On clown doctor rounds as Dr. Fun E. Bone Tuesday . . .
Pretty quiet in PEDS, but more on that later. (Situation may be changing now that local water contamination is starting to create GI issues.)
Had a couple of lively visits in the ER, though. A big smile covered the face of a 4-year old girl the moment I peeked my head in her room, asked if she'd like a visit ("yes!"), and stayed there the whole time. Every answer was "Yes!" Introduced her to my assistant Dr. Fowlbreath, my red nosed rubber chicken, who showed off his acrobatic prowess. Then Dr. Bear gave her a bubble bath. Lots of giggles and laughs, and complete distraction from the reality of being in the ER. Started heading for the door waving good bye, and she asked, "Can you do another trick?' Of course. Who could resist an invitation like that? Mom's eyes glowed with thanks.
In another room was a 3-year old who'd cut his finger, being attended to by a nurse. I could hear the wincing outside the room, so created a stream of tiny bubbles from a wand. That caught his attention, and the ouchy sounds stopped. Then a cascade of larger bubbles from Dr. Bear turned to little giggles. Then one of my large feet appeared. Then the chicken's head. Then my nose. Followed by a big foolish grin. All signs indicated it was OK to come in. Noticed right away he was wearing Superman boots. "Are you Superman?" No, he wasn't, so Dr. Fowlbreath gave him some flying lessons. For a 3-year old, he was quite open and responsive and playful with the clown doctor's presence. Mom approved.
After clocking out, I made my way back across the hospital campus and was heading into the parking garage. Did a little impromptu traffic directing when a car pulled up next to me and the window rolled down. I kind of recognized the driver, who was a mom I'd visited with earlier in PEDS. Smiling, she wanted to tell me how thankful she was for my visit with her young son (I remembered then that she was in bed with him, and he was a special kid). She said that her little boy had been crabby all night, but that all changed when I showed up at his door. "You really perked him up!"
Sometimes you don't realize the impact the clown makes.
Pretty quiet in PEDS, but more on that later. (Situation may be changing now that local water contamination is starting to create GI issues.)
Had a couple of lively visits in the ER, though. A big smile covered the face of a 4-year old girl the moment I peeked my head in her room, asked if she'd like a visit ("yes!"), and stayed there the whole time. Every answer was "Yes!" Introduced her to my assistant Dr. Fowlbreath, my red nosed rubber chicken, who showed off his acrobatic prowess. Then Dr. Bear gave her a bubble bath. Lots of giggles and laughs, and complete distraction from the reality of being in the ER. Started heading for the door waving good bye, and she asked, "Can you do another trick?' Of course. Who could resist an invitation like that? Mom's eyes glowed with thanks.
In another room was a 3-year old who'd cut his finger, being attended to by a nurse. I could hear the wincing outside the room, so created a stream of tiny bubbles from a wand. That caught his attention, and the ouchy sounds stopped. Then a cascade of larger bubbles from Dr. Bear turned to little giggles. Then one of my large feet appeared. Then the chicken's head. Then my nose. Followed by a big foolish grin. All signs indicated it was OK to come in. Noticed right away he was wearing Superman boots. "Are you Superman?" No, he wasn't, so Dr. Fowlbreath gave him some flying lessons. For a 3-year old, he was quite open and responsive and playful with the clown doctor's presence. Mom approved.
After clocking out, I made my way back across the hospital campus and was heading into the parking garage. Did a little impromptu traffic directing when a car pulled up next to me and the window rolled down. I kind of recognized the driver, who was a mom I'd visited with earlier in PEDS. Smiling, she wanted to tell me how thankful she was for my visit with her young son (I remembered then that she was in bed with him, and he was a special kid). She said that her little boy had been crabby all night, but that all changed when I showed up at his door. "You really perked him up!"
Sometimes you don't realize the impact the clown makes.
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