Tag Archives: medical mom

Rough Patch, Part Three

March 3, 2019 By in Healthcare, Noonan Syndrome-Like Disorder, Our Family's Journey Tags: , , , , , , , 1 Comment
Rough Patch, Part Three

If you haven’t read the rest of the story yet, start here.

We loaded our son into the car and left for the hospital. It was dark and rain was pouring down throughout the drive to the emergency department. Check-in went quickly. Our son was exhausted and still showing signs of difficulty breathing so it didn’t take very long to be seen. A chest x-ray was ordered immediately and we were settled in to wait for the results. No one seemed particularly concerned so we did our best to relax and wait. We expected to be given antibiotics and sent home.

The nurse came into our room and asked in an unusually timid manner if our son had been seen at one of the other hospitals downtown. We explained a consult we had at one point with an interventional cardiologist, but that we only went once and that doctor recommended against running any tests. I mentioned to her off-hand that we had also done several second opinions at Hopkins. “Why do you ask?” was the next obvious question. Micro expressions danced across her face, all showing signs of discomfort, and she pointedly avoided eye contact. We were to be transferred and they were deciding where. The doctor would be in shortly to answer any other questions. With that she ducked out, having not made any additional eye contact.

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There is Skilled Labor in the Medical Mom Community

October 26, 2016 By in Money, Networking Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

There is a large untapped labor pool that – if someone can figure out how to access it – would provide a significant amount of skilled labor to the marketplace. This set of people has a broad range of skills from software development to professional writing. Some individuals in this mysterious category excel at art, music, or storytelling. The one thing they have in common – a child with a medical condition whose care would cost more than they could earn working.

I recommend employers take a look at this community of people and sincerely evaluate whether or not they can put them to work. They will be part-time employees unless paid more than childcare costs for their child’s unique needs. Some of them may need to make enough, even part time, to replace what they get through state assistance in addition to funding their childcare needs. It won’t be easy or straightforward – but it’ll be worth it.

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Why Every Circle of Friends Needs a Medical Mom

September 4, 2016 By in Caregiver Health and Wellness Tags: , , , , 10 Comments
Why Every Circle of Friends Needs a Medical Mom

Medical Moms are awesome! Every circle of friends needs one. They’re reliable when it matters most and the time they spend with their friends means the entire world to them. Here are even more reasons why EVERY circle of friends needs a Medical Mom!

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Becoming a Medical Mom Review

June 3, 2016 By in Book Announcements Tags: , , , , , 2 Comments
Reblogged from Sunshine and Spoons. Thank you for the glowing review! ❤ ❤ ❤

 

This post contains affiliate links.  Buying from them does not cost you anything extra, but I will get a small commission which helps me keep this blog going.

 

Several days into Davy’s 9 day hospital stay at the age of 2 months, I realized that I knew nothing.  I felt ignored by the doctors and confused by the terminology.  I constantly thought of questions to ask, but forgot by the time a doctor made it into the room.  I cried frequently, unable to figure out how to deal with the fact that there was something wrong with my baby boy.  I wanted to know why this was happening.

Becoming a Medical Mom Review

When we were discharged, it only got worse.  In desperation, I bought a plain spiral bound notebook, the kind I used to use in grade school, to try to keep track of all the information and questions I had for Davy’s many medical concerns.  I stumbled along and eventually came up with a coping system for navigating my new life as a medical mom…

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Mother’s Day

April 30, 2016 By in Mother's Day Tags: , , , , , 4 Comments
Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is coming up. The normal hustle and bustle already started. Everyone’s clamoring to find the best gift. What the Mom in your life really needs isn’t more things (unless she’s asked for them of course, then please buy them for her)! She’ll appreciate the thought of these so much more.

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Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle

April 9, 2016 By in Caregiver Tips & Tricks, Vehicle Tips & Tricks Tags: , , , , Leave a comment
Cleaning the Inside of Your Vehicle

It’s pretty common to see parents of kids who vomit frequently in the car armed with a bottle or canister of scent removal spray. After all, we spend so much time cleaning everything else it’s sometimes tough to justify spending a whole lot of time cleaning one of the places we spend the least amount of time. You spray the right product and the smell goes away. Everyone’s happy!

Every once in a while, it’s good to get in there and really clean up all of the things that didn’t quite get clean when you wiped them down with a rag right after the vomit episode. There are also ways to protect your vehicle and make it so most of the mess can be drug out of the car and banished with a hose. Let’s talk about those first because, frankly, preventing a tough mess in the first place is really the only way things are going to stay somewhat clean.

