As the parent of a child with gastrointestinal issues, Kris wasn’t immediately concerned when her son Nolan complained of a stomachache while they were watching TV together. When his pain quickly got worse and Nolan started to vomit, Kris knew it was time to call CHOC.
“With COVID-19 going on, I didn’t know if the pediatrician’s office or emergency room was the best place to bring him. I didn’t want to take a spot in the waiting room from someone who needed it more than us,” Kris said.
Luckily, Kris had noticed on social media that CHOC had implemented a COVID-19 hotline (1-844-GET-CHOC) staffed by a team of registered nurses. She called the hotline for advice on where to safely seek care for her son during the pandemic.
“As the parent of an immunocompromised child, I knew CHOC could help,” Kris says. “A nurse took our call, and within a few minutes we were on a Zoom video call with a doctor. She gave us very clear parameters of what to watch for and when to call back. Nolan’s symptoms got worse, and when we called back, we were immediately patched through to a video call with a pediatrician.”
Dr. Lori Openshaw, a CHOC pediatrician, spoke with Kris and Nolan via video chat. After taking a medical history, Dr. Openshaw was able to walk Kris through doing an abdominal examination on Nolan, while the physician closely observed via video. With Kris’ help, Dr. Openshaw better understood the location and intensity of Nolan’s pain, and what might be causing his symptoms.
“Dr. Openshaw told me exactly what to do. She told me where to push on his stomach and where not to push. She paid attention to Nolan’s facial expressions during the exam,” Kris says.
Dr. Openshaw highly suspected that Nolan may have appendicitis and needed an urgent surgical evaluation. She directed Nolan and his mom to get to the Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department at CHOC Hospital quickly.
“By the time we got to CHOC, they were ready for us,” Kris says. “Dr. Openshaw had called the emergency department and told them we were coming. She gave us instructions to wait in the car at valet, and a staff member would come to the car and ask for our name. It was clear that everyone from valet to security was following protocol implemented to keep people as safe as possible during this pandemic.”
Nolan’s room in the emergency department was ready and waiting for him. He and his mom noted how everyone in the emergency department, and the medical unit to which he was admitted overnight, was calm and collected, which in turn helped them feel calm during a stressful health emergency.
Although Nolan has been a patient at CHOC many times before, he and Kris noticed that a few things were different about this trip to CHOC. To protect the health of patients, families, doctors, nurses and staff during the pandemic, CHOC had implemented a variety of safety measures. Kris and Nolan noticed that everyone underwent a health screening before entering the hospital, people wore masks (and more protective equipment when necessary), social distancing measures were in place with people staying 6 feet apart whenever possible, and additional cleaning measures were carried out on top of CHOC’s already stringent cleaning practices.
“Seeing people go above and beyond to keep patients safe, healthy and comfortable during this time is what makes CHOC so different and so special,” Kris says.
Testing confirmed Nolan did indeed have appendicitis, and his surgery was scheduled for the next morning with Dr. Mustafa Kabeer, a pediatric general and thoracic surgeon. Surgery was a success.
Nolan appreciated that staff made him feel as comfortable as possible during his stay.
“CHOC sees you as a person, not just a patient,” Nolan says. “Everyone explained to me what would happen and what medicine I would get. They made it easy for me to understand what was going on, which made the process feel smooth.”
Having a hospitalized child during a pandemic isn’t something Kris envisioned, but she knew Nolan was in good hands.
“It gave me peace of mind that there was consistency in protocols from each area of the hospital that we interacted with,” Kris says. “Everything was well thought out, and it was clear that everyone had bought into the changes being implemented throughout the hospital.”
Kris noticed that staff were reminding each other of changes in protocol, which further reassured her that the hospital was a safe place.
“Hearing nurses and other staff remind each other of things – whether that be a change in protocol, or where an item had been moved to – reassured me that the decisions CHOC had made to keep people safe were being upheld throughout the hospital.”
Nolan shares in his mom’s appreciation for CHOC.
“You never want to be sick, but if you’re going to be sick, you want to be sick at CHOC,” he says.
Nolan only had to stay at CHOC one night after surgery for observation and went home the next day. Dr. Openshaw, although not Nolan’s primary pediatrician, called several times to check up on him after surgery.
“Dr. Openshaw’s care and follow-up made us feel comfortable and assured,” Kris says.
Today, Nolan is back at home, getting reacclimated to distance learning while his school is closed – he’s also learning how to cook and do laundry before he heads off to college in the fall.
Kris is happy to have this health scare behind them, but grateful she knew who to call when her son was sick.
“CHOC has always known what is best for my child. No matter what is going on around us – even a pandemic – doing what’s best for my child will always be CHOC’s priority,” Kris says. “I knew the only place I would trust information from during this time was CHOC. The fact that they had set up a COVID-19 hotline for parents was just another sign that they are always three steps ahead in every situation.”
