Topic: When a child's head connects with a steel beam...
Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
.....The beam wins.
Yesterday afternoon my children were riding their bikes in my husbands shop.
I stepped out to get one dog and it happened.
My four year old son rode his bike and head into a steel beam.
Oh my God the blood!!!!
I couldn't even see his face.
Panic mode and adrenaline rush in the middle of a herx.....Not a pretty site.
I somehow managed to carry his 40lb body about 150 yards to the house.
He was dazed and confused.
I couldn't think of any phone numbers, couldn't find the darn phone and basically
Almost had a melt down right there.
Called my neighbor first, who is a PICU nurse.
He said he didn't know what I was saying, but rushed over anyways.
Called my husband next. Had to get the bleeding stopped so I could get him in the car to go to the ER.
He is screaming "I don't want stitches!!!"
Get to the ER. He has a cat scan (normal Thank God) and gets 21 stitches.
In the meantime, my five year old who had to accompany us, is crying inconsolably.
She had a literacy meeting at school last night that we obviously had to miss.
Here I sit in the ER, my feet are numb, my fingers are tingling, my heart is racing
Out of my chest, with two screaming and crying children.
Definitely a "Calgon take me away" moment. (or at least give this Mom some valium .
Bad news is that this huge cut is very deep (just missed the protective layer of the skull),
And is in the middle of his forehead.
I could hardly stand watching my baby get his cut cleaned and packed with numbinb cream.
Once they did that and put a bandage on top so he could go to CT, he sat up and said,
"Mommy, I am all better now. I want my sucker and want to go home".
I had to laugh.
Good news is that I did get to educate everyone we came in contact with about Lyme as my son has it.
Actually were two nurses there from the upper east coast who knew a lot about Lyme.
Just didn't know we had it here in La. Now they know.
My husband was basically useless and didn't show up to the ER until 3 hours later.
I made him take our daughter home.
Did I say this was a Calgon moment?
I knew to expect bumps and bruises, stitches and maybe broken bones with two small children.
Just one request.....Not in the middle of a major herx please.
I couldn't even get a coherent thought out.
I am sure the ER staff thought I was on drugs. I am.....but not the good kind.
Never a dull moment.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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Cobweb
Unregistered
posted
Geneal- All I had to do was read the subject title and I was saying outloud "Oh NO".
I was almost afraid to read the post-but you managed to pull off a dramatic yet comical re-telling.
I'm sure more than enough Moms/Dads on board will be able to relate.
I was looking for the part where they had to put him on a "mummy board" for the stitches. If you got through the ordeal without that then you've got a brave little trouper there.
Head wounds do bleed like the dickens don't they????
Sounds like your adrenalin managed to pull you through herx and all. Of course having a neighbor who works in PICU is a big help,too.
I'll try not to go on and on with my own tales but it does remind me of this one time when my then 3 year old broke her arm.
Of course this happened right at bedtime when she was chasing her sister so we had a rather long night in the ER.
Not so much because of the xraying and casting as the interviews by various hospital personal to determine if this was a true accident or case of abuse.
Ah- the adventures of parenthood.
Take Care-hope you all get some rest today and life returns to a dull roar for you.
posted
One more thing- throw some Epsom Salts in with the Calgon!
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
Thanks Carol.
I was so exhausted when I got home with him.
I could hardly walk. Fed the children supper, gave them a bath,
I knew I would just pass out when my head hit the pillow.
Those ketes said "NO WAY!!" Sat for about 45 minutes like I do every night waiting to fall asleep.
Ah, the trials and tribulations of motherhood. I wish these guys had come with a manual!
Especially when they had colic.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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CaliforniaLyme
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 7136
posted
I think this is clearly a sign from God that you are meant to pamper him and your daughter and yourself and husband as much as humanly possible in the next few days!!! Reading the title I thought, "Oh, poor kiddo!' once for HIM and then again for you!!! OUCH!!! That must've just torn your heart to pieces- but thank goodness- your heart won't wear out-
Warm hugs to all of you- Sincerely,
-------------------- There is no wealth but life. -John Ruskin
All truth goes through 3 stages: first it is ridiculed: then it is violently opposed: finally it is accepted as self evident. - Schopenhauer Posts: 5639 | From Aptos CA USA | Registered: Apr 2005
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Cobweb
Unregistered
posted
I think if you can survive colic anything else is a drop in the bucket!
Your account reminded me of one of my most desperate moments as a parent-very long story , but I'll cut to the final scene:
Stranded in a blizzard,in the middle of the night,no car,no coat, howling winds, fierce snow, city shut down-with sick ,screaming baby in my arms.
