Friday, September 28, 2007

Brave Girl!

I want to write this down because this is one of those great milestones that makes me feel very proud of Charlotte.

Last night, we took Charlotte for her 2nd JE jab. Every time she visits to her PD she will be crying from the moment entering the PD's room until she came out from there, even just a routine check-up without any jab. I have been playing doctor-patient game at home with her since we got her the doctor toy set. Sometimes, she will be the doctor pretending to check on me, and sometimes she is the patient and I am the doctor. When I played the patient role, I pretended to cry (like she used to do) when she put the stethoscope on me. She will giggles and that's when I told her that it is really nothing to cry about. This time I prep her just to make sure that it will be a more pleasant visit for her.

Here was my conversation with her before we arrived at GMC:

Me: Charlotte, mommy is taking you to see doctor, ok?
Charlotte: Check check (pointed to her chest)

Me: Yes, doctor will check on you just like how we played at home.
Charlotte: (Nodded)

Me: Charlotte cannot cry ya?
Charlotte: No cry...

Me: Doctor will check on Charlotte's chest, and check on Charlotte's ears ok? Cannot cry one ya?
Charlotte: No cry...
I wonder if she really understood what I was trying to say.

Me: When you see the doctor, Charlotte say hi ok?
Charlotte: Hi

Me: And shake hand with the doctor ok?
Charlotte: (Nodded again)

We waited for awhile and finally it's Charlotte's turn. Both Dr. Rama and Dr. Jessica were not in last night and it was a new doctor on duty. So, we thought it should be fine since it is just taking a jab. Pat carried Charlotte to the doctor and she was really quiet, didn't cry. When Pat sat down with her in front of the doctor, the doctor showed her the stethoscope and asked if she wants to touch it. She was a little held back but then I told her that it's ok, and she used her fingers just lightly touched on the stethoscope. Then doctor started the checking, first with the stethoscope on her chest then on her back. Then the doctor took out the microscope to check on her ears. Charlotte was all the time kept very quiet, didn't struggle, didn't cry. Very unusual of her. I was at the side kept praising her for being such a clever girl! But I know she was very tensed and trying very hard to hold back her anxiety. I was just praying that it would be over soon...

After the ear check, it came the mouth part. As the doctor asked her to open up her mouth, one nurse came over and started to hold Charlotte's head trying to make her tilt her head up a little. Charlotte got a shock that she thought they were trying to hurt her. That's when she broke the silence of the room with her extremely loud scream and big drops of tears. If I knew that the nurse was coming to hold her head I would have stopped her from doing so and let Charlotte do it at her own pace. It could probably be easier for her to accept then someone coming from behind and touched her suddenly.

Then we had to go through the remaining routine with all the screaming again. But Charlotte calmed down in a shorter time then before as she left the room with Brenda. Pat and I continued to stay in the room to ask a few more questions with the PD and then we left the hospital around 9.00pm.

Charlotte fall asleep on our way back home. Pat and I left the house for a quick errand after settled down Brenda and Charlotte. But when I reached home again later, I heard Charlotte 's cry even before I entered the front gate. I rushed into the house and saw Brenda was changing her again. Brenda told me that Charlotte woke up not long after we left and crying hysterically and vomited. My heart broke hearing this as I could imagine what she been through that night.

She must be frighten by the entire doctor visit experience as I could see her trying to hold back really hard at the PD's room. We calmed her down a little bit and played her favorite movie show for her, Toy Story (yeah, old show!).

I am very proud of her self control and her understanding of instructions. All this while, I know she takes instructions really well but not to this extend. I am very very proud of my little girl!

4 comments:

  1. yes, BIG achievement for Charlotte. Next time can play the "nurse-patient" thingy aldy...

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  2. What a brave girl, Charlotte. I'm surprised to read the inexperience of the nurse to do such thing. Even as I read it, I felt it's not proper way to approach a child. Good thing she let if out instead of holding back the fear...

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  3. Clever girl! Very good progress indeed! :D

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  4. Ya, very brave girl. Sze Yi will cry once she saw her paedetrician, making it so hard to diganose her.

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