Trauma 1 on a Monday night...

It is so hard to watch your children go through pain and fear!

Yesterday evening (Mon. Night at about 5:30pm) while I was in the process of preparing and cooking dinner, Tanner and Lindsey were playing out on a kid-made fort located on the side yard of the house. Lindsey was sitting on top of the roof of the fort (about 4 ft above the concrete ground) and fell - hitting the top of her head on the ground. Tanner came running into me, "Mommy Lindsey got hurt!" While wiping my hands, he says, "NO! Mommy, she fell off the fort and hit her head on the ground!" I walk quickly to the garage door as Tanner continues to explain what happened and I finally begin to hear her crying.

She meets me at the back garage door and I initially think that there might be something wrong with her ankle or foot, because she seems to be having difficulty walking. She is inconsolable and is wailing, "My head!" I pick her up and carry her through the house to the couch. I can't see any blood, or bumps on her head. We put a big ice pack on her head. I began to see what I thought was a bruise begin to form on her forehead. Emily brings a glass of ice water and puts in one of her favorite movies to try and help her calm down. Tanner runs to fetch the flashlight I asked him to bring to me. Lindsey is still crying heavily. I check her eyes with the flashlight and they are reacting normally. At this point, I am thinking that I should just get all the kids in the car and drive the 45 min. To Kaiser Hospital in Roseville. I called Jared, explained what had happened, and unsure of what to do next, he says that he will have Anthony Stosich (our Fireman/Paramedic friend who lives in Las Vegas) call me at home.

As I hang up with Jared, Lindsey says, "Mommy, I can't see you." I am sitting a foot from her! I ask her some questions, is it cloudy? - like her eyes get after she has been swimming a lot - Can you see the TV? Can you see the fish in the fish tank? Tanner gets involved and says, "How many fingers am I holding up?" (as he puts the 'peace' sign in front of her face). She says, "I don't know." He says, "Feel!" She grabs his hand and feels them - like a blind person would! She says "2". I start to really get scared and I decide to call 911. They dispatch an ambulance and the fire department. As I am on the phone with the dispatcher, I notice that Lindsey's pupils are dilating and have become larger. She keeps asking me "Why can't I see?" and rubbing her eyes. Jared calls back and asks why I didn't answer Anthony's call - and I begin to loose it. The tears start - I explain that an ambulance is on its way and I tell him that our baby can't see! He trys to calm me - explaining that she probably has a concussion and that she will be okay. The firemen check her out, the Parmedics arrive and put a neck brace on her and strap her to a backboard. She is confused at this point and can't remember what happened. Our kind neighbors take Emily and Tanner to their home and I ride with Lindsey to the local hospital. In the ambulance, she asks if it is "night-night time" and I really have to choke back the panic as I am afraid that she is loosing her eyesight. The medics miss her vein TWICE as they try to get the IV in, and she says through her tears, "Mommy, I feel better now, I can almost see. Don't let them give me another shot!"

Daddy arrived at the hospital about 20 min. After we got there and she could see him as he got close to her. She had to leave the collar on until after the doctor had reviewed the CT Scan. She slept a little bit before they got her into the CT Scan and by 10 PM, the doctor said that the scan was negative and that she should be okay. She suffered a concussion and that she may vomit periodically over the next few days. IF we felt anything was wrong, he told us to bring her right back in. As we were discharged and walking out through the ER waiting room, Lindsey threw up all over Daddy and the floor! She says, "I feel better now." :-) We gave her a bath and put her in bed - she fell asleep almost immediately.

This morning she is just fine and even remembers what happened! Her head still hurts - and will for a few days. We will probably have a chiropractor friend of ours check her out in about a week. I imagine she may have some spinal issues in her future. I feel so badly! Lindsey is our cautious and quiet one. This seems like the last thing that should have happened to her! I am thankful that she was so brave and that family's prayers and thoughts aided in her recovery. I am grateful for the blessings of faith and peace in this life.