Security guard on patrol found us. The relief of climbing into his warm, dry cab -even if he was nipping from a flask-was like being found by an angel.
bejoy
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11129
posted
Oh, Geneal. I don't know what to say.
I just hope that you and your sweet family are all getting some rest today. What a day.
I wish I could have gone to sit with you guys in the ER.
-------------------- bejoy!
"Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." -Ralph Waldo Emerson Posts: 1918 | From Alive and Well! | Registered: Feb 2007
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
While I am glad this "laceration and bump" on the noggin didn't hurt him,
It certainly has not improved his listening skills.
He is a tough little guy.
Doesn't even want any ibupofen or tylenol for pain.
After we told him they were to "glue" his head back together (the word stitches just about did him in),
We sat while his head was "glued".
I waited until it was all over and then realized I had better tell him he received stitches.
On the way out the door I said to him he had stitches and not glue as the cut was just too big.
He looked up at me and smiled and said,
"It didn't even hurt!"
Carol,
One of these days (if I survive their childhood) we need to get together and compare notes.
My Mom kindly reminded me this morning that I broke my arm at age 18months,
And had two head concussions and one bruised brain incident all before the age of 3.
Guess he is my child after all.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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Itsy_bitsyone
Unregistered
posted
Guess what? Am 8 foot roll of linoleum standing on end will have the similar if not same effect when it falls on a head!! Amazing the things we learn!
My heart goes out to you. That's quite a moment indeed.
Cobby...
I don't know if I even want to know your whole ordeal, but glad you made it through. That doesn't sound like fun.
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posted
Oh does this bring back some memories...I had twin daughters (who will be 25 on christmas day) but were a bit accident prone...luckily I didn't have the symptoms I do now. My heart goes out to you....
I was at the ER with my 5 year old son last week. He cut open his eye lid while playing hide and seek with his brother. Here I was, husband out of town, three small children and BLOOD everywhere. His eye filled up with blood and he was yelling "I can't see!".
Well, off we all go to the ER (kids are 3, 5, 7).
Fortunately, it was just a smaller cut that could be glued. But, oh, the BLOOD! His eye was fine...we just couldn't tell because of the blood all in it.
He tells everyone, "I got into a fight with a chair rail and lost."
lymednva
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 9098
posted
What an ordeal. Been there with my own kids. A board dropped from a platform onto the head of a 3 year old has the same effect!
Not the way to celebrate your birthday! My son had the board incident on what turned out to be the night of my surprise birthday party.
The trick was to let the guests into our home while we were at the ER. A friend volunteered to keep our older son while we were there, it was really a ploy to get into the house!
Hope you are still able to find a way to celebrate your special day in the midst of all this.
Glad to hear your son came through it all so well. What a trooper!
-------------------- Lymednva Posts: 2407 | From over the river and through the woods | Registered: Apr 2006
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
Thanks you guys.
He looked at himself in the mirror this am and said
"I want those things out!"
I just hope the scar isn't too bad.
He got right back on that bike yesterday, but the children are
Absolutely forbidden to ride in the shop!
The pole he hit was round.
When I saw it, I couldn't believe it.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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just don
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 1129
posted
Was gone for awhile,,,and come back and whats THIS???
I was known as the stitches king around here. Older doc even said I needed to just install zippers and save some time.
At age five I was swinging on a pipe clothesline "T" pole(if anybody is old enough to remember those) and somebody pushed me,,making me fall off and broke the 'hook' bone off the elbow.
MAJOR surgery and 2 pins later,,,couldnt bend my arm for 6-8 weeks till it healed then another surgery to take them out,
and then another 6-8 weeks trying to retrain it to bend.(It was soooo stiff it would bend only a little,had to stretch it back out over LONG period of time)
Still remember it was a MAJOR accomplishment to pick up a deck of cards with that hand!!
Then about 8-9 I was standing on a round post or something,,,holding onto a barbed wire fence,,,whatever I was standing on took off sideways and I went down and a barb sliced my finger from top to bottom like a carrot.
Then I was riding a horse,decided to see if I could get him to go in strange places. rode him under a windmill tower,behind the leg.
He got half way thru and really jumped and took off. I had my head down so I didnt hit the cross brace.
when he took off my head came up,whammo,right into sorta sharp angle iron,,,stitchhes on TOP of my head,,,requires shaving some hair,to boot!!
then playing with other kids in hay mow,,,tripped and fell onto a brace piece of lumber. More stitches.
