I've come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a small miracle.
On Tuesday around 5:30pm our 5 year old June and 3 year old Connor were playing around after dinner while I washed the dishes. All of a sudden I heard June scream, Connor came out of the master bedroom saying very calmly, "Mom, June hurt herself." The next thing I heard was a blood curdling scream not like her usual timid yell for me when she falls down and bumps her arm. I raced back to the bedroom and saw June on her hands and knees as blood was dripping from her head and pooling on the floor. She said in panic, "MOM! WHERE IS IT BLEEDING?!" She didn't know what she had hit. I turned her over quickly and saw a HORRIBLE gash on her head. I instantly thought "Stitches!"
I ran into the master bath and grabbed bath tissue to help wipe off some blood from her face. I pinched her head and told her to walk with me into the kitchen where my phone was, she started panicking and hyperventilating saying she couldn't breathe and she tasted blood. I tried to calm her as I kept pinched her gash together to try to slow the bleeding. I went from a nervous 7 to a 20 with her saying she couldn't breathe. Did she hit her neck? Was she bleeding inside her throat? Why is she tasting blood? I grabbed my phone and tried to call my husband who was in a meeting. No answer. She was struggling to breathe so I did what I had to, called 911. They answered quickly and I told them the situation and they called an ambulance to come.
I laid her down on the floor by the front door. They came in the door 5 minutes later. Thank heaven we live in the small town I grew up in and I knew 4 of the 5 people who walked through the door. It was a HUGE blessing to be able to tell June that I knew all of these men and they were VERY nice. June even knew one of the volunteer EMT's, her little friend Wyatt's dad. He could only be there for a few minutes, but it was a HUGE blessing that she could recognize a face in the middle of all the unknown men.
The thing that breaks your heart most about such a traumatic experience is the pure fear in your child's eyes. Thank heaven by the time the EMT's walked in the door my husband called back and I told him to rush home. Another sweet blessing is that we just happen to live across the street from my parents. They had just arrived home from a small trip so I called my dad to come get Connor while we take June to the hospital. He was able to be over in 1 minute while they assessed June. One of the EMT's mentioned to me while checking June said, "Good job mom for getting this to stop bleeding before we got here." It was nice to know I provided a tiny bit of help. My husband then arrived to silent stress and a fear stricken wife and daughter. Bless his soul, he knows what do under pressure. He was a combat medic and certified EMT for 5 years while we were in the Air Force so it helped having him arrive so quickly. He knew his way around an emergency situation and ambulance and could help. We pulled out of the drive way and I saw my dad standing in his doorway just in shock that his sweet 5 year old granddaughter was being taken in an ambulance on a stretcher. I waved quickly as I kept up with the ambulance. Josh rode in the ambulance with June as I drove the car RIGHT behind them. I didn't want that vehicle out of my sight. It held two of my most precious possessions, one of which was hurt. We made it to the hospital in 3 minutes, yet another blessing that we live in a small town and everything is close and there is NEVER any traffic.
I pulled into a parking place and ran out of the car waiting for them to bring my sweet child out. I was thankful Josh was inside with her so she wouldn't be to scared.
They got her out of the ambulance and into the ER quickly.
No other patients were in the ER so the doctor and nurses could help her immediately. They were all very nice and helpful. One nurse gave her a new stuffed animal within the first 2 minutes of her arrival. I've never seen a child grab a stuffed animal so gratefully, and put it under their arm and hold it so tight, in a quick fluid motion. She was SO thankful to have something to hold other than mom's hand. Mom's hand got in the way of the doctor and nurses taking vitals, the stuffed moose didn't. June loves to come up with names for her toys. I asked her what she wanted to name it and she said, "Moosey Moo." ha ha.
We got her checked in quickly and doctors said she needed a cat scan to be sure she didn't break any cheek bones or bones behind her eye. It was a very hard hit and they needed to be sure there wasn't any brain damage. I HATED looking at that deep gash, I wished they could have just sewn it right up before she had her tests done.
About 20 minutes into being there our Bishop showed up to see how we were. He and Josh gave June a small sweet blessing. It was so nice of him to stop by to be sure she was alright, and if Josh and I were ok. Two minutes after he left, my sister Candace showed up. It was so nice that June could see how many people were worried about her and came to her aid immediately. Candace called her husband (my brother in-law) - he's an optometrist, to come look at June's eye. My brother-in-law came 10 minutes later to check it out. Everything seemed good. He had explained that he was looking to be sure the bones behind her eye didn't pop. Those can break and small bone fragments can get into your blood stream and harm you terribly. June's eye was good, what a relief.
