Our youngest is tall and skinny. Dr. H says she is long and lean like a green bean. She takes after her father's side in that respect. She likes to walk, a lot. And being a teenager, she eats all kinds of foods and walks it all off. Dr. H says walking is one of the best exercises she can do and to let her. So we do.
You know what is also super important in anyone, especially someone long and lean? Hydration. Water. It's so simple and yet most people struggle with staying hydrated. I know I do at times. She is no exception. She has always been fairly healthy, we have been blessed with not many health scares at all with her. But this one... This one made up for all the ones we haven't had.
The Friday before her birthday I had gone to bed at my usual time (about 9:00PM). She woke me a little later asking where something was. I was awake enough to tell her where I had put it but I was not awake enough to realize I needed to get up with her. A few moments later I was jolted awake by a huge crash in our kitchen. Assuming my husband had fallen (he does sometimes due to his chronic illness) I leapt out of bed and ran into the kitchen. Our youngest was laid out on the kitchen floor, unconscious, beside a broken coffee cup. My husband already standing over her trying to wake her. I am so thankful he was there. While I work in healthcare and face uncertain situations all the time, I do not face these type of situations involving my own family. It is so very different. I was frozen. I didn't know what to do.
"Shoes! Get your shoes on!" he was yelling.
He was rubbing her sternum briskly, trying to smack her face to wake her, throwing water on her, nothing was working. I ran to get shoes on, any shoes on, and he was telling me he would throw her in the car and take her to the nearest hospital, which was not very far away. We could be there in minutes.
I was in our bedroom, frantically grabbing any shoe that would go on my feet. Then I heard his voice again, "Call 911!" I ran back into the kitchen where my phone sat on the counter. She had begun vomiting while still unconscious. My husband rolled her over on her side. We knew she had hit her head, we couldn't figure out on what. I called 911 and tried to calmly answer the questions the dispatcher asked. If you have never had to call 911, I am thankful. If you have, you know how awesome these people are at keeping you as calm as possible in what may be the scariest situation of your life.
An ambulance was dispatched but the dispatcher stayed on the phone with me until medics arrived. Our youngest did come back to consciousness before the ambulance arrived. I had never been more thankful to see her eyes. You know, the eyes that used to wake me brightly at o'dark:30 when she was small saying, "Mommy! Sun awake!" Yes, those eyes, I was so thankful to see them. She laid there a few moments and then tried to sit up. We asked and the dispatcher said she could slowly if she felt she could. My husband grabbed a towel for wet her hair and shirt. We wrapped her in it. She looked blankly at me and asked, "What happened?" She had no recollection.
The dispatcher told me try to ask her open ended questions so she could focus on something. She loves anime. I began asking her about her favorite shows and characters. Asking her to tell me about them and what she liked and didn't like, etc. I truly had no idea what I was doing but the dispatcher (love those folks) was encouraging me that I was doing an excellent job. I had no idea what I was doing. I was just trying to keep her focused.
Our pups love their "sissy" and they were curious about what was going on. We were unsure how they would react to uniformed EMTs coming into our house. I somehow had the presence of mind to shut them in our bedroom while my husband sat with her. I then sat back down with her as my husband opened our door and propped our storm door so they could walk right in. We could see the lights flashing coming up our hill. They were here.
As I could hear the EMTs walking into the house my daughter began to cry. I tried to comfort her. Then she looked at me, right into my eyes and said, "I want mommy." My blood ran cold. Pretty sure my heart stopped. The dispatcher in my ear said, "Just tell her who you are." I took a deep breath and as calmly as I could muster I said, "I am mommy. Do you know me? I'm mommy."
She tilted her head, her eyes appeared to focus more on my face and she slowly nodded. Then she let me hug her closer. She again asked what happened. I told her she fell and we were going to have a doctor see her. She asked every two minutes or so. She could not remember anything. She began to cry again as one of the EMTs stood over us asking questions. My husband and I answered them as best we could. With a head injury they were taking no chances and we expected as much. They loaded her in the ambulance and we began the trip to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Due to the pandemic restrictions I was allowed to ride with her because she was a minor. My husband was not. And when we realized he would not be allowed into the emergency department with us, he said he would stay behind and wait for word.
When we arrived at Vanderbilt Children's a room was already waiting for us. There were three doctors, two students, four nurses, and a patient care tech awaiting our arrival. Our youngest asked me again what happened. I told her she had hit her head and we were at the hospital to get her checked out. She looked around and said, "Are we at your hospital?" I told her we were not. My hospital does not specialize in pediatric care. She is a teenager but still a pediatric patient. I told her we were at Vanderbilt Children's. She said, "Oh, we are at Ava's hospital."