THEN while playing football in school had helmet drove down a couple times and top of face guard cuts eyebrow,,,twice.
Ever see how "MEAN" looking one looks when your head is all taped up and you take your helmet OF for the national anthem??? I mean taped round and round,,,only way to hold it on.
Then once or twice somebody would get their fingers inside the face mask and scape the skin off the outside of your eyelid,,,yikes!!,
And once it was SOO cold and I was so numb,,,didnt notice it for half hour after starting ride home on school bus, still all dirty and suited up
(no fancy dress there places here,then!!) hand felt funny when it warmed up a bit,,,looked down and had perfect 3 holes punched in back of hand
,,,musta been on the ground and somebody stepped full on it,,,with the front spikes poking half way thru it!! no stitches that time but should have probably.
After surviving high school I worked as a lineman on the railroad that summer. We were stringing wire and it caught on a hanging down branch of the BIGGEST cottonwood tree I ever saw.
I walked up to the tree with my tool belt on and it always caught on everything so I stepped this steel post over with barbed wire still wired tight to it.
It was definitely against the rules to climb a tree with pole spikes(and dangerous too) Spikes either hit between bark and you fall all the way down,,,or the bark sloughs off and same result.
Anyway finnally got 50-60 feet up this tree to branch, climbed out on it to smallest branch, still safe place to be , back down 20 feet or so to where wire was.
I hollered I would climb down to it, kick it off and climb back up. People on each side of it thought they could swing out on the wire and get it out that way
,,,it came out,,, weight broke off whole bigger branch,,,(cottonwoods arent tough trees) I came on the LONG ride down with the branch still with me.
Interesting part was IF I hadnt stepped that steel post over a bit and just climbed over fence like I should have,,,I wouldnt be here to write this today or any day!!
I slid right down the side of that post and down the side of barbed wire attached. otherwise I would have had it run right thru me and dead as a door nail!!, right thru my side and got all my organs!!
They took me to the hospital and doctor forgot to come look at me till next morning,,,said I NEEDED a few hundred stitches but they wouldnt do any good,,,to late to stitch,
they had started to heal on there own,,just stayed sore for a LONG time. Went back to work next day,more pole climbing that REALLY hurt!!!
Then there was the encounter of a crawler with a tree in the dark with a high pressure gas line thru the base,,,dont know why I did but got off to look,never had been off all day
,,,something didnt feel right,,,it wasnt,,,one more push,snap line,exhaust makes it go boom,,,never could have possible escaped!!
Then there was the little episode of a few years ago, old timers 'here' remember I was working on remodeling a bathroom and started a trim saw(cordless) while at an awkward angle.
trim saws have blade on wrong side,,,had finger in it when it started took tip of fourth left finger off thru Fingernail,,,no bone tho,thankgoodness.
They sewed the finger back on,,,thru the nail, THAT hurt,,,and it is still funny numb.
other than that and a few other close escapes had NOTHING exciting happen in my lifetime!!
Glad you had the good sense to get your son all done up and fixed proper. kids are tough and resilient.
Was driving one of the kids to the ER, hospital, after a minor something, driving down hamburger ally!!
and they said a "Hardies Hamburger" would fix it real fine, detoured thru drivethru and came home,it fixed the boo-boo, no problem!!
Had other broken feet and broken arms in kids and alot of sprained ankles,,but they all lived,,,so far!! had a few stitches too,,but not nearly as many as I had!!
I wish I could be --just don--
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
Once they did that and put a bandage on top so he could go to CT, he sat up and said,
"Mommy, I am all better now. I want my sucker and want to go home".
kam
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 3410
posted
Wow. Proud of you Geneal. You limped your way through and got the job done.
Posts: 15927 | From Became too sick to work or do household chores in 2001. | Registered: Dec 2002
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
Okay Don.
You made me realize how many more of these accidents I have coming my way.
I am just so grateful to God his CAT scan was normal.
Tried to get the stitches out today (as rec'd by ER).
Head is not healed quite all the way yet.
So, Frankenstein Jr. gets to go to school to show off his stitches tomorrow.
He is really excited about that.
The funny thing is my husband is really upset that he will have a scar.
I am not. I guess I realize how scarred we all are.
We are just lucky that we and our parents survived our childhoods.
I know that I once played with my neighbor's son.
Monsters was that game. Until he picked up a 2 x 4 and whacked this monster on the head.
We had a sliding glass window. My Mom saw me covered in blood and later told me
She didn't want to even let me in. Blood makes her sick and I scared her to death!
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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