Wednesday, January 14, 2009

In Awe

Will it's just as well no-one took me up on the bet I would have lost money. After an agonising session of phone tag I spoke to the nurse. We are going to:
  1. Go back up to 5mg of Prednisolone
  2. Change the naproxen for a different drug with similar effects. Different people react differently so this one might have a better effect. There's no predicting if it will work, you've got to try it and see.
  3. Try doing a joint injection on Friday - without a general anaesthetic.

I needed to talk to PuffyFingers about the injection. She had to decide that it was the right thing to do. Only she knows how painful the finger is, and only she can control herself and keep still during the injection. Bizarre as it sounds, our little 5 year old daughter was the person who had to make the final decision about her health care.

I told her what the nurse said in the car and her immediate reaction was that she didn't want the injection. We got home from swimming and while the girls were drinking their usual post-aquatic hot chocolate we made up a list. PuffyFingers dictated with some suggestions from the OH and me, and I wrote them down. Here's the list in it's entirety:

Reasons not to have the injection

  1. It will hurt
  2. I will miss some school
  3. I will have to go to work with Mummy
  4. I will have to sit very still

Reasons to have the injection

  1. It will make my finger better
  2. It will stop my finger hurting when it gets poked
  3. It will stop the joint getting more damaged
  4. Mummy and Daddy want me to have the injection
  5. The doctor will give me medicine so that it doesn't hurt so much
  6. I will have to have less medicine
  7. I might have to have the injection anyway if the medicine doesn't work
  8. They will probably give me a band aid and stickers

I explained that once I phoned the nurse tomorrow to confirm the appointment she couldn't change her mind. But if she told me in the morning she changed her mind that would be fine. Then PuffyFingers earnestly studied the list and then solemnly announced:

"I think... I should have the injection"

I have no idea what persuaded her to change her mind. But I am full of awe that she can be so responsible and so brave.

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