The Clean Intermittent Catheterisation (CIC) Training II

Today is Wednesday 18th February.

I thought long and hard.

Jere had physical program at Clouds of Praise today.

Should I go to the hospital for the CIC training?

I was really quite at a loss. To go or not to go?

Me to the helper: (sigh) Gina dear, should we go?

Gina: I don't know m'am, it's up to you.

Me: ok let's just get ready and see how.

We got ourselves ready and got out of the house.

At the train station, I was still quite reluctant to go.
Me: How? Gina, How?

I think only God has the answer for me. Yes, I know that and I haven't been reading His word enough that's why I am so lost.

Jeremiah, on the other hand was very very focused. Along the way, as we passed neighbours, not one but two, he had the same answer to the question. Everytime a neighbour asked, "Where are you going?",
he would very consistently reply," 我要常在基" ( I want to always remain in the Lord)which is his way of calling the Clouds of Praise coz the first thing he learnt there was "我要常在基督内喜乐因这喜乐是我的力量" (I want to always remain in the joy of the Lord for the joy of the Lord is my strength)

However, Jeremiah was a really good boy. When I asked him, can we go to the hospital first to take out your ssh sshh (urine)?
Jere replied, " Yes, coz i am a good boy. Not naughty boy."

We reached the hospital, this time, another staff nurse assisted us. She then asked Gina to try her hand at it. Gina seemed a little nervous but tried to do it. Jere was very cooperative. Gina washed her hands, prepared the cotton swaps with chlorehexidine (sp?) then our dear nurse said she wanted to send the urine for test. I found it rather strange that if she had wanted the urine for test, shouldn't the professional do the job in case we may not do it right and cause any contamination or do anything wrong? The staff nurse said never mind and my helper, Gina could do it and the urine collected can be sent for test. Gina carefully inserted the catheter. There was very little urine collected. Probably just a teaspoon. Then, when we thought it was done, and the catheter should be removed from the penis, the staff nurse suddenly took out her pen and wrote on the paper towel that Jere was lying on, telling us that if we started the CIC, we had to keep a chart and she started drawing a chart on the paper towel with me trying to keep Jere's hands off the catheter as he was trying to pull off the thing stuck in his penis. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore, I told the staff nurse,
"Can we not remove the catheter first before you start explaining whatever chart we have to keep and draw it on proper paper so we can keep and have a better understanding?"
Then it suddenly dawned upon the nurse that the catheter was still in the penis. *sigh* Did she not realise that there is something stuck to someone's private? I wonder.

Then, we were told to go to the counter to pay.The cost was $19.50. I enquired why so and the staff nurse then said $12.50 for the CIC and $7 for the urine test. I was a little baffled as I thought I was told that when we did it we won't be charged. I had to ask them to clarify and the staff nurse said,

"You used our facilities and supplies."

I really wasn't warned how much it was all gonna cost us when they were advising us to do the daily CIC thing. It's not so much of the cost of $12.50 but I really think that maybe I would feel more at peace not doing this catheter thing and giving the money as offering. Really, we should have been advised what were the costs involved especially so when I had said I liked the professionals i.e. the nurses to do the demo for 1 week and I would do it for another week before I start to do it myself at home. While we can still afford, that's fine but they said they will hold our hand till we are confident enough. Seriously, that did not sound like there was any costs involved or maybe I'm just too naive. Maybe they should have re phrase it to "We will hold your hand till you are confident enough but we will also charge accordingly." The dr even asked what was holding us back and if we needed a social worker to see us at a point when we were refusing to do the daily CIC.

Maybe a CIC support group should be formed and some nurse volunteer would help to do demo for free was my idea of holding hand. Instructing and advising the parents or caregivers along the way in terms of buying whatever supplies and as for facilities, how much of the water are we using to wash our hands? or how much more lights are we using or bed? This is what I call holding hands. This is a government hospital. A public hospital so to speak.

These people are not in the situation. They have healthy children. Do they really care about how much we are paying in our whole management of our special little one? Do they care about the costs that we incur all the time? Come on, where is the compassion here? I am sure with each CIC demo done by the nurses would not mean commission to the nurse and it does not mean that the bed or lights are not gonna be there if we were not there. Really, I just can't understand this whole thing. What's more we have been and still are a patient there and this is a public hospital. What send social worker to speak to us? You need not give us money by the hundreds or thousands but just a simple act of compassion, is it that difficult? Must everything be so bureaucratic?

Pray our good Lord leads and guides Jere's attending drs and nurses. Pray that our Lord lead me to make the right decisions for Jere. AMEN!