Day 1: Monday, August 21, 2006
A trip to St. Louis Missouri to take my granddaughter to Children’s Hospital in St Louis, Mo.
Before we left for St. Louis, I walked two miles today, washed my clothes, and went to my daughter's house.
My daughter and I packed the car, we went to the bank to get some cash for our trip, and we went to get the car washed.
We were on the road at about 2:30 P.M.
I drove through Savannah, to Dyersburg to Interstate 55.
We stopped at a filling station just off the Interstate to fill up with gas, change the baby's diaper, purchase some medicine for my daughter's headache, and swap drivers.
For lunch, we stopped at Cracker Barrel in Cape Girardeau, where I ordered a children's plate of corn, pinto beans, cornbread, and iced tea. My daughter also ordered a children's plate of pinto beans and chicken and dumplings which she shared with my granddaughter.
Cape Girardeau is about two hours away from St. Louis.
We arrived at Heaven House at about 8:00 p.m. and were given a tour of the Haven House.
The Haven House has four wings, each wing has its own kitchen, its own living room, and its own play area.
Our room has two, & a half beds and a crib for Meadow.
 |
| My granddaughter at the Haven House in her jumper |
Day 2: Tuesday, August 22, 2006
We stayed only one day and checked out the next morning at 10:00 A.M.
We went next door to Walgreens where we bought two small disposable cameras, a teething ring for my granddaughter, two bottles of water, and some baby wipes.
My daughter drove us down I-270 to 64/40 to downtown St. Louis.
We stopped at the Old Cathedral parking lot and walked to the arch.
At the entrance to the Arch were security guards where everything was searched including
my granddaughter's stroller and she had to be taken out of the stroller.
The guards made us pour the water out of the water bottles that we had just bought and we had to open our purses for them to search.
The man behind us said, “I did not know I had so much junk in my pockets when he was asked to empty his pocket and then told the security guards, just wait until you see what is in my wife’s purse.
My brother-in-law said when I was a kid he lived in St. Louis and his elementary class each added a brick to the bottom of St. Louis Arch. Construction of the arch began in 1963 and was finished in 1965.
Inside the bottom of the arch we walked through the Western Expansion and shopped at the museum but we did not have time to go up inside the arch.
On the way to Children’s Hospital, Lora made a wrong turn, she turned onto the 64/40 highway toward Illinois instead of St. Louis.
We had to cross the bridge that leads us into St Louis, Illinois, Lora turned around and we were on our way to Children's Hospital.
We finally, arrived at the Children’s Hospital, where my granddaughter will see Mary Bertrand, MD.
Mary focuses her practice on Pediatric Epilepsy.
We were taken to a room where my daughter talked to Mary, for what seemed like hours about my granddaughter's condition.
My granddaughter was admitted to the hospital for an EEG and an MRI.
While they were getting my granddaughter ready for her EEG, my daughter and I walked downstairs for lunch. EEG-An electroencephalograph.
 |
| My granddaughter having an EEG |
Several doctors & nurses came in to see my granddaughter one was a white pregnant woman an Asian doctor, several RNs, and an EEG Nurse. That night we slept in the hospital.
Day 3: Wednesday, August 23, 2006
We slept until 7:30 a.m. the following day.
My granddaughter was chipper after her breakfast, a bowel movement, and a nice bath and she is now playing.
The nurses tried to get a drip started in my granddaughter's arm before her MRI but they were having a problem getting the needle in her veins.
My granddaughter started to scream with pain, which made me sick, and all I wanted to do was tell them to quit.
I walked over to the window so I could not see what was happening because I was about to pass out.
My granddaughter did not have her MRI until after 3:00 p.m.
It was a fantastic view of St. Louis Arch and downtown St. Louis from my granddaughters' room.
My granddaughter was dismissed later that afternoon we started our six-hour ride home.
