On Friday November 28th, 2014 Don had just gotten
home from doing some Christmas shopping.
Lunch was finishing up and I went with Don to discuss what he had
bought. *I would like to insert here
that I am FULLY aware that I should not have left Kayla at the table.* Kayla was left in her booster seat on the
table bench. Bryson came running back
saying, “Kayla fell!!” She must have
gotten her feet on something and pushed the seat off onto the floor. Bryson
said he saw her fall. Her head was
turned when she fell and she began crying right away. Don was first there and
rushed to get her some ice because there was a HUGE bump on her head. I picked her up after we check to make sure
she could move her head. I was not very calm, but Don and the boys
were awesome. I began crying almost
immediately because I knew she wasn’t ok. She was not crying at this point
and acting very confused and distant.
She then began to loose consciousness.
Her eyes would roll back, I tried to rouse her gently by calling her
name. I knew right then she needed
medical help. *Another insert, I now realize we should have called 911 or just
taken her to Primary Children’s, but we didn’t we wanted help as fast as
possible.*
We all got in the car quickly while I just held her. It was very difficult to keep her awake. She kept closing her eyes or just staring
blankly off at nothing. I tried the pediatrician’s office, but they closed at
noon. It was 12:50, I remember looking
at the clock. So we tried the InstaCare
because it was closes. While driving I still was not very
calm. Bryson being who he is tried to
calm me with the comment, “Mom, you are upset, just like I was upset when I
lost my glove.” Such a caring child, but this was not at all the same. I didn’t say that to him, but thanked him for
caring about my feeling in stead and was happy for a much needed chuckle. I walked in to the InstaCare and said,
“My baby has a concussion can you help us?” He just shook his head and I walked
back out. As we were walking out the
vomiting started. The first was the
worst and it wasn’t expected so she and I were COVERED in vomit. She threw up
three times in the next 5 minutes as we got to the closest hospital which is Lakeview Hospital.
They took Kayla and me back right away. Don stayed out with
the boys in the car for a few minutes then took them to get ice cream while
they waited to see what would happen with Kayla. Jenny was our nurse. I don’t
remember the Dr’s name. Jenny was wonderful and very kind and helped me know
exactly what was going on. She told me the worse case of what would happen but
told me that she most likely was just fine and we could go home within the
hour. The Dr. was knowledgeable but seemed irritated I brought a baby to
their hospital and that I was such a crappy mother. Jenny assured me thought that I wasn’t a
crappy mother. I got Kayla out of
her wet clothes and I happened to have a shirt for myself in my bag, talk about
luck. Kayla was starting to act a little
better and didn’t throw up again. She also started crying again. They said it
was fine for her to sleep, so I help my little angle as she slept a few
minutes. She got a CT scan, which wasn’t
the best experience. She was somewhat
calm, but then the technician came in and adjusted the towel by her head slightly
and totally smacked her injured side of the head. Kayla started to cry and so there was
movement during most of the scan, which made the images a little difficult to
read.
We were told the CT scan showed a skull fracture and a small
amount of blood on the brain. There
would be not going home, a transfer to Primary Children’s, a night stay to
monitor her, then another scan in the morning to make sure the blood on the
brain was not worse. I called Don to tell him to find someone to watch the boys
then come to Primary Children’s. This is when grandparents were informed and
several family members were notified of what was going on. I 100% have always believed in God and that he hears and answers
prayers. This case was no
exception. Our little girl was defiantly
blessed because of the prayers of the righteous that were offered up on her
behalf. I know it! Putting in the IV
was quit the ordeal. Jenny had
assistance from another nurse, but I could tell she was still flustered at
having to put the IV in such a small vein.
The nurse wasn’t the only one
flustered. Going from, you most likely
will go home within the hour, to your baby has blood on her brain and things
could get lots worse before she can go home, did not exactly have a calming
effect for me. I lost it while they were
putting in the IV, meaning I started to cry openly, in front of people. The nurses were obviously worried, they sent
the Chaplin in to sit with me while we waited for the transfer team. I didn’t think I was that bad, but Don has
also commented on how upset I was, so I must have been a lot worse then I
thought. The worst part of this whole thing was that Kayla was becoming more
and more alert and more and more confused about what was going on. She kept looking to me to help her. Those little brown eyes looking at me saying,
“Mom! Please help this just isn’t right,” was just more then I could handle. The Centerville
police department came to transfer Kayla.
