Saturday, June 7, 2008

Spoke Too Soon...


If you will recall, only 2 and half weeks ago I recounted my trip to the ER with #4, commenting that I could forgo any more trips to the ER for awhile.... Well, for TODAY's mis-adventure, #1 comes hurriedly in carrying #4, saying that she fell and got hurt and was bleeding again. "She had a fork"... "Dear Lord!" I jumped up as he turned her toward me and I see blood streaming from her eye. Hubby goes in to full panic mode as to what had happened, and #2 is crying that it's "ALL MY FAULT!! She tripped over my shoes!!"

Trying to minimize the panic, but not very well, I scoop up #4 covering her eye with a tissue and take her to the bathroom to wash off the blood and see if she cut the eye or the skin around the eye. There was a small cut right at the outside corner of her eye that was still bleeding, but she wouldn't open her eye. As I gently tried to pry it open and see if there was any damage, the little bit I DID see was what I thought was a puncture wound. Waisting NO time I wrapped her in her blanket, started my "Hail Mary's" and headed back to the ER.
The bleeding stopped by the time we arrived, and she seemed to be using her eye, that I was now able to see a little better. What I thought "might" be a pretty decent scratch on the eyeball, at closer observation seemed to be a blood "gooby" that was just sort of floating around on her eye. It was moving, so I felt a little better. The nurse came out and looked at her right away and we were checked in only minutes later (amazing how fast things move at the ER when you write "stabbed eyeball with fork" on the registration paper...). After a couple of different nurses having a look, a doctor came in within about 10-15 minutes. He felt that there could be some damage to the eyeball and called in another doctor to have a look and suggested having her undergo "conscious sedation" in order to get a better look. The second doctor agreed, so then it became a waiting game for the respiratory therapist, the anesthesiologist the nurse and the doctor all converging to get it done.
She was a little trooper, though it was a bit upsetting to see my baby in that "glazed over" state. After the doctor numbed her eye and placed some dye on it, he was able to see with the light that she did have a scratch on the surface of her eye right on her cornea! Sends shivers thinking if it had been worse... Thankfully, he thought she should be fine. He gave us a Rx for some ointment antibiotic and we waited another hour for her to come out of the sedation before they released us to go home, 5 hours later.
I had taken #1 with me for an extra set of hands, in case I needed him to tend to her on the car ride there. He was great for the first hour and a half or so, comforting her and keeping her busy as we waited. But as 12 year olds go, he started to become restless and "bored" and "ready to go home...". I tried to remind him that the baby and I didn't like being there anymore than he did, and that I did appreciate him coming with us. It also occurred to me that of my four, he's the only one I haven't had to take to the ER! Then on the way home he was saying how glad he was to "FINALLY " be going home... I told him, "Hey! Just think! You can chalk it up to extra points towards heaven!" smiling at him. He turned back toward me with a somber face and said, "No, mom. Because I griped and complained the whole time!" lol!! Okay, well, there's something to be said for honesty!

Thank you, Jesus, AGAIN! For protecting my precious little "stink pie"... NOW can we be done with trips to the ER??!! I don't really know how much more this pregnant mom can take! And No! that's NOT a challenge! : )

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I admire you. You are one brave mom. Going to the ER is not very fun and when you don't know how severe the damage might or might not be it must have been stressful.
You were very blessed to get in so quickly. I'm glad to hear your babe is going to fine.

WI Catholic said...

Oh, little one... Mommy needs a break, kiddo!

Lee... I am so very glad that her eye is ok!!