Thinking Ava was a staff member here, the tech quickly said, "Can I go get Ava for you? Is she on duty tonight?" While I appreciated the offer I had to explain Ava was not a staff member, but a my granddaughter was patient here in their medical oncology program. His eyes opened wide. He exclaimed, "Oh! Then you have your hands full!" I said, "Yes, but tonight we will focus on this one." He nodded, patted my shoulder, and they would take good care of her.
What followed was questions, tests, labs, evaluations, and severe nausea and more vomiting. While examining her they located an abrasion on her temple under her hair. Her hair is dark. We had not seen it in the chaos. She was given IV fluids and some anti-nausea medication while the care team continued evaluations. She still had no recollection of anything that had happened. She repeatedly asked me what happened and where we were. The doctors told me to keep giving her the same calm answer... You hit your head, we are at the hospital to get you checked out. She was not herself. At one point I was helping her hold a barf bag and she looked up at me between retches and said, "You're pretty!" I smiled and hoped it was a good sign.
Later the vomiting began to wane but she still had terrible nausea. One of the nurses came in to give her an oral anti-nausea medication designed to dissolve under her tongue. Our youngest tried to refuse it, something she normally would never do. The nurse said, "Honey, it doesn't even taste like anything and you don't have to swallow it." My daughter gave this poor nurse the best side eye I have ever seen and said to her, "That's what they ALL say." My jaw hit the floor. I stepped in with a mommy voice and told her to take it. That worked.
I followed the nurse out of the room and apologized. I said. "I am so sorry, she is not herself right now." She just smiled and said it was okay, that she understood. The medication helped and she was able to begin to rest some. She began to nap on and off for short periods of time as we waited for all the results to come back from all the tests and scans. I was grateful. After a few hours of this she looked up at me and said, "Do not forget to order my cupcakes." It was so random it took me a minute to figure out what she was talking about.
After a minute of frantically searching my brain, I remembered. Her birthday was in two days. She had requested purple iced cupcakes from the bakery at our grocery store. Busy person that I am, I had told her to remind me so I wouldn't forget. She remembered. It was then I knew she just might be okay.
A few minutes later she decided she had to use the bathroom. One of the attending physicians had come in to talk to me about the test results they had received so far, all good news. The doctor said she would help me get her up and to the bathroom. She began taking the leads off of the sensors stuck various parts of her body and unhooking her IV. "Wait!" my daughter said, "Don't I need those???" The doctor laughed and explained they were just monitors. To someone who has not spent much time in a hospital setting I can see how that would be very disconcerting.
We got her to the bathroom and I helped her inside. When she finished she was about to go back out and turned around, looked at me and said, "Worst birthday weekend EVER." I laughed but couldn't disagree. Her nurse brought her some snacks and drink which she kept down. The doctor came back and told us they concluded her blood pressure had dropped quickly when she had reached up to get the cup from the cabinet and that was what had caused her fall. When she arrived she had been pretty dehydrated. Coupled with her height and lean body it spelled disaster for her system. She had a severe concussion and was to rest for the next 3-5 days with no screen time. And, of course, be monitored for any new or worsening symptoms.
Our youngest looked up at me and said, "But I have finals on Monday!" The nurse and I at the same time said, "No you don't." Last semester was online classes only. Her finals would also be online. I assured her I would talk to her teachers and get them rescheduled or otherwise handled. The nurse also provided a note for documentation if it was needed.
We began to get ready to be released. She had vomit on her t-shirt she had come in with, so that was icky. The nurse gave her a paper scrub shirt to wear home. She had been loaded into the ambulance with no shoes. The nurse gave her some slipper socks as well. We had no car because we had ridden in the ambulance. I told her, "So here is the situation. We have no car and you have no shoes." She just laughed. We contacted my husband who came to pick us up.
She walked out under her own power, alibet a little shakily. When we got in the car I told my husband about the no car no shoes comment. He started laughing and said, "Well, it wouldn't be the first time a girl in MidTown had gotten into an Uber with no shoes and vomit in her hair." Our youngest said, "Bill!" like she was upset but she was laughing too. He wasn't wrong...
Rest and recovery followed. As did a follow up appointment with Dr. H. He prescribed her to drink two more 500ml bottles of fluids than she currently did. That meant three bottles daily. And to monitor her closely. He did refer her to a neurologist as a precaution but everything turned out fine. Now she is fully recovered and back to her old, witty self. She still doesn't remember anything about the fall or the ambulance ride. She does remember some about the hospital. We still couldn't be more thankful.
Our deepest gratitude goes out to the expert care of the Nashville Fire Department and the staff at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.
I realize this was a long story but it was very significant in our lives this year. Gratitude can come from unexpected places. Tell me about something you gained gratitude from. How has it affected you?
Vanderbilt Children's Hospital is a nonprofit hospital that helps children just like our youngest and our granddaughter everyday. If you wish to help support their mission you can make a donation or read about other ways to help here: https://www.childrenshospitalvanderbilt.org/giving/give-childrens-hospital