In the afternoon I had to take Pontus to yet another doctor, this time to check the x-rays we took at the hospital about 1,5 weeks ago. You might be wondering if my child is coming apart at the seams, considering how much time we spend running from doctor to doctor. Pontus is, in fact, a perfectly healthy baby. It is simply the ineffciency of the Swedish health care system that turns routine check-ups into multiple consultation events over the course of weeks or even months.
We finally left the doctor's office for good at around 15:30 h.
Another day well spent...
June 10, 2008
"However..."
People living outside of Sweden tend to think that the Swedish health care system is wonderful and provides great service to the people here.
People living in Sweden who depend on that very health care system know better.
Let me tell you the story of a growth. It is a tiny little growth right at my son's left ear, close to the tragus. It was the first thing I saw when they put him on my chest after he was born. I knew right then and there it had to go. "No problem", the doctor at the hospital said during the exam. "All they do is put a piece of really thin string around it and pull it right off", she said. "However, we don't do this here. The pediatrician at your BVC (medical center for children) will take care of it", she said.
The pediatrician at our BVC turned out to be a very young woman who looked like she had just graduated med school a month ago. She too took a look at the growth. "No problem", she said. "This can definitely be removed", she said. "However, I have never done this, so I would rather have a more experienced colleague take over", she said.
A couple of weeks later we met another doctor, again at BVC. He was only slightly older than the woman we had met last time and only there for the day, because the attending doctor had called in sick. He looked at the growth, just like everyone else before him. "No problem", he said. "This can definitely be removed", he said. "However, I am only helping out here for the day, so I don't know if I have all of the equipment. I will refer you to an ENT doctor who will remove the growth."
Pontus is now 6 months old. Today I went to meet the ENT doctor. After having waited for 20 minutes he took a look at the growth and said: "That is nothing dangerous and can definitely be removed. However, I will not do that. It really isn't that big and he is still so small and I am worried about how he will react to the local anesthesia...". Then he talked about how the growth was something natural and could stay where it was and that he might have done something about it if Pontus was 10 years old, but that he did not feel now was the right time.
Do I need to say that I lost it?
I told the ENT doctor that I had come to him today to have the growth removed, not to listen to the same monologue again and that I had no intention of waiting another 9,5 years until he felt ready to do his job. "I understand", he said. "I am sorry that everything has taken so long", he said. "What I can do is refer you to Karolinska hospital and then in 3 or 4 months you might be called to a doctor there to surgically have the growth removed while Pontus is completely under anesthetic", he said.
Four doctors and six months later this tiny little growth has apparently turned from something that could be taken off with a piece of string to a medical problem that requires surgery and anesthesia. If any of these so-called "health care professionals" had ACTUALLY DONE what they all acknowledged was DEFINITELY DOABLE, this problem would have been solved months ago. Instead I am off to meet yet another doctor...
People living in Sweden who depend on that very health care system know better.
Let me tell you the story of a growth. It is a tiny little growth right at my son's left ear, close to the tragus. It was the first thing I saw when they put him on my chest after he was born. I knew right then and there it had to go. "No problem", the doctor at the hospital said during the exam. "All they do is put a piece of really thin string around it and pull it right off", she said. "However, we don't do this here. The pediatrician at your BVC (medical center for children) will take care of it", she said.
The pediatrician at our BVC turned out to be a very young woman who looked like she had just graduated med school a month ago. She too took a look at the growth. "No problem", she said. "This can definitely be removed", she said. "However, I have never done this, so I would rather have a more experienced colleague take over", she said.
A couple of weeks later we met another doctor, again at BVC. He was only slightly older than the woman we had met last time and only there for the day, because the attending doctor had called in sick. He looked at the growth, just like everyone else before him. "No problem", he said. "This can definitely be removed", he said. "However, I am only helping out here for the day, so I don't know if I have all of the equipment. I will refer you to an ENT doctor who will remove the growth."
Pontus is now 6 months old. Today I went to meet the ENT doctor. After having waited for 20 minutes he took a look at the growth and said: "That is nothing dangerous and can definitely be removed. However, I will not do that. It really isn't that big and he is still so small and I am worried about how he will react to the local anesthesia...". Then he talked about how the growth was something natural and could stay where it was and that he might have done something about it if Pontus was 10 years old, but that he did not feel now was the right time.
Do I need to say that I lost it?
I told the ENT doctor that I had come to him today to have the growth removed, not to listen to the same monologue again and that I had no intention of waiting another 9,5 years until he felt ready to do his job. "I understand", he said. "I am sorry that everything has taken so long", he said. "What I can do is refer you to Karolinska hospital and then in 3 or 4 months you might be called to a doctor there to surgically have the growth removed while Pontus is completely under anesthetic", he said.