  1. Auto Seat Protector – This handy device will sit under the car seat and make sure any vomit which overflows from the car seat’s undercarriage won’t lie around and keep the seat underneath wet. Yes, some of them will claim to completely protect your car’s interior. For most children this is probably true. Our son overflows ours from time to time.
  2. Rubber Floor Mats – These are a must have for many, many situations. We have the heavy-duty grooved rubber mats which cover a wider area than your traditional cloth mats. We use them to pile soiled clothes, diapers, and rags until we can get home. This keeps the soiled cloth from seeping out into the vehicle’s upholstery.
  3. Car Seat with a Machine Washable Liner – Not all car seats have this feature. I consider it a must have since children make messes regardless of whether or not there are medical reasons involved. Our He machine does an excellent job of scrubbing our seat’s liner as long as it’s pressed down into the bottom so the water will cover it. You’ll need to wash after you’re in for the day. I’ve yet to find a car seat liner which permits machine drying.

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Check Out My Book, Becoming a Medical Mom!

April 2, 2016 By in Book Announcements Tags: , , , , , , , , 6 Comments
Check Out My Book, Becoming a Medical Mom!

Did you know I wrote a book? It’s a comprehensive guide to coordinating and managing your child’s medical care.

It received a 4 out of 4 rating from OnlineBookClub.org’s Official Review. Here are two highlights from the review:

“Ashley gives the good and bad of most situations in dealing with the basic parts of having a child with medical issues. She is not partial on subjects and doesn’t glorify doctors or disdain them. She tells what you will expect, terms and titles you should understand, and the basics of traversing the initial medical protocol.”

“I think this book is a great read for anyone that is or will be a parent, because everyone, and not just definitive situations with medical issues, should know what all goes into being a parent with a medical situation and what to expect.”

According to customer testimonials…

“I’ve been living the Medical Mom life for nearly 12 years. This book is VERY well written and covers what I wish someone had told me all those years ago…”

“It’s written in a way that moms can understand and clearly explains medical jargon that medical moms might come across.”

You can see the full reviews on the book’s Amazon.com page.

You can preview the book for free on Amazon.com as well. If you’re still on the fence here is the book’s description. Feel free to ask any questions you have in the comments and I’ll respond within 24 hours!

Becoming a Medical Mom

A “Medical Mom” is a mother of a child with medical difficulties. Typically these mothers have been through one or more hospital admissions. Their child may or may not have a diagnosis. At first, they’re frazzled and unsure but, over time, they become staunch advocators for their children and their medical needs. My goal is to reach the frazzled and unsure beginners and expedite their development into the advocates their children need them to be. Everyone has to start somewhere. The journey to becoming a fully-fledged medical mama is no exception. Whether you have some medical knowledge already, or don’t have a clue what any of the words the doctor is using mean, you’re in the right place. I’m going to make sure you know the basics. By the time you’re through, you’ll know how to survive admission, whether it’s a day or a month.

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Car Rides with Vomiters

March 27, 2016 By in Caregiver Tips & Tricks Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment
Car Rides with Vomiters

There are a lot of kids who vomit in the car and it’s mostly an annoyance. For our son with Noonan’s Syndrome every bit of food counts. He has difficulty gaining weight under normal circumstances and getting car sick makes it that much worse. If you find yourself thinking, “It’s not that big of a deal,” please remember it is a big deal for our son.

One of the first things we were told to do with our son to soothe him was to toss him in a car seat and drive him around. Our first pediatrician even recommended sleeping in a car seat as a way to lessen the discomfort of his reflux. We did try these things before writing them off but they weren’t helpful for us. The angle of the car seat seemed to guarantee our son would puke all over himself, in the car or out of it.

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Last Day of Goodreads Giveaway

November 30, 2015 By in Book Announcements Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

If you haven’t already heard, I’m giving away 10 free signed copies of my book Becoming a Medical Mom on Goodreads.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/160173-becoming-a-medical-mom
It has 3 five star reviews, 2 on Goodreads and 1 on Amazon.com. It’s an excellent resource for parents of kids who have medical needs (and I’m not the only one that thinks so)!

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Becoming a Medical Mom Goodreads Giveaway

October 31, 2015 By in Book Announcements Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment
Becoming a Medical Mom Goodreads Giveaway

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Becoming a Medical Mom by Ashley Bergris

Becoming a Medical Mom

by Ashley Bergris

Giveaway ends December 01, 2015.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

My book, “Becoming a Medical Mom,” is up for a giveaway on Goodreads. There are ten signed copies up for grabs, free with no strings attached. It’s basically a lottery system. As many people register as are interested. Ten of those will be selected by Goodreads and I’ll ship them a signed copy of my book.

This is the link: https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/160173-becoming-a-medical-mom

If you’d like to know more about the book, the easiest way is to click on the book’s title on the giveaway entry page. It was originally written with inexperienced medical moms in mind. However, I’ve been told informally that even veterans can gain some insight. I encourage you to at least check out the preview on Amazon.com if you’re on the fence. It’ll give you some insight into the topics the book covers. I linked to the physical book because that’s what you’re going to get if you win a copy in the giveaway. There is also a Kindle version.  I truly believe this book is helpful and fills a gap which no one else has addressed.