Secret shopper, the hospital version

If there was ever a job similar to a "secret shopper" but for people spending time at hospitals I think that it might be up my alley.  In the last week I have spent substantial time at 3 different hospitals in 3 different cities.  Fortunately most of our time spent at the hospitals was for scheduled appointments and not a health emergency.  Our more complex sibling group have never ending medical appointments and it seems that every time they see a medical professional at least one of them is referred to another doctor, for another procedure or is given a new diagnosis.  I really had thought this would have slowed down by now as they have been "home" now for 8 years, however it seems that the more we know the less we know.

We are constantly working too provide some sense of a normal childhood into our kids lives, which for us means really focusing on taking time to play between all of the appointments and procedures.  One of our recent hospital visits was over 3 days so we decided to make it into a mini vacation.  We booked 2 hotel suites too accommodate the 12 of us, prepared some meals in advance that we could throw into the crockpot we packed with us and headed off for some fun.  When one child had an appointment we took turns supporting them while the rest of the family swam in the hotel pool or went to a local playground.  After the appointments one day we visted Science World, another day we visted the local Aquarium and each day we spent many hours in the hotel pool, which we had to ourself each time, to the delight of the children.  Having all this fun planned also helped ease the anxiety for the child with the appointments as it gave them something else too focus on.

Our drive too provide some normalcy in the children's life has been reinforced after speaking to a few people who grew up requiring many medical appointments/treatments.  My father in particular tells stories of the adventures him and my grandmother would have when they needed to travel to the "city" for his hospital visits.  I hope my children can tell similar tales, with fond memories, to their children when they are older.

If you have a child that requires multiple appointments and hospital visits what do you do too provide a sense of normalcy?

Bringing back fun

We have many medical and therapy appointments for our children and at times have been so busy focusing on getting it "all" done that we haven't taken enough time for ourselves or enjoying life.  The children need time to be kids and not just being transported from one appointment to the next.

In the past, for Children's Hospital visits, we made the mistake of getting up extremely early and traveling for multiple hours, arriving tired and cranky, only to return home after more travel, very late and exhausted.  After deciding that the trips to the hospital are inevitable but how we handle them is optional, we made the decision to make each trip a mini vacation.  Fortunately most of our children's hospital visits are for non-intrusive procedures leaving the kids able to participate in other activities either before or after the appointment.

Now when going to Children's Hospital we book a hotel arriving the day before the appointment and leaving the day after.  Did you know that hotels near various hospitals have a much cheaper "hospital" rate?  Also various medical plans and/or some government programs will pay a portion of the hotel cost.  These programs are a huge asset for families needing the hospital.  On our most recent hospital visit we were able to have 2 adjoining rooms for $19 each, with the support of these programs.  Some medical plans and government programs will also pay mileage and ferry costs (if required).  If you need to travel for medical appointments be sure to check what supports are available.

On our recent trip to Children's hospital we left home just after breakfast to travel for our medical appointments.  Upon arrival we had time for a relaxing dinner and then a swim in the hotel pool.  Swimming at the hotel pool is always a treat for our children since the majority of time they have sole use of the pool.  The next day we arrived well rested for our long day of multiple appointments, after 9 long hours we returned to the hotel for dinner and another swim.  Our final day of this hospital/mini holiday we spent at the local zoo before returning home in time for bed.

My hope is that when reminiscing about their childhood the fun activities stick out more than the multiple appointments with doctors and therapists.