We went into the cat scan and Josh stayed with her telling her to remain very still. He talked with her perfectly kept her calm. What a good daddy. My good friend Mandy from High School was the on call technician. It was so nice to have a friend there. She hugged and asked me, "How in the world are you staying so calm?!" I sighed and thought, do I look calm? Because I am at my nerves end about to bawl! It kills me to see such fear, hurt and pain in my baby girl.
We took her back into the ER to wait for the results. They put numbing gel into her gash. We waited for it to work then she would get her stitches.
It felt like over an hour they finally came over and started to test around her gash to see if she felt anything. It looked like she was good and he grabbed the packet to start giving her stitches. The doctor threaded the needle and we held June down in case she jumped. She instantly screamed. She could feel EVERYTHING! OH NO! SHE WASN'T NUMB! Poor girl. We had to continue. After he finished the first stitch he put a lidocaine shot into her gash and around to hopefully ease the pain. Lidocaine shots HURT to she screamed more. He said she would need 5-6 stitches before but now that she was crying so hard he only gave her 3. In my mind I thought, this was a facial wound I wanted him to keep stitching, 3 more minutes of pain would be sure the scar was small and not big. But he stopped at 3. Grrrrr.....
When they were done I picked her up and held her close and rocked her back and forth to stop her crying. It also helps to stop crying when the nurse is gives you a sucker and tells you, you were so brave!
We got the results from her cat scan and it all looks good. We were told to keep a close watch on her. The doctor said it sometimes take 3-4 weeks for a brain injury to show up on a cat scan. If she throws up, think head injury. If she can't walk straight and can't remember things, think head injury. Bring her back if any of those things occur.
We were discharged and took off back home.
My parents went to the store with Connor and got June a balloon and flowers. She was very happy, but VERY TIRED. We thanked my parents and put the kids to bed. June slept with Josh and I so we could wake her up through the night to be sure she didn't become unconscious.
It was a long night.
We woke up to a tired sick girl. She started throwing up after breakfast. We tried to give her sips of water but that seemed to make it worse. Two minutes after she drank or ate something it came right back up. We made "camp" in the living room. June had every luxury a sick child would need. A couch, a TV, a bowl, blanket and a mom who kept getting her cold wash cloths for her head. We read lots of books and kept changing small ice packs for her swollen face. June continued to throw up all morning. She fell asleep at about 11. Josh and I said that after she woke up we would see if she continued to throw up we would take her to the doctor. We assumed she had a light concussion because of the throwing up, she was dizzy when she walked to the bathroom. But she wasn't light sensitive and no headache. We kept close watch on her for her 4 hour nap. She was exhausted from her injury, her long night of being constantly woken up and from throwing up all morning.
She woke up a new girl. She said she was thirsty so we gave her tiny sips of water. She held it down. Next she said she was hungry. I got her a little bit of rice and fed it to her practically one grain at a time. She held it down.
YAY! She started eating a little bit more and a little bit more. She asked if she could get up and play with Connor. She went downstairs a new girl! She was back. Aside from her bruised/swollen face she acted the same as she always had. She started talking faster and faster. She told Connor how amazing the hospital was, that she got to ride in a big truck, they gave her suckers and a toy. She said it was great! Ha ha ha. Her tune was very different yesterday!
We were so thankful we didn't have to go back to the doctor to check to see if her head injury worsened.
The next day I was thinking about the placement of her injury.
It was a miraculous blessing that it was in the exact place it was. Half an inch closer to her eye and she would have broken the bones behind her eye and her cheek bone. An inch to the other side and it would have hit her temple and would have been even worse.
Angels were truly watching over her. There are NO small miracles. I kept seeing such sweet small blessings as I reflected on the events of the previous day.
Everything went smoothly and exactly the way it was supposed to.
Our Father in heaven watched over our sweet girl and protected her from a serious injury this week. I know and understand that won't always be the case. Everything happens for a reason good and bad. I have faith that He will ALWAYS be there when we need Him. Through the good and through the bad I trust my life and experience on earth will be what I need to grow. Growing can be hard, our trials and tests will make us stronger and in the end we will have more faith and love than before.
There are no small miracles.
No other patients were in the ER so the doctor and nurses could help her immediately. They were all very nice and helpful. One nurse gave her a new stuffed animal within the first 2 minutes of her arrival. I've never seen a child grab a stuffed animal so gratefully, and put it under their arm and hold it so tight, in a quick fluid motion. She was SO thankful to have something to hold other than mom's hand. Mom's hand got in the way of the doctor and nurses taking vitals, the stuffed moose didn't. June loves to come up with names for her toys. I asked her what she wanted to name it and she said, "Moosey Moo." ha ha.
We got her checked in quickly and doctors said she needed a cat scan to be sure she didn't break any cheek bones or bones behind her eye. It was a very hard hit and they needed to be sure there wasn't any brain damage. I HATED looking at that deep gash, I wished they could have just sewn it right up before she had her tests done.
