Yesterday was James appointment at the hospital for his hip echo. The last visit to the health centre (as well as frequent leg-length inspections) bolstered our feelings that nothing was really wrong and that this was just to make certain. Our doctor even said that this was a standard procedure in Germany and that they were making efforts to have the same in the Dutch system.
We gave ourselves an extra 45 minutes, even though the hospital is a 15 minute walk, because we had been lost in a maze of hallways labelled with Dutch medical terms before. James is rarely thrilled to be stuffed into layers and pushed in the stroller but we timed our naps and tucked a hot water bottle in with him which really helped (as well as the fact that it wasn't windy and snowing this time.) He is beginning to really smile at strangers now which is golden in the waiting room. After arriving, we found out that yes we were in the wrong hospital actually, but luckily the medical centre we needed to find was accessible through the building we were in by a 250 metre enclosed bridge!
We laughed after getting directions to the bridge at signs on the wall that said geen fietsen (no biking) because we thought what bold soul brought their bike into the hospital? What is great and typically Dutch, is that we almost immediately turned to find a guy in coveralls on a pink bike wizz past us and ring his bell. Yes, the hospital has loaner bikes for you to ride across the bridge in the hospital. Just a surreal feeling in that hospital atmosphere to make way for bike traffic in the halls...
If we didn't have the stroller I would have been on in an instant. Well, we finally made it to the echo lab and James was reasonably still as they held him in a baby shaped pillow mold to look at his hips. Twice actually, because the technician somehow lost the first batch of images she took. The best news is they were no abnormalities and we can go on to the next thing.
In other bike related updates, Kathy Owens pointed out to me that when they were visiting they saw folks in wheelchairs that had special bike attachments to pedal with your hands. They also have this; great bike culture!
3 comments:
Great news about the hips! Cool bike addendum also.
So glad all is well with little James hips. I can only imagine having to navigate the hospital environment in a foreign country, you guys sure are pros!
Sorry I haven't been posting much, but we have had The Sickness. Feeling better now, or at least enough to pull myself over to the computer. Have to say, I am fascinated by the bike culture posts! I would love that! And, um, I coulda told you at Christmas, that boy's got the best hips I've seen in ages! Lookin' good, James, lookin' good! Love,
annie
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