A Day with Doctors...

This will probably be a very long post, but just remember, my day was MUCH longer. Let me start at the beginning...On Sunday after church. We have not been out to eat lunch on Sunday after church in over 2 years. When you have a child who (1) does NOT eat anything and is not entertained by food in the least, and (2) cannot sit still for more than 3 minutes, especially at nap time, you do not frequent restaurants as a family often. WELL, since Wilson has started on his new medicine and is eating a LITTLE now, I had the bright idea to go out to eat for lunch after church. We went with Will's sister, Ellen and her family and our dear friends Ashley and William and their 2 girls (9 children total by the way). We chose to go to Jason's Deli, assuming it would be great b/c there would be food available immediately (the salad bar) - not thinking about the fact that you COMPLETELY serve yourself - everything from silverware to napkins to drinks. So we were UP and DOWN constantly. Well, when your 2 year old sees you get up and down, HE naturally wants to get up and down. So Wilson lasted in his high chair about 10 minutes before he had climbed out and came to sit in my lap. Now is the time I want to add that these were the worst high chairs EVER. The straps did not function, they had no tray attached, and they were on wheels - you'll see why this was so bad in a few. Well, I got Wilson an ice cream cone (score 1 for Jason's Deli) and surprisingly he sat and ate the ENTIRE thing - for like 20 minutes!!!! Henderson was in his high chair in between Will and I eating a little and having a few bites of ice cream himself. Wilson finished the ice cream, Will took Emma Claire to the potty and I cleaned up Wilson and held Henderson for awhile. Will came back and I put Henderson back in his high chair so I could finish eating and clean up a bit. About that time I realized Wilson had gone missing. I looked all around for him and finally spotted him at the door. A nice man was standing beside him canvasing the restaurant looking for whomever would be this kids' parents. I jumped up and ran to him and thanked the man ever so kindly. About that time was when I heard the most sinkening sound ever - a slap on the floor. I turned around and Will was leaning over picking Henderson off the floor. Apparently in all the excitement, Will and the other 4 adults at the table had turned to look at Wilson and Henderson decided at THAT very moment to try to climb up on the table. Well, the high chair (with no working straps and on wheels) decides to move out from under him and in an instant he falls straight down to the ceramic tiled floor on his back and head. He began crying loudly (which in my opinion was great - no passing out is always good in my book). I held him for awhile and calmed him down and we left the restaurant.

Once home he just wanted to lay his head on my shoulder and sleep (very unusual for him) - I laid him in his bed and undressed quickly and then woke him up and off we went to the doctor. By the time we got to the doctor he was acting perfectly normal - no marks on his body or head at all (no brusing, no goose eggs, no nothing) and eating fine. The doctor looked at him, did 4 x-rays which came back negative and sent us home with instructions to watch closely the next 24 hours. They went by completely uneventful.

Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon. The previous post holds pictures and details from the afternoon. When my mom got there later that afternoon, she commented on the bump on his head (now this is ironic b/c I never even told her about his fall). I laughed and told her all about it and glanced at it, but it didn't look like much to me at all. I played tennis and he went to bed and he was still asleep when I left for work Wed. morning. About 9:00 this morning (Wed) I called home to check on the children and my mom told me the bump on his head was really big and squishy. SQUISHY???? I called the pediatricians office and told them what she had told me and they said they would talk to the doctor and get back to me. Well, I left work immediately b/c I don't play around with the head and I wanted to eyeball this myself. When I got home it was exactly as my mom had said and I loaded him up and we went straight to the Peds office. The doc looked at him and measured it - 8cm x 8cm (for those wondering) - squishy fluid filled mass. She ordered a CT scan (which then had to be confirmed with insurance which took forever) and across the street to the Spine Center we went.

The technician told me when I walked in that we would give it the "good ole American try" - and by this she was talking about my 10 month old lying perfectly still in a strange machine for 5 minutes. I asked if he didn't, couldn't they just sedate him? And she informed me they can only do that in B'ham. SO, I politely asked if she would turn out the lights, which she did - still some "security lights" stayed on and I attempted to cuddle and rock my non-cuddle and non-rockable son. It worked!!! Maybe it had something to do with the fact that it was 11:30 and he had missed his morning nap, but he fell asleep and I laid him down on the table b/w the head rests and she wrapped the drape (to protect him from radiation) and a towel and a velcro blanket around him and his eyes popped wide open. I just knew he was about to start thrashing - but NO! He laid there perfectly still while red lasers came over him and the radiation started swirling and the table started moving back and forth - I guess it kind of mesmerized him. He was a perfect angel - I got a few pictures afterwards with my cell phone camera, just for proof, but I don't know how to put them on the computer, so you'll have to take my word for it. I hope you all are still with me - the end is coming soon....

