Video doctor appointment

We met with Namine’s Special Needs team at Children’s Hospital. She already has to go meet with her therapist once a week, so we’re fortunate that this appointment was able to be held over a video call.

We still refer to the hospital department as “special needs,” even though it’s since been rebranded as Critical Care. The function is the same: they serve as intermediaries between us and all the other departments that see Namine. And there are many, like cardiology, pulmonology, ENT (ear-nose-throat), plastic surgery, dental, and more. They ensure that Namine’s needs are met by each department, while also making sure that no department contradicts another.

Here’s a good example. When Namine sees her dentist, cardiology must also be made aware so they can prescribe an antibiotic, which needs to be taken an hour before the appointment. (It’s not uncommon for bleeding gums during a dental checkup, and the antibiotic is a preventative measure against bacteria entering her bloodstream and getting to her heart.)

Prior to starting each meeting with the Critical Care team, Namine’s vitals are usually taken. We may not have been at a doctor’s office, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t help out. Since we have our own blood pressure cuff and pulse oximeter (which measures blood oxygenation level and heart rate), Namine’s vitals were still able to be recorded for today’s “visit.”

We come prepared.

As Namine has gotten older, we’ve encouraged her to participate in her appointments as much as possible. It’s important that she know what’s going on, and of course she knows her body better than anyone. In this way, today’s appointment was no different. She answered the doctor’s questions honestly and openly.

After the appointment was done, we talked with the Critical Care team about other related topics, like how we recently rearranged the living room and Namine’s room to make them more accessible. The nice thing about having the laptop was that we were actually able to take them on a little tour! Before ending the call, Namine played a song on the piano for them.