transferred back to UCD for rehabilitation. As you know, Aviana had her G/J tube put in Wednesday. All went very well; thank you for keeping her in your thoughts!! From that day forward, she has done really well with her feeds. On Thursday morning, they said she would be moved to UCD on Friday or Monday. On Thursday night at 9pm, they were still unsure of when she would be moved.

Under normal circumstances, I would have been continuing my journey on Go with the Flow Ave. I have to admit, I was starting to get pretty anxious about the timeline. I was unsure if Aviana’s 3rd birthday party would be at UCD or Kaiser on August 16th.

I arrived at Kaiser Friday morning and discovered the answer to the long awaited question; Aviana WOULD be going to UCD on Monday and would have her birthday party at Kaiser on Sunday. I kicked it into high gear. I immediately called my mom and let her know. My friend Amy was on her way to visit, I called her with the news. I had previously sent out an E-vite, (yes, I have a business where I scrapbook and make cards and invitations for my customers, but have been reduced to sending out a last minute e-vite) which read Location: UCD or Kaiser. I was just about to change the location when the Child Life lady walked in to discuss Avi’s party. We went over all possible decorations and fire codes. Can’t use tape on the walls. Can’t hang anything from the ceiling. Can’t have any latex balloons. Can’t use any paper products which are not slick looking. Can use the playroom for 30 minutes. Can have mylar balloons, etc.

Child Life walked out. I opened my E-vite to make changes and the doctor walked in to talk to me. She started to discuss Aviana’s impending trip to UCD. I thought she was about to confirm that Avi would be going there on Monday. Had I lost my mind, had I really believed this was set in stone, had I not learned a thing through the process of brain injury and all it involves? What was I thinking?? The doctor went on to say, she thought Aviana would be transferred that day and she should know within a couple of hours. Party plans….dead in the water!

For some reason, I thought you could change yourself fairly easily and become a "go with the flow" type person. I had been doing fairly well, but at that moment, I realized you can’t just basically flip a switch. I relapsed to my old planning ways. Hours went by with no word. Finally, at 4:15 they told me the ambulance would be there at 5:45 to pick Aviana up.

As we packed Aviana’s room, that old familiar feeling washed over me. I got a little sad, because we had (once again) met some wonderful people. We had to say goodbye to everyone again and promise to come back and visit. I immediately had a talk with myself. This, once again, was Aviana's graduation day. She was embarking on the next step in her recovery!

3 comments:

  1. You are doing great :) Happy Happy Sweet Happy Birthday, and it will be a great celebration, even if it's held in a hallway or a closet :)

    You are doing so well, Aviana has such great support and she is on the road to healing, which makes me so incredibly happy for you all.

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  2. Sometimes the most spontaneous get togethers are the best. We had a great time and Emma didn't want to leave. She swore they had a bounce house hidden in the playroom. I'm a little shy by nature, and you all made us feel so welcome. Thank you again for the invitation!

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  3. E-vites work great in a pinch! =)

    Janet

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