Tuesday, July 7, 2009

our tough little guy




I'm glad that I haven't had a chance to post until now. If I had written on Friday night then anyone reading would have been scared right along with me. Instead I'm writing four days later--two CT scans and a very positive follow-up with our pediatrician later...

Friday after dinner I thought it would be nice to take Vincent over to his grandparent's house for a visit. Vincent fell asleep on the way over so I left him in his car seat in the kitchen while I picked raspberries in the backyard. After a few minutes he woke up crying so I went inside to get him. Mothership came inside as I did, she had set a table on the patio for us to enjoy some watermelon and she was excited to take Vincent outside to listen to the birds. I took him out of the car seat and she asked if she could carry him. The next bit happened really fast but felt like it was in slow motion. We stepped out of the house onto the patio, Mr. C and Pops were playing catch in the yard. Mr. C told his mom he thought we should stay inside--he was worried about having the baby outside while they were throwing the baseball. She kept walking, she had her mind set and he wasn't going to get her to change it. The dogs (our Gracie and her two pugs) ran in front of her and she tripped over Gracie's leash that we all had neglected to unlatch from her collar. She fell forward, clutching Vincent in her arms and managed to hold onto him until her elbow hit the cement--then the back of Vincent's head hit the cement as well. I scooped him up immediately and felt a giant goose egg on the back of his head. He was crying like I had never heard him cry before.

The drive to the hospital felt like it took forever. Waiting for the clueless woman in triage was infuriating. But once a nurse showed up things moved much faster. The next thing I knew we were getting a CT scan. The doctor finally came back with the results and I thought I was going to pass out when he said that there was a skull fracture and two small bleeds in the frontal lobes of the brain. He explained to us that Vincent would need to go to Spokane or to Seattle, since none of the hospitals in our area have a pediatric neurosurgeon on staff. He said that he didn't think that Vincent would need surgery, but that because he had both a fracture and bleeding that he needed a higher level of care than the local hospitals could provide.

I flew with him to Harborview Hospital (the region's trauma center) in Seattle. Mr. C, my mom, Mothership and Pops drove, so it was a few hours until they joined us there. By the time they arrived we were finally getting Vincent settled in a room--the time until then was spent primarily in the ER but also getting another CT scan and several x-rays. It took a few more hours before a doctor came by to tell us the findings from the scan and x-rays--that the bleeds had not gotten any worse and that there were no injuries to his neck or spine. He said that we needed to stay for at least 24 hours of observation but that we would most likely go home on Sunday. After getting this wonderful news the nurse was able to take Vincent out of the hard papoose carrier and I was able to give him a bottle. Words cannot express how it felt to hold him in my arms again.

Vincent charmed all of the nurses. The sweet little guy really was amazing through everything--he hardly cried or fussed at all. Poor Mothership landed on her face after she dropped him, her nose is in pretty bad shape. She was an emotional mess for quite a while, too. But she went with us to see the pediatrician yesterday and I'm glad she did, because he really helped us all to feel better. He had talked with the doctor from Harborview and based on the information he was given and his examination of Vincent he assured us that he is doing very well.

11 comments:

Sara said...

OMG. I am so thankful it seems he's going to be fine, and tearful thinking of how these past days have been for you.

Many hugs, take care, and rest.

heathers243 said...

Oh Lord. You must have been a wreck! I'm crying thinking of how terrified you must have been. (((hugs))) and glad things are okay.

heathers243 said...

PS the pictures are adorable--he is so cute!

Mrs Macgyver said...

Oh how stressful that must've been. I can only imagine how terrified you all were. It's never easy to see our precious ones unwell or in hospital but to have such a scary accident with such a little baby is heart-wrenching.

So glad to hear that he is doing well!!!! He has grown so much too! What a gorgeous little man you have there.

xxx

Julia said...

Oh, that is so very scary. So glad he's ok.

And he's just beautiful. But you knew that already.

Hennifer said...

Oh, I can't even imagine how you all felt as my heart was racing to read. I thought that "bed" looked too familiar.

I'm so thankful it was the best case with the scenario at hand.

I'm so glad you are all ok, at least in the long run.

He is so adorable!

Monica H said...

I'm so glad he is okay! I can't even imagine the fer and stress that you felt those last few days. My heart goes out to you and your family.

He is one beautiful baby.

Anonymous said...

oh my, oh my. my heart was beating so fast while reading your post, Michelle. ACK!! I would surely have passed out. I'm so relieved that everything is ok. ((HUGS))

Janice

Inanna said...

Poor little man! I'm glad he's doing well.

Anonymous said...

I seriously just cried, so scary Im so glad he's ok.

Rosepetal said...

OK I'm very late with this but omigod! I'm so glad he's okay. What a nightmare.