About 20 minutes into being there our Bishop showed up to see how we were. He and Josh gave June a small sweet blessing. It was so nice of him to stop by to be sure she was alright, and if Josh and I were ok. Two minutes after he left, my sister Candace showed up. It was so nice that June could see how many people were worried about her and came to her aid immediately. Candace called her husband (my brother in-law) - he's an optometrist, to come look at June's eye. My brother-in-law came 10 minutes later to check it out. Everything seemed good. He had explained that he was looking to be sure the bones behind her eye didn't pop. Those can break and small bone fragments can get into your blood stream and harm you terribly. June's eye was good, what a relief.
We went into the cat scan and Josh stayed with her telling her to remain very still. He talked with her perfectly kept her calm. What a good daddy. My good friend Mandy from High School was the on call technician. It was so nice to have a friend there. She hugged and asked me, "How in the world are you staying so calm?!" I sighed and thought, do I look calm? Because I am at my nerves end about to bawl! It kills me to see such fear, hurt and pain in my baby girl.
We took her back into the ER to wait for the results. They put numbing gel into her gash. We waited for it to work then she would get her stitches.
It felt like over an hour they finally came over and started to test around her gash to see if she felt anything. It looked like she was good and he grabbed the packet to start giving her stitches. The doctor threaded the needle and we held June down in case she jumped. She instantly screamed. She could feel EVERYTHING! OH NO! SHE WASN'T NUMB! Poor girl. We had to continue. After he finished the first stitch he put a lidocaine shot into her gash and around to hopefully ease the pain. Lidocaine shots HURT to she screamed more. He said she would need 5-6 stitches before but now that she was crying so hard he only gave her 3. In my mind I thought, this was a facial wound I wanted him to keep stitching, 3 more minutes of pain would be sure the scar was small and not big. But he stopped at 3. Grrrrr.....
When they were done I picked her up and held her close and rocked her back and forth to stop her crying. It also helps to stop crying when the nurse is gives you a sucker and tells you, you were so brave!
We got the results from her cat scan and it all looks good. We were told to keep a close watch on her. The doctor said it sometimes take 3-4 weeks for a brain injury to show up on a cat scan. If she throws up, think head injury. If she can't walk straight and can't remember things, think head injury. Bring her back if any of those things occur.
We were discharged and took off back home.
My parents went to the store with Connor and got June a balloon and flowers. She was very happy, but VERY TIRED. We thanked my parents and put the kids to bed. June slept with Josh and I so we could wake her up through the night to be sure she didn't become unconscious.
It was a long night.
We woke up to a tired sick girl. She started throwing up after breakfast. We tried to give her sips of water but that seemed to make it worse. Two minutes after she drank or ate something it came right back up. We made "camp" in the living room. June had every luxury a sick child would need. A couch, a TV, a bowl, blanket and a mom who kept getting her cold wash cloths for her head. We read lots of books and kept changing small ice packs for her swollen face. June continued to throw up all morning. She fell asleep at about 11. Josh and I said that after she woke up we would see if she continued to throw up we would take her to the doctor. We assumed she had a light concussion because of the throwing up, she was dizzy when she walked to the bathroom. But she wasn't light sensitive and no headache. We kept close watch on her for her 4 hour nap. She was exhausted from her injury, her long night of being constantly woken up and from throwing up all morning.
She woke up a new girl. She said she was thirsty so we gave her tiny sips of water. She held it down. Next she said she was hungry. I got her a little bit of rice and fed it to her practically one grain at a time. She held it down.
YAY! She started eating a little bit more and a little bit more. She asked if she could get up and play with Connor. She went downstairs a new girl! She was back. Aside from her bruised/swollen face she acted the same as she always had. She started talking faster and faster. She told Connor how amazing the hospital was, that she got to ride in a big truck, they gave her suckers and a toy. She said it was great! Ha ha ha. Her tune was very different yesterday!
We were so thankful we didn't have to go back to the doctor to check to see if her head injury worsened.
The next day I was thinking about the placement of her injury.
It was a miraculous blessing that it was in the exact place it was. Half an inch closer to her eye and she would have broken the bones behind her eye and her cheek bone. An inch to the other side and it would have hit her temple and would have been even worse.
Angels were truly watching over her. There are NO small miracles. I kept seeing such sweet small blessings as I reflected on the events of the previous day.
Everything went smoothly and exactly the way it was supposed to.
Our Father in heaven watched over our sweet girl and protected her from a serious injury this week. I know and understand that won't always be the case. Everything happens for a reason good and bad. I have faith that He will ALWAYS be there when we need Him. Through the good and through the bad I trust my life and experience on earth will be what I need to grow. Growing can be hard, our trials and tests will make us stronger and in the end we will have more faith and love than before.
There are no small miracles.
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