Four doctors and six months later this tiny little growth has apparently turned from something that could be taken off with a piece of string to a medical problem that requires surgery and anesthesia. If any of these so-called "health care professionals" had ACTUALLY DONE what they all acknowledged was DEFINITELY DOABLE, this problem would have been solved months ago. Instead I am off to meet yet another doctor...
June 05, 2008
Baby bondage
Pontus has a new favourite move: leaning forward. This is especially helpful when feeding him. I essentially just need to hold the food in front of his face and sooner or later he will throw himself forward and swallow the spoon and everything on it.
He both gets nutrition and a chance to train his gag reflex.
Pontus has also understood that leaning forward makes it possible for him to reach for things on the table and that almost everything makes a noise when it hits the floor. And if the item itself does not make a noise, I certainly will at the sight of it lying on the ground. So either way Pontus wins. Adorable, isn't it?
No, seriously, I need to buy restraints. Think Hannibal Lector in "Silence of the lambs" - lots of straps, little movement, that's what I am going for.
He both gets nutrition and a chance to train his gag reflex.
Pontus has also understood that leaning forward makes it possible for him to reach for things on the table and that almost everything makes a noise when it hits the floor. And if the item itself does not make a noise, I certainly will at the sight of it lying on the ground. So either way Pontus wins. Adorable, isn't it?
No, seriously, I need to buy restraints. Think Hannibal Lector in "Silence of the lambs" - lots of straps, little movement, that's what I am going for.
June 03, 2008
Pimp my blog
I have spent the last 30 minutes looking at skins for my blog on blogskins.com. I tried out two interesting ones but returned to the tried-and-tested blogger template, because I wasn't 100% satisfied.
Maybe I should try to design something myself...
Maybe I should try to design something myself...
Is there such a thing as too much pink?
I found this faceplate skin for my Wii guitar on amazon.com and I just have to have it. It would make my life so much more...pink!
Bacon-wrapped plums
Some food pornography for I-think-we-all-know-who.
Come on, zoom in! I know you want to...
Come on, zoom in! I know you want to...
Hearing impaired
Many good things can be said about my husband. He is my best friend, a great father and, above all, a true optimist who believes in the good in everything and everyone.
Unfortunately, he is also hearing impaired.
Imagine lying in bed and hearing an alarm go off. Not a nice, smooth alarm, but one of those industrial techno sounds that give you a headache faster than you can say "280 beats per minute". You wait for the music to stop. It doesn't. Instead, it gets louder. And louder. You are now fully awake. Your head is pounding. You open your eyes and see that your respective other is doing what looks like aerobic exercises to that very music in his sleep instead of turning off his damn alarm.
I have a lot of mornings like that.
As they say: "...in good times and in bad..."
Unfortunately, he is also hearing impaired.
Imagine lying in bed and hearing an alarm go off. Not a nice, smooth alarm, but one of those industrial techno sounds that give you a headache faster than you can say "280 beats per minute". You wait for the music to stop. It doesn't. Instead, it gets louder. And louder. You are now fully awake. Your head is pounding. You open your eyes and see that your respective other is doing what looks like aerobic exercises to that very music in his sleep instead of turning off his damn alarm.
I have a lot of mornings like that.
As they say: "...in good times and in bad..."
June 02, 2008
Waiting to exhale
Muddiz believes that she has a special talent for doing stupid things and, having read all the stories about her little mishaps, I am not even going to disagree. But I too have my share of not-so-bright moments.
Those dear and faithful fans that memorize all of my postings certainly remember that I had a cold about 1,5 weeks ago. And, as I already announced back then, over time all other symptoms vanished and all I was left with was a nasty cough. Sitting on the couch one evening and doing Sudoku I realized that I had made a mistake, so I removed the cap from the eraser at the end of my pen and...can you see where this is going?
Yes, I put it between my lips when a sudden cough attack made me gasp for air and I inhaled that stupid little piece of plastic. It got stuck in my throat, I couldn't breathe anymore (didn't want to breathe anymore for that matter, because I did not want to swallow the cap completely), so I leaned forward, half hanging off the couch, and coughed it up, while my husband, not understanding what was going on, looked at me with a combination of amusement and bewilderment.
I guess I would have done the same if he had suddenly started to twitch and make sounds like a wilderbeast in heat...
Those dear and faithful fans that memorize all of my postings certainly remember that I had a cold about 1,5 weeks ago. And, as I already announced back then, over time all other symptoms vanished and all I was left with was a nasty cough. Sitting on the couch one evening and doing Sudoku I realized that I had made a mistake, so I removed the cap from the eraser at the end of my pen and...can you see where this is going?
