When I was in the hospital with Adeline, I would often hear different color codes over the loudspeaker.
For example, I would hear "Code Blue in the cancer unit, room E254"
I always wondered what these different color codes meant. They were codes to convey meaning to the different medical teams around the hospital. One day, I heard "Code Yellow - this is only a test. Please follow procedures until further notice."
I wondered what that meant. I was walking to the cafeteria and suddenly the hallway was flooded with medical teams calmly walking to different places and looking very busy. They were talking to each other and giving instructions. I was very curious. After about 20 minutes, the test was complete and everyone was to go back to what they were doing previously.
As I was checking in at the security desk one day, I peeked at the color code list. Here's what I saw:
Safety Codes:
For example, I would hear "Code Blue in the cancer unit, room E254"
I always wondered what these different color codes meant. They were codes to convey meaning to the different medical teams around the hospital. One day, I heard "Code Yellow - this is only a test. Please follow procedures until further notice."
I wondered what that meant. I was walking to the cafeteria and suddenly the hallway was flooded with medical teams calmly walking to different places and looking very busy. They were talking to each other and giving instructions. I was very curious. After about 20 minutes, the test was complete and everyone was to go back to what they were doing previously.
As I was checking in at the security desk one day, I peeked at the color code list. Here's what I saw:
Safety Codes:
YELLOW: Disaster
BLUE: Medical Emergency
PURPLE: Combative/Stressed Person
RED: Fire
SILVER: Weapons Threat
PINK: Infant Abduction
GRAY: Bomb
ORANGE: Hazardous Spill
As I became more familiar with the codes, I would begin to cry when I would hear "Code Blue" over the loudspeaker at least once a day. Somewhere in the complex, there was a child who was going into cardiac arrest...and it made me so sad that I couldn't help but start to cry for the parents and everyone involved. I was already in a fragile state, and hearing this code broke my heart.
But the code that I heard the most often was "Code Purple." This code was called several times a day. Usually in the form of "Purple Team to Emergency Room number E345" or "Purple Team to Emergency Department Help Desk".
One time, I asked my nurse about it. I told her that I kept hearing about this so-called "Purple Team" and wondered what their job was. I thought her response was interesting: "Sometimes parents are unable to handle the stress of the situation and start to break down. Every parent handles the stress of seeing their child sick in different ways. Some parents just can't handle it and they need some help. When this happens, we call the "Purple Team" which is a group of individuals that are trained in behavior therapy to de-escalate the situation."
She was very sweet about it. Instead of saying "there's a lunatic father who wants to hit the doctor"...she explained how stress affects people differently and she compassionately explained that there is a group of people ready at the call of help to get that father's emotions back under control.
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When I came home from the hospital, life was wild. Adeline wasn't sleeping during the night and was so thrown off from everything. Brielle and Rosalyn were unusually quick to cry and whine...they were clearly traumatized by my absence and confusion of everything. Jeff was great, but he was tired from full-time child care...basically we all just needed a vacation. But the vacation didn't come - life just kept charging forward without a break. I felt like I was in a whirlwind without control some days. One late night, I sat on the couch feeling sorry for myself and thought to myself - "Purple Team to the Blue House in Newcastle". I needed the "Purple Team" to get my emotions back in check. I just felt like I was falling apart emotionally. I said a prayer asking for help. And the help came in the form of the "Purple Team" all around me. I humbly texted some friends who volunteered to bring us dinner, watch the girls, allow me to nap, etc. The following days I received care packages in the mail from cousins and supportive texts, emails, phone calls and even Facebook messages. I received help and support from my doctor. Jeff and I strengthened each other and together we lavished love and kindness on our girls who needed some extra TLC.
Now, it has been almost one month since we got home from the hospital. Honestly, it has felt like 6 months. And even though we are still adjusting to crazy life with three under three years old, we are much more under control.
There are still times when I say in my mind - "Code Purple!" and recognize the need to control my weepy tears or when I start feeling down and sorry for myself. And it is in those times that I am awed by the "Purple Team" all around me. I hope that as I go forward in the future that I will have the confidence to call out for help when I feel like I'm losing it. Because we all lose it in different ways, and it's nice to have a "Purple Team" when we need it. Thank you!!
As I became more familiar with the codes, I would begin to cry when I would hear "Code Blue" over the loudspeaker at least once a day. Somewhere in the complex, there was a child who was going into cardiac arrest...and it made me so sad that I couldn't help but start to cry for the parents and everyone involved. I was already in a fragile state, and hearing this code broke my heart.
But the code that I heard the most often was "Code Purple." This code was called several times a day. Usually in the form of "Purple Team to Emergency Room number E345" or "Purple Team to Emergency Department Help Desk".
One time, I asked my nurse about it. I told her that I kept hearing about this so-called "Purple Team" and wondered what their job was. I thought her response was interesting: "Sometimes parents are unable to handle the stress of the situation and start to break down. Every parent handles the stress of seeing their child sick in different ways. Some parents just can't handle it and they need some help. When this happens, we call the "Purple Team" which is a group of individuals that are trained in behavior therapy to de-escalate the situation."
She was very sweet about it. Instead of saying "there's a lunatic father who wants to hit the doctor"...she explained how stress affects people differently and she compassionately explained that there is a group of people ready at the call of help to get that father's emotions back under control.
------
When I came home from the hospital, life was wild. Adeline wasn't sleeping during the night and was so thrown off from everything. Brielle and Rosalyn were unusually quick to cry and whine...they were clearly traumatized by my absence and confusion of everything. Jeff was great, but he was tired from full-time child care...basically we all just needed a vacation. But the vacation didn't come - life just kept charging forward without a break. I felt like I was in a whirlwind without control some days. One late night, I sat on the couch feeling sorry for myself and thought to myself - "Purple Team to the Blue House in Newcastle". I needed the "Purple Team" to get my emotions back in check. I just felt like I was falling apart emotionally. I said a prayer asking for help. And the help came in the form of the "Purple Team" all around me. I humbly texted some friends who volunteered to bring us dinner, watch the girls, allow me to nap, etc. The following days I received care packages in the mail from cousins and supportive texts, emails, phone calls and even Facebook messages. I received help and support from my doctor. Jeff and I strengthened each other and together we lavished love and kindness on our girls who needed some extra TLC.
Now, it has been almost one month since we got home from the hospital. Honestly, it has felt like 6 months. And even though we are still adjusting to crazy life with three under three years old, we are much more under control.
There are still times when I say in my mind - "Code Purple!" and recognize the need to control my weepy tears or when I start feeling down and sorry for myself. And it is in those times that I am awed by the "Purple Team" all around me. I hope that as I go forward in the future that I will have the confidence to call out for help when I feel like I'm losing it. Because we all lose it in different ways, and it's nice to have a "Purple Team" when we need it. Thank you!!
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