SO I go home and WAIT - now I'm not a worrier by nature, but man it was HARD 3 hours - God was telling me "slow down, don't miss the little things in life, your chidren are only little once, just BE....." sometimes it takes these kind of days to snap us back to GOD, to rely on Him, b/c there's nothing else within ourselves that we can rely on. I gave up complete control over my son's precious life and gave it to God. He was His. I was His. This day was not my own - and when I began to claim it back as my own, He pulled it right back into His hands. You see at this point I had heard nothing. I bathed Emma Claire and dressed her in her beautiful bunny rabbit Easter dress and got out the boys' matching jon-jons and got Henderson dressed. I was going to take them to the University to take Easter pictures in the gorgeous yellow tulips on this delightful Spring day. Then I got the call that changed all that. First it was that the Pediatrician wanted to assess him again and talk to me - she had talked with the Radiologist and that's all I knew. I woke Wilson up and took them over to Bud and Di Anna's house (Will's parents) and on my way to the Peds office I got a call from the pediatrician herself telling me she wants me to pick up the cd of the CT scan and take it to the Pediatric Neurosurgeon at Children's Hospital in Birmingham. Ya'll, I gave it ALL up. You see this life is not my own - God is in control and until I give it up daily, He will keep reminding me.

I went back home to get enough formula and snacks and a cell phone charger and the important CAMERA (you've got to be prepared) not knowing if we would be there 2 hours or 2 weeks. I drove to Birmingham and for a little comic relief got pulled over for going 80 mph on the interstate - you think, wow! I go 80 all the time - well, it was in one of those "congested spots" where the speed drastically goes from 70 to 50 - I was talking on my phone to a dear friend trying to gain some encouragement and keep from completely losing it when I saw the lights in the mirror. The man started out very mean - demanding to know WHY I was going 80 mph in a 50 zone and passing 3 police cars while at it - WHAT?????? Ya'll, I never saw those police cars - NEVER. I told him exactly what was happening and that I had only one thing on my mind - to get to the ED at Children's hospital. At that point he believed me (thank you Jesus) and let me go quickly but safely with a warning. I was willing to whip out the CT scan CD and cry my heart out, anything NOT to get a ticket.

WE arrived (safely) at the hospital and got right back. The Nurse Practioner saw him and looked at the CT scan and didn't think much of it. 1.5 hours later we saw the Neurosurgeon and this is what he said, "Well, that was unimpressive" Say what? Seriously? That's all? I think he was flabbergasted that we were even there. We have seen several doctors in Birmingham for different issues and that is ALWAYS how I feel - I guess they see so many children with REAL problems that ours dim in comparison. Which is GREAT and AWESOME and I am so very very thankful that it is nothing. I asked a million questions of course of why did the swelling just all of a sudden start on the 3rd day when there was NONE whatsoever before - and he really didn't have any answers except that the 3rd day is usually the peak for swelling.

GREAT news, we're back, he's asleep, I'm NOT (b/c of all the caffeine I drank on the way home) and hopefully we won't have to see any more doctors for awhile. A big thanks to my mom and sister, Katie who were at the hospital with me. BOO HISS to the rule of only 2 adults in the back per patient - sorry Katie, that you had to sit out in the waiting room all by yourself - but THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! Thanks to Ellen and Bud and Di Anna for ALWAYS being there when I need you and to Ashley for your encouragement and being there ALL THE TIME!!!!!!

This is how this little guy felt about being there (notice his right, your left, side of his head and the big bump - it's really squishy)

He was a wild man - they wouldn't let him eat and we wouldn't let him on the floor - GROSS- and it was his bedtime and he got CRAZY - couldn't sit still!!!!!
We dug out EVERYTHING!!!


He climbed all over that stretcher - up and down - very nearly got a few more bumbs on his head - he would have given Wilson a run for his money in activity level!!!!

Thanks to all who prayed today on our behalf. Thank you Jesus!

***Edited to add: my heart goes out to Natasha Richardson's friends and family - it did not help our situation at all to see this plastered all over the news the same day we were in the ED with Henderson! My heart is broken for her husband and sons. May God bring them peace and draw them near through this tragic situation. Life can change in an instant.