My Week in HELL

[dhermesc]

Sunday afternoon my two boys where playing in the garage when the 5 year old started crying his head hurt. Apparently he was standing on one of his peddle toys trying to reach something when it rolled out from under him causing him to fall backwards ad smack his head on the concrete floor. After about 20 minutes of "babying" he was better and went back to playing. Later in the afternoon he was tired and complaining his head hurt. Eventually he took a nap and I went out to our building site and did some work. When I got home and my wife said the 5 year old had just thrown up and was that a sign of a concussion? I told her to call the ER while I took a quick shower. While carrying him to the car he threw up again (on me) and he was acting completely listless and lethargic.

In the (Wamego) ER they did a CAT scan and physical exam. At that point they said he had a sever concussion and needed the radiologist in Manhattan to read his CAT scan. After trying to Email it to him for 20 minutes they finally just drove it over by car. Meanwhile I had given him his epilepsy medications which he immediately threw up. Over the course of the next hour he threw up anything he tried to drink. The doctor came back into his room and told me that both Manhattan and Children's Mercy in KC felt he needed to taken to Children's Mercy as a precaution for observation. I asked if I should drive him directly to the ER there or.... the doctor cut me of and said no, they would fly him out of the Manhattan airport with attending nurses, no helicopters could fly due to the bad weather in Kansas City. I got on the phone with my wife and told her what was going on, and to call my sister to see if she could meet us somewhere to take the 2 year old. Walked back into the ER and grabbed the doctor, and told him I knew people where not flown from hospitals for "precautions" and asked what was really going on. The doctor said he was bleeding inside his brain and pressure was building up. Given the location and the type of injury he could "crash" at any time. I asked what would happen if he "crashed" while here in Wamego. Dr said to relieve the pressure he would need to have his skull opened up and they didn't have the resources to do that there, so instead they would put him on a respirator and hope he was alive when he got to Topeka.

My wife arrived with the two year old and the doctor told her that she could fly with Ben, I wouldn't be allowed do to "weight limits (200 pound max)", that didn't make my wife especially happy as she can get air sick on a 747, let alone the little Buddy Holly plane they where using. At about 11:00 pm they left on the ambulance to the airport and I loaded the two year old and met my sister in Topeka, then drove on to KC. I arrived in ER just in time to hear a doctor say that this type of injury was extremely dangerous as the bleeding was being fed by a major artery but had appeared to stop. The main thing was to keep him calm and hope it didn't start again. He spent the night and most of Monday in ICU with nurses waking him every hour to make sure he was slipping away on us. I stayed up the entire night with him while my wife caught some sleep on a cot in the ICU waiting room. Two CAT scans later they determined he was stable enough to move to the children's ward. I went home on Monday afternoon and my wife spent the night sleeping on a cot in his room.

Tuesday he was doing great, sitting up and eating, walking around the floor and had found there was a playroom with a lot of neat toys. The doctor said if he was doing this well on Wednesday, he could go home. On Wednesday he slept nonstop till mid day and was extremely lethargic. Another CAT scan showed the blood pool hadn't gotten any bigger, but his brain was swelling. If this continued he would have surgery on late Thursday or Friday. On Thursday he was nearly back to his old self, and was acting like a healthy child that you're trying to keep in bed. After a day of threats and arguing we knew he was ready to go home. After a full physical exam the doctor agreed and sent us home.

He gets to go back next week for another CAT scan and physical. Thus far no permanant damage is suspected but he did start doing something strange on Wednesday. He seemed to be talking jibberish at times and we finally asked him what he was saying, "Bad words he had made up when he was mad". I guess thats better then having him cut loose with all the filth and foul he's seen me use.

Now I getting keyed up for the battles with the insurance company to pay their share.

[Shaun]

Glad to hear he is okay and it definitely sounds like you had a bad week - but you shoudl celebrate over the weekend that you do still have him around.

[ScottD]

I guess this weekend will be full of celebration. Hugg'em tight and tell him ya love him. Thay can be taken away so quickly. God Bless.

[Oxford]

Dhermesc...reading your report even made me nervous...just thinking about the whole scenario. Sure am glad that your boy seems to be getting much better.

I've been to the Manhattan Hospital when I was a student there many years ago. Then it was a very small and limited services facility. I'm sure that it's improved much and has quality services now. For sure, Children's Mercy Hospital in K.C. is a top of the line childrens hospital.

Yes, it's times like this when we realize we're at the mercy of someone else. Thank God he's getting better. Kids find many ways to get hurt as they grow up. :nod:

[DANA]

Just love him,love him, love him

DANA

That's scary stuff. I'm glad its playing out well. As a soon to be parent my worry monitor is already rolling.

[dhermesc]

Wamego is about 10% the size of Manhattan, I was surprised they even had the CAT scan machine. That boy has had enough problems in the past two years with epilepsy, let alone a trauma like this. When the doctor explained why a plane was needed I felt like I'd just been kicked in the gut, I would never wish that kind of hurt upon anyone.

You don't know human suffering until you walk the perimeter of the ICU unit at a children's hospital. When we left on Thursday I felt guilty about the joy I felt that we where leaving with our child more or less whole. Other parents continued to wait in agony for the fate of their children.

I believe the best word for the feeling is "gratitude".

[jerry]

the thought of something happening to the kids is the worst. having it happen is undescribeable. hope he's ok.

[PAPA G]

i hope all go's good for both the kid and you, and mom. its always a concern for a parent.

[Rufus Rhastus J]

glad things worked out okay. I hope he continues to do well.