There was one woman and three male fire fighters. They were all very helpful and kind. They put Kayla in a neck brace first; then
strapped her into the car seat. They
immobilized her head with towels on both sides of her head, being careful not
to disturb her huge bump and fracture, then wrapped medical bandage around the
car seat and towels to hold everything in place. Last they strapped the car seat to the
stretcher and we were off. Kayla did
well through the whole thing. She had
become extremely alert, which was a wonderful sign, and so we tried to keep her
awake but not crying for the ride to the hospital. We arrived at PCMC at around 3:30. Don arrived to be with us at 4pm after my
parents arrived to watch the 4 boys.
Now the waiting game started. She was acting hungry but they would not
allow me to feed her in case surgery was needed, they needed an empty
stomach. The nurse gave me glucose drops
to give her while we waited. They also
got her some clothes and pain meds. It
took a long while for the CT scan images to load that were taken at
Lakeview. So we just waited, at about
5:15 they got the images and the radiologist that was at PCMC said that there
didn’t look like any blood to him, but again the images were not that great so
that was unclear. We were told where her
actual fracture was, which is just above her left ear, below the main swelling.
The Dr. on staff told me I could feed Kayla.
This was really interesting with a neck brace, head fracture, and a
splinted IV arm. But we managed. She ate, but did not suck very hard or for
very long. This was probably a good
thing because keeping the food down was our goal. She acted as if she might throw up a few
times, but never actually did throw up, can I get a HORRAY!
5:35 she was taken to X-ray her neck to make sure that there
were no problems with her spine. The
X-ray techs were so nice and gentle with her.
X-rays came back normal. Her neck was just fine.
After the X-ray Gram and Papa had arrived at the hospital.
Papa assisted Don in giving Kayla a blessing.
In the blessing Don said she would be healed and that this would all
just be fun story to read in her journal some day. He also told her that He and I were very
sorry that this happened. Now might be a
good time to insert that I am in fact a wreck over the whole matter. It was 100% my fault. I am supposed to take care of this helpless
infant and I failed. I know we all make
mistakes, but this was kind of a big one.
I will in time forgive myself for it, but that doesn’t make the feeling
of my failure and less potent. Don suggested last night as we talked about it
that I am so determined to make up for what happened that I am being a little
obsessive about taking care of her.
After the X-ray results we had another long wait. The neurologist team was in surgery and they
were not able to review her case until they were out. They were the ones that would ultimately make
the decision on what happened next. I
think that this long wait was really a blessing. Initially she was not doing to great, but
over the LONG wait she improved a great deal.
I think her progress while we had to wait was really what made it
possible for us to go home that night. At 7:45 just after Grandma and
Grandpa Barlow had arrived the neurologist arrived. He said it was still unclear about the fluid
on the brain, but “We treat patients, not CT scans,” he said. With her improvement he felt confident that
we could go home. He took off her neck brace and she was a new woman. She was happy and trying to pull out her
IV. It was great to see her in such good
spirits. We know that her head was
bothering her though because she kept reaching up and pulling at it, just like
she does when her bows irritate her head.
She seams confused when her rubbing/pulling at her head doesn’t fix the
problem. About 8:45 we were on our way
home.
We would need to wake her every hour or two through the
night to make sure that she was ok. For
the next 1-2 weeks we need to be extremely careful with her little head. Since she is moving around so much now
another blow to the head isn’t good. If she worsens we should take her back
in. In 1-2 weeks she needs to follow up
with her primary care Dr.
48 hours later she is doing just the same as when we were
discharged. I can tell her head hurts a
little, but we are giving her pain medication when needed. The first night home she slept wonderfully,
but the last 24 hours she has struggled a little more.
We are so blessed to have family to be there in our time of
need and bring down the powers of heaven on our behalf.
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