I got to school around 2 to pick them up. They were all still outside playing, and Claire started crying when she saw me. Her teacher told me that Claire had slipped and hit the back of her head on the sidewalk about 10 minutes earlier, and while she had been upset for a few minutes, she had stopped crying and seemed to be okay (eyes were fine, she was responsive, etc.). They hadn't called since they knew I would be there in a few minutes, which was fine. I got them to the van and started changing them our of their swimsuits, and Claire just sat on the floorboard and laid her head against the seat. It was hot, and they were tired, but I knew in my heart that something wasn't right.
I finished buckling them both in, and Claire kept closing her eyes and not responding to my questions. I called Robert, and he said to head towards the pediatrician's office. I started driving in that direction and called the office to speak with a nurse. She reviewed the head injury signs and told me to watch her and just head straight to the hospital if necessary - that they would send us there anyway, so there was no point in driving all the way over there. I called Robert back to tell him what they said, and turned to head home. As soon as I hung up, Claire started vomiting. I was scared. Will was worried, too - he said "Mommy! Claire's mouth is leaking!" It was the one moment that gave us a little humor in the whole experience!
I started driving straight to the ER, called Robert, and he said he was leaving the office and would meet us there. It was so hard not to freak out, but I knew I had to just focus on my driving and get us to the hospital. Robert got there at the same time, and I started crying as soon as I saw him - I was able to let go for a moment. He grabbed Claire and took her to admissions while I got Will.
Inside there was someone at the desk, arguing about a bill or something. Robert was standing there holding Claire, who was obviously out of it, and we were just looking at each other wondering when someone would help us. Finally a triage nurse started asking about why we were there, and it still like it took forever for them to go ahead and take us back to triage. Claire roused enough to answer some basic questions, and they put us in a room. The doctor came and still seemed a little too unconcerned at the moment, but then she vomited again, and they seemed to step up the intensity of care. They gave her some Zofran and told us to let her sleep - they were monitoring her vitals, and came in periodically to wake her up and check on her.
Robert and Will left for home - Will still hadn't had a nap that day and was restless in the hospital room, and my mom came up to sit with us. In between Robert leaving and my mom arriving, the doctor sent Claire for a CAT scan. Fortunately she slept through the whole thing, and they got a good image. We were so thankful that the scan was clear!
They let her sleep for a few hours under monitoring, and then wanted her to drink a few ounces of Gatorade slowly over about 30 minutes. If she kept it down, we could leave, but if she didn't, they were going to admit her. She wasn't excited about having to drink something at first, but after the first ounce, it was like she'd received some sort of infusion - she was alert, the color returned to her face, and she was asking when she could have some more "medicine." She finished the cup without any issues, and we were sent home with instructions to keep her as quiet as possible the next day, and that we should be able to go on our trip without any concerns.
She asked to stop and get more Gatorade on the way home, and that was an easy request to fill. I probably would've given her anything she asked for at that moment, so I'm glad it was something small (and easy to find)! The next day, it was like it never happened. We had to remind her several times to walk instead of run and not to try to jump off of anything. :)
When Will and I went to his Meet the Teacher session a few weeks later, I spoke with the director about what happened after we left that day (there were 4 weeks between the end of Summer session and the beginning of the next year). She was horrified, but I assured her that we weren't upset with the way it was handled and just wanted her to know what had happened. She said she would talk with the teachers who were there that day and make sure that if they did the splash day again, they would make sure that the sidewalks stayed dry to avoid something like that happened again. It all worked out as well as possible - I was glad that we were already in the car when she first got sick and were able to quickly get to the hospital, and that she recovered as quickly as she did. God truly protected her throughout the whole incident, and we are so thankful that she was okay!
1 comment:
So scary!!
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