you know you go to much when....

*You know you go to hospital too much when your 5 year old starts talking about their emotions by blood pressure. Lately he when he feels sad, tired, upset or something is bothering him he says my blood pressure is low and then as he starts to feel better he says his blood pressure is slowly going up until he says its normal again and he feels better.

*You know you go to hospital too much when you are going to the er with you child (this was not a life threatening visit, so we could be more relaxed about it.) and you think about what you are wearing in terms of days, whether it will be comfortable to sleep in, sit on a bad chair in, lie in bed with your child, talk to Dr's/nurses in basically live in for as long as possible.

*You know you go to hospital to much when you know which room will be the best one to get in the er. You go with drinks, snacks, books, laptop, shawls to keep you warm and add home comfort, let everyone know by text that you are going there and everyone knows not to worry we will let them know whats happening, that you know exactly what to ask for and who to ask to see.

*You know you go to hospital to much when the reception staff know who you are and who your there to see (mind you they see hundreds of people every day) and say the Dr is running late go for a walk I'll call you when its time.

*You know you go to the hospital to much when you know your way around there like your own home and you find yourself often giving people directions and the thought of moving to a new hospital worries you because you will feel lost.  When your five year old looks at the colour of the lift and knows which appointment we are going to and who we are going to see.

*You know you go to the hospital to much when you start to budget for the cost of going in your weekly budget. $20 a day for parking, $15 a day for petrol, $15 a day for lunch/snack/or a surprise depending what he has done.

*You know you go to hospital to much when your other kids don't even blink when they ask where you are and you tell them, it is part of their normal vocabulary now to hear medical terms being used

*You know you go to hospital to much when your child's file gets heavy to carry around and you don't have to repeat their story more than once that day.

*You know you go to hospital to much when you know the routine of the pre-op room, how the anesthetic goes and what your role is, where to wait, were the very much needed vending machine is while you wait, that you know your way around the theatre rooms and the routine of the recovery room and what to expect to happen and when.

*You know you go to hospital to much when you know the lay of the wards, how they work, where the tea and coffee is, how to pull and and make those awful beds, and that you need to put a blanket underneath to stop from slipping and sliding all night.

*You know you go to hospital to much when if you have a week free from going you feel like you forgot to do something......