Humbly Waiting

I have been humbled. I cannot diaper, clothe, bathe, or feed my own children. Why, oh why does this happen to mothers? So here I am sitting at my parents house, watching them change the stinky diapers, shovel in the baby food and perform bathtime. Did I ever think I would be envious of changing poopy diapers? Well, I am. I am so grateful for the many, many friends and my loyal family who care for my girls.

I am being taught patience. Every medical professional aware of my symptoms has declared my situation fairly emergent. And yet I am then directed to wait... wait for an urgent care visit, or an appointment later in the day, or an MRI report to come in a few days, or an insurance counselor, or another MRI test days away.

While a medical professional declares "see you in a day" to be immediate service, waiting one more day for treatment equals a lot to a mother. That one more day of waiting equals...

• a dozen diaper changes,
• 3-4 messy, intensive meals,
• a bedtime routine,
• 6-8 filled sippy cups,
• 6-8 bottle feedings,
• 2-3 naptimes
• 2-10 toddler tantrums
• and a possibly sleep-deprived night.

A mother on bedrest cannot perform very many of these tasks. In the defense of the medical professionals, I am not the usual patient to be suffering from these disk problems. They are not as well-acquainted to the toll these ailments place on the family life of a young mother. Maybe one or two future medical professionals can gain some tips from this read.

Hopefully the days of waiting are coming to an end, and I can begin the journey of recovery so I can once again.... change gloriously poopy diapers!

Update: I jinxed myself. Twelve hours after finishing this post, I listened to the doctor say, "See you in ten days." So take the above list, times it by ten, and the result equals my parents work load (in addition to their own work schedules, health concerns and other children). Luckily the doctor combined that phrase with some new drugs, so there is still hope I can soon change poopy diapers.