First Visit to the ER

I have officially been inducted into another phase of "mommyhood!" Last week Kaylee had to visit the ER for the first time! But the thing about it was she not only visited 1 ER, but 2 in the same night.

It all started Tuesday as we were walking out of the Memphis Zoo. Kaylee said she had to go to the bathroom, so instead of walking back into the zoo (which was closed) I thought the better option was to put her on the potty that we carry with us in the car. We had driven the truck this particular day so I stupidly put her potty on the tailgate of Marcus' truck and put her on it (BIGGEST MISTAKE!) Marcus and I began loading the truck with all the stuff while Mary was watching Kaylee. And somehow I looked up and saw Kaylee about to stand up and fall off the truck. She fell face first from a standing position straight onto the concrete below. I saw her head hit and Marcus scoop her up a second later. As she was screaming the bump just kept getting bigger and bigger. We decided to put her into the truck and head to LeBonheur Downtown, which was the closest hospital. When we walked in everyone stared and gasped as they saw the apparent injury on her head. We checked in, a nurse wrapped some gauze loosely around her head, and we took our seat in the waiting room with everyone else. We were told if she vomits or tries to fall asleep to come immediately back up. All I could think to myself was it is almost bedtime, of course she wanted to fall asleep. So after sitting anxiously for probably 10 minutes (it felt like 10 hours) I told Marcus that her eyes were drooping and we needed to go up and tell them she was falling asleep. She was taken into the triage room with the nurse where all her vitals were taken and we were told that she got bumped to the top of the list. We were also told she could not eat or drink anything until seeing the doctor. Are you freaking kidding me? She hadn't had any dinner and was dying for a drink and I could give her nothing! So we sat there waiting until finally after about 2 1/2 hours they called her name. We were back in our room where the doctor was coming to give us the news on what to expect next. She came in and wanted the gauze removed so she could see the injury. After examining it the doctor decided to order X-rays, because "CT Scans are a last resort in children," she said. They could see some pieces of gravel stuck in the wound and they needed to clean it. So they put the numbing cream on a clear bandage and stuck it on her forehead. They said the numbing meds would take 45 minutes to work. In the meantime we were sent for X-rays and more waiting. Oh i almost forgot she was told by the doctor she could eat and drink so she downed 4 cups of water and juice, but all i had were snacks for her to eat, no "real" food. That seemed to keep her pretty occupied along with the frequent trips to the bathroom after drinking so much so fast. We finally got taken back to our room where we were given the delightful news that she DID NOT have a skull fracture and after they cleaned the wound we could go home. While Marcus, myself, and a child care specialist attempted to hold her down and distract her, a nurse removed the apparently ineffective numbing meds and cleaned the debris from the wound. Kaylee got so upset that she began to vomit during this procedure. But finally we were able to get it all out and a fresh bandage on to cover it. We were told to change her bandage at least 3 times a day for the next 3 days and keep it covered 24 hours a day. I thought that was a little ridiculous considering her wound was not a laceration, but a contusion. The skin was not broken, she did not need stitches, so why put her (and myself) through the trauma of removing that bandage 3 times a day for 3 days. And besides that, I thought that air helped heal, so couldn't i keep it uncovered during the day while we were inside? But I was told "NO" and given some preliminary supplies to bandage her up with at home. We were also told that if she vomits in the next couple of days to bring her "straight back to the ER, any ER!" After taking her vitals and going through the check out process we were able to leave the ER at about 10:30pm.

We put her in her car seat where she sat 'sleeping with her eyes open.' She just had a blank stare on her face. We decided that Marcus and I needed to eat, and the best option would be to stop and get some fast food and eat in the car. We picked Arby's and after ordering and before we made it to the window to get our food, I hear a strange sound from Kaylee. I look over and see her begin to vomit EVERYWHERE! I didn't know what to do. I was trying to catch as much as i could while trying to avoid getting sick myself. I just could not take it and Mary (who was in the front seat) and my mom (who was in the car behind us) had to take over. They got her out of her seat and cleaned her up, while I collected myself and began cleaning the truck out. Marcus was still waiting for our food while we all contemplated what to do. We were just told at the ER "if she throws up come back immediately." We decided to continue heading in the direction of home and take her to a different ER (another BIG mistake). I now understand it would have been better if we would have taken her back to LeBonheur, but at the time we thought that a different ER would be just as good. We took her to Germantown Methodist, where, to make a long story short, we waited another 3 1/2 hours to see a doctor, and experienced MANY MANY bumps in the road and disagreements with the staff. The doctor ordered a CT scan, which seemed so forbidden at LeBonheur. The results came back positive again and we were sent home again. This time they gave me a different set of discharge instructions. They said DO NOT bandage the wound. Keep it uncovered and basically treat her like we normally would. He said if we draw attention to it then she will too. I thought this was a much better plan. So at about 5:15 am, 12 hours after the injury occurred, we were on our way home.

Kaylee has recovered masterfully! She was a little slower version of herself the day after the injury, which was probably more so the result of no sleep than the injury. Then Thursday (2 days after) she was completely back to normal. It took about 4 days for her appetite to completely return, but we can safely say "SHE'S BACK!" The scab has been peeling away more and more each day, and I am praying that it does not leave a scar behind.

It is absolutely amazing how resilient kids can be! I can truly say that I think Marcus and I were just as traumatized as she was going through the whole ordeal. But the thing is we remember everything that happened and all she knows now is that she has a "boo boo" on her forehead, and as soon as it is gone she will probably never even remember this ever took place.

Here are the few pictures that we got of the injury.

This one was taken after the initial gauze was wrapped in the triage of the 1st ER

This one was taken when the gauze was removed for the first time

These last 2 were taken on day 3 after the accident. You can see how it has begun to heal and the scab fall off.