Things were going so much better for Ethan. The summer was spent doing A LOT of therapy. We completed a Metronome Therapy that improved his balance and attention span dramatically. "Back-to-school" went smoothly and we were back into a routine of school and therapy with just an added Speech Therapy for a few months.
So we spent this weekend around our school systems Homecoming. Ethan was looking forward to the parade and football game. This would be his first football game as we have been hesitant in the past of steep metal bleachers but the time was right. All day we kept going back and forth do we go, do we not. It had been an eventful weekend already with finding a snake in the kitchen Friday, glass in my foot Saturday prior to some morning festivals at the Primary school and we thought let's just stay home and Veg...Why O Why didn't we stick with that thought...
During the second quarter we made a restroom run. Heading back he let go of my hand as I spoke to a friend I met up with and he headed up the bleachers to his dad without me. He has been fighting hand holding still as apparently "No 7 year old wants to look like a baby!" AND it happened...he tripped over his feet and WHAM!!! head first into the corner of a metal bleacher. Heart stopping and I knew by the force and sound this was not going to be a band aid repair.
As he turned with his hand over his forehead I took it away and whoa...blood...spurting...and I clasped my hand over the gash. Ethan then looks down to his hand and sees blood and starts crying. I look up to my husband and shout get the chairs, we got to go, then turn and head down the stairs. With one hand clasp to his forehead and feeling the pulsating of blood on my palm, grasping with the other arm around his chest I move quickly to find help. My friend is ahead of me and is trying to wave down a medic on the field and I approach 2 police officers and they immediately call for the EMS team on the field. After "briefly" giving a medical history on him they load him onto a stretcher, and my phone rings. It's our older son...Damn!!!
He had left to get Ethan a hot dog and poor kid returns to find his family and stuff gone. My friend takes control and decides to go be with him, as I follow the stretcher to the ambulance and my husband goes to get our van and meet us at the ER. The Student body in the bleachers give a cheer to the little guy, and my phone goes off again...our neighbor girl asking Ms. Heidi is that you, what's wrong...then my text starts to go off, another neighbor and friends asking is that us heading to the ambulance...and so it goes,
After arriving at the hospital and a CT Scan is ordered the decision comes down to stitches or glue. Ethan is adamant ..NO stitches! As the docs decide on which way to go, the tech arrives for the CT. He says, What's going on... and Ethan responds with, What do you think...I have a hole in my head!
The Docs decide on glue and butterfly and begin to clean the wound...I'm watching and thinking no way...I see skull! Glue is not going to work! Just then, yep...change of plans to stitches. But even though he's not liking the stitches idea, he ends up falling asleep during it after they burrito him As he is use to deep compression it's a comfort to him and not a fear. So Stitches done!! let's go! Nope! they now can't rule out a possible skull fracture from the CT... So it's off via ambulance to the Children's Hospital for 24 hours of observation for a seizure.
After hours in the Children's ER and many, many, docs coming thru they decide after 8 hours to place a neck collar on him, an IV (which he slept thru both of those). One Trauma doc tries to wake him to check his pupils. Ethan has not having any of that, and Doc says why isn't he opening his eyes..my not so nice response.. He's 7 and it's 3 in the morning!!
So we are transferred to the PICU for the remainder of his visit. After 1 hour of sleep for me, his second CT Scan is done and we wait for someone to read it. One doc comes in, Spine and Cervical look good but have to wait for the brain scan...Finally the head doc is out of surgery, reads the scan and the good news is no apparent skull fracture and no blood on the brain!!!! Ethan is released with one heck of a story, a few stitches, a neck brace for his bear and a couple ambulance rides.
After looking back, Ethan's balance has been worse...he fell at school on Thursday scraping up a hand and breaking his glasses...he has been eating us out of house and home...so it's possible that a growth spurt has set him into unbalance mood (more than usual) . So what to do...I guess we go back for another game! Poor kid missed that one!
No comments:
Post a Comment