Yes, I put it between my lips when a sudden cough attack made me gasp for air and I inhaled that stupid little piece of plastic. It got stuck in my throat, I couldn't breathe anymore (didn't want to breathe anymore for that matter, because I did not want to swallow the cap completely), so I leaned forward, half hanging off the couch, and coughed it up, while my husband, not understanding what was going on, looked at me with a combination of amusement and bewilderment.
I guess I would have done the same if he had suddenly started to twitch and make sounds like a wilderbeast in heat...
Unwanted visitors
About two months ago we had ants in the kitchen. We laid out some traps and within a day no more ants were to be seen. Then a couple of weeks ago we had ants in the living room. Again we laid out traps and they disappeared. Ever so randomly my parents-in-law drop by at our house unannounced. We have repeatedly told them not to do that, but without any success whatsoever. Why is it easier to get ants out of the house than in-laws?
Okay, so it is maybe not a very flattering comparison, but the fact remains: even though we keep saying that we do not find it okay to just come over unannounced they keep on doing it. Take this Sunday for example: my husband had gone over to Muddiz to help her husband with his construction work, so when I heard a noise outside our door I assumed he had come back. It was very warm, so I was wearing something that reminded of the clothes that "Charlie's Angels" wore back in the days. Unfortunately my body also looks as if I had been one of the original cast members (meaning like that of a now old woman), so I can not really get away with wearing very short shorts and tank tops outside the comfort of my own home. Guess how happy I was to be standing face to face with my parents-in-law upon opening the door. They had been out cycling and just so happened to be in the neighbourhood and thought they could return my husband's bus card and see the baby and....
Before I knew what was happening my mother-in-law was inside the house, critically inspecting the kitchen and living room, while I desperately tried to stretch the fabric of my clothes in hopes of covering more of my exposed body. An akward conversation ensued while I not-so-subtly tried to get them to leave and they tried to pretend not to notice my apparent discomfort. After the longest 3 minutes of my life they left to go over to Muddiz to meet my husband and Pontus there. Of course I called there as soon as they had left and warned them...
I can not wrap my head around why people think it is okay to just invade other people's homes. My home truly is my castle. It is where I can run around in whatever I want to and do whatever I want to, whenever I want to. I do not want to have to live as if there might be visitors any minute, especially not on the weekends. Why is that so hard to understand?
We have people over at our place often, but I like it to be on our terms and think that that is the way it should be.
You wanna come over and it's okay with us? Be our guest and feel right at home!
You wanna surprise us by coming over unannounced? We never really liked you anyway...
Okay, so it is maybe not a very flattering comparison, but the fact remains: even though we keep saying that we do not find it okay to just come over unannounced they keep on doing it. Take this Sunday for example: my husband had gone over to Muddiz to help her husband with his construction work, so when I heard a noise outside our door I assumed he had come back. It was very warm, so I was wearing something that reminded of the clothes that "Charlie's Angels" wore back in the days. Unfortunately my body also looks as if I had been one of the original cast members (meaning like that of a now old woman), so I can not really get away with wearing very short shorts and tank tops outside the comfort of my own home. Guess how happy I was to be standing face to face with my parents-in-law upon opening the door. They had been out cycling and just so happened to be in the neighbourhood and thought they could return my husband's bus card and see the baby and....
Before I knew what was happening my mother-in-law was inside the house, critically inspecting the kitchen and living room, while I desperately tried to stretch the fabric of my clothes in hopes of covering more of my exposed body. An akward conversation ensued while I not-so-subtly tried to get them to leave and they tried to pretend not to notice my apparent discomfort. After the longest 3 minutes of my life they left to go over to Muddiz to meet my husband and Pontus there. Of course I called there as soon as they had left and warned them...
I can not wrap my head around why people think it is okay to just invade other people's homes. My home truly is my castle. It is where I can run around in whatever I want to and do whatever I want to, whenever I want to. I do not want to have to live as if there might be visitors any minute, especially not on the weekends. Why is that so hard to understand?
We have people over at our place often, but I like it to be on our terms and think that that is the way it should be.
You wanna come over and it's okay with us? Be our guest and feel right at home!
You wanna surprise us by coming over unannounced? We never really liked you anyway...
June 01, 2008
Baby on wheels
On Friday I took Pontus to Södersjukhuset (SÖS) to get his hands x-rayed. The department actually has a special waiting room just for children, complete with tons of toys, books and colourful murals. There is however no blanket, pillow or rug - anything one could lay a little baby on. For a second I considered putting him down on the linoleum floor, but then I found this:
It is essentially a yellow plastic box with wheels and a short handle, like a little cart for children. Pontus fit in it perfectly. Then I just threw in some bricks and he sat and played until it was our turn...
I wish it was always this easy!
It is essentially a yellow plastic box with wheels and a short handle, like a little cart for children. Pontus fit in it perfectly. Then I just threw in some bricks and he sat and played until it was our turn...
I wish it was always this easy!
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