HEAD!
Chip decided to interrupt Mom's nap by chasing the horses around the pasture.
He won't be doing that again real soon...
We heard the shrieks and of course thought that one of a handful of kids that overflow our yard of late was picking on some other kid...
Then we saw him walking toward the house, spitting blood. Casey screamed "He got trampled by the horses!" and Joe flew out the door. I pulled on a robe and by the time I got to the door Joe was saying "Call it."
911 was dialed and minutes later Corcoran's Finest appeared. Times two. I could tell his jaw was broken and he was bleeding from parts unknown. His teeth were loose, he was screaming, and it didn't seem like the blood would stop.
Then the Hennepin County Sheriff (good ol Pat) arrived, bringing with him at least two more squads, two ambulances and the helicopter was on the way.
Needless to say the boys next door were having a field day.
Chip was strapped to the board, the helicopter landed and they talked Joe into letting them transport Chip to North Memorial (not my beloved Methodist). Away he went. Joe changed his IM status and fired off an email. I put the hammer down on the gerbils that power the Mazda and away we went.
When we got here it took forever for them to let us see him. Or was it 10 minutes. Anyway, he'd had a series of X-rays and a CT by the time we saw him and he was pleasantly buzzed on morphine. They said no concussion, no neck injury, nothing chest or belly, so he was allowed to doze.
Auntie Carolyn and Cousin Amy stopped in to purvey the damage.
The plastic surgeon came and worked her miracle on the lacerations in his face. One of the larger ones in his face was a thru-and-thru: it went all the way into the inside of his mouth. They only stitch the outside. She also told us what to expect for our options for jaw surgery as he had two fractures but said that another surgeon would be in to talk about that -- plastics doesn't do jaws anymore.
So we were sent up to the Peds Floor -- an old locked ICU unit. Adorable up here. Nurse that admitted us was 1000% above par -- made us feel comfortable, got things rolling with Chip, helped him throw up. Hard to do when you can't open your jaw.
Eventually the C-collar came off and they fitted him with a bra -- a JAW BRA. He took an instant dislike to it but we morphed him up some more and put ice in the cheek pockets and he dozed off.
He's so uncomfortable he doesn't even want his Hotwheels cars -- he's got his Snuffies (his two blankets), his mom and his dad and that's all he wants.
At 4 a.m. he finally woke to pee. Geez! Bladder of steel! He's most comfortable being nude (huh, wonder where he gets that) but when I told him that his girlfriend Katie would be coming to see him today, he pulled up the covers and said "She hates it when I don't wear a shirt."
He tried a little ice and a little freezie-pop but that didn't work too well, so he pushed them away.
So I'll finish this update to the blog by saying
THANKS!
To Corcoran and Hennepin County officers (and you too Pat) for your unbelievably quick response.
To North Ambulance for making him comfortable.
To the helicopter pilot for giving him a ride -- and BTW you are a hottie!!
To Spanglers who took Casey to her orientation at school.
To Saima, without who many of our hospital stays just wouldn't be possible. You are the best. I love you dearly. Thanks for taking Casey
To Carolyn, who also is always there when one of us needs to be rushed in for something. I'm sure Hannah is loving her holiday with you and yours.
To my agent -- wait, that's a different speech...
To Danny for covering the house and chores while we are gone. You always have my back and I'm lucky to call you friend.
To all who have called and who are praying.
At this writing (5 a.m.) he's sleeping comfortably. The swelling is down hugely this morning. They're thinking no surgery on the jaw, just soft diet, as his fractures are aligned well and heal quickly for a kid. What a way to start the school year.
Will update more if anything drastically changes.
No comments:
Post a Comment