Tuesday she hit her head. I comforted her and she nestled her head in my shoulder and neck. When she stopped crying and settled down, I sat her on my knee to put her on the floor. The back of her head and her back were covered in blood. As was my shoulder and neck.
I panicked. I couldn't get a hold of daddy, so I called the doctor's office. They said, because it was head injury, to go to the ER. So, I grabbed a towel, put it on her head to stop the bleeding, got every one going in one direction and off we went.
My MIL met us at the ER to take the bigger kids. EG and I checked in, with the help of some really nice people who went out of their way to help me get the paperwork straightened out.
In true EG fashion, we had been there about 1/2 hour and she was running all around and entertaining everyone. She didn't have a shirt on because the day before she had some skin work done at the dermatologist and I had been giving her dozen or sores a chance to air out.
She looked a mess. Bloody towel, blood on her back and head, open sores all over her body. I had blood on my t-shirt and in my hair. I was shocked when they did not take us back right away. But, as hubby says, they see this stuff all the time. Plus, she was acting as normal as could be.
We sat there for 3 hours. At that point, the bleeding has stopped quite awhile ago and I just needed someone to tell me if she needed stitches. I called our doc again to see if they would see us. They referred us to Urgent Care.
We signed out of the ER and went across the street, where we were in and out in an hour. No one had actully looked at the injury for fear it would bleed again. When the nurse left, she mentioned something about staples. My stomach did flips and I thought I was going to throw up. The visual image of that was too much for me to handle at that point.
So, when the PA finally looked at it, it wasn't but a half inch long. I was shocked, because I couldn't believe something so little could produce so much blood. Anyway, the real blessing was NO STAPLES. And, obviously, no concussion. I was soooo relieved and SOOO ready to go home. It was dinner time and we had been gone since lunch.
I learned a couple of things. First, call a specific number and the Urgent Care people will tell you whether or not you need to go to Urgent Care or the ER, depending on what you tell them about the injury. Second, everyone and I mean everyone, has since told me how much the head can bleed.
If I can walk away from any emergency, with a little more information then I had going in, it can't be all bad . . .
3 comments:
I had to post on this one...first, CHP URGENT CARE will see this kind of thing...sorry I wasn't available to help you! As a nurse, staples in the head of a child are sooooooo much better than stitches...it sounds terrible but they are awesome and so quick and the kids barely feel a thing...no numbing of the skin etc. A cut in the head is a GOOD thing if that even makes sense. That EG is really sealing the deal for you huh! I was laughing so hard when you were describing her running around with a bloody head and no shirt and open wounds on her body...Oh you made me laugh!
Oh man, that's scary, so glad it all turned out well!
When Daniel was 5, he hit his head at school, by the time I went to pick him up, his shirt was soaked with blood and he was still bleeding. I decided NOT to take him to the hospital because I'd heard how much the head can bleed and after taking a peek at the wound myself, figured it would be okay. Luckily, everything turned out well for me too.
Hopefully Little EG will give you a break soon.
Good heavens! What an experience! Although I doubt you REALLY have any gray hair to show for it. But little miss EG must have been quite a sight in that ER waiting room. Who knew a little head could bleed that much?!
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