10 things I've learned about concussions

 Last Tuesday started out like any other day, Brian went off to work and the girls and I decided to play outside since it was sunny. I was weeding and Kinsey and Brielana were playing on the patio, Stella lounging in the dirt. My mom came by to visit and I turned my back and then the day turned upside down.

I heard a thump and my mom saying over and over again, "ohmygod" and I just got a sick feeling; Kinsey was laying on the ground, my mom holding her head in her lap and I went into autopilot. I picked her up as she asked me, "what happened?" and brought her inside to put an ice pack on her head (which had a raised bump already) and also gave her a popsicle.

She sat on my lap for a bit with the ice pack on her head and I gave her some comfort but also was thinking/praying/worrying. My mom was holding Brielana and she told me Stella came zooming by and completely knocked her off her feet which caused her to fall backwards and hit her head.

I made her a jelly sandwich as it was 12:30p and put on Alice in Wonderland for distraction. About 30 minutes after her fall and right after she told me she was done with her sandwich she promptly threw up and I knew something was wrong.

I cleaned up her vomit, asked my mom to watch Brielana and called our Pediatricians office. I was forwarded to the nurse line (the office was out to lunch) and I told the answering service what happened and asked if I should let her sleep since she was starting to close her eyes. She actually told me, "I don't care if I get in trouble, I'm a mom and grandma, don't let her go to sleep. The nurse will call you back shortly." 

I rouse Kinsey and am pretty much crying at this point when the nurse called and she was asking me questions about what happened when she asked, "Does Kinsey remember what happened?" So I ask her and she answered "no." Immediately the nurse says "I'm calling your doctor, get to the ER she has a concussion." I'm full-blown sobbing as I call Brian at work and I tell him about Kinsey and needing to go to ER and can he meet us there? 

It was a horrible 15 minute drive, Kinsey threw up again on to her blanket and was starting to nod off so I had her look up at the roof of the car and answer yes and no questions and I prayed for her out loud. We finally parked at the hospital (front row parking, praise God) and it was the biggest relief to see Brian standing at the check-in desk. They immediately weighed her, and brought her into a room saying "we have a C3" (which is the highest level on the concussion scale and includes loss of memory and nausea) She threw up again once we got into the room and the doctor ordered some CT scans to be done.

Brian went with Kinsey and I called my mom to let her know what was going on. When Kinsey got back from the scan she was given half a Zofran but drank too much water and juice that it made her throw up again. 

The nurse brought her a popsicle but she had to eat it slowly for fear of more vomiting. At this point the scans came back clear, she had no hemorrhaging or fracture but because of all the vomiting they wanted to keep her overnight for observation. A second half dose of Zofran was given and we waited for the new room.

The pill worked wonders! Her gray pallor went away and she started to be chatty and silly again, it was like night and day.

We get word the new room is ready and get set up in there.

By now its 4:30p and Kinsey is saying she's hungry and wants Mac n cheese (a good sign of recovery) but we wait an hour until a dinner tray is brought in. She drinks broth, eats some jello and lemon ice and has some bites of my and Brian's sandwiches. No more throwing up and Kinsey's sense of humor is intact.

Brian stayed overnight with Kinsey and I went back home to Brielana and it was the saddest, quietest night ever. I didn't put the night light on in Kinsey's room and that filled me with a very deep sadness. Strange how little things like that cause such acute feelings.

I got up early and arrived at the hospital right before the Doctor made her rounds and we were the first patients she visited. We went home shortly after that with 'healing a concussion information' and it felt so good to have everyone back together under one roof.

It has been a week of lots of resting, going to bed early, no screen time whatsoever and eating healthily. But the best news is by Friday (3 days after her fall), Kinsey was as spunky and happy (if not a bit put out that she couldn't just play and run around as per usual) and seeing her well is phenomenal!

1. Accidents happen. We've been outside countless times without so much as a scratch. Don't blame yourself for a freak occurrence.

2. Know the signs of head trauma- thank goodness for that dispatcher who went against protocol and let me know she shouldn't sleep. I only vaguely knew throwing up was bad but didn't know exactly why.

3. Having a support system is a MUST- I'm so thankful my mom was there to watch Brielana, Brian's work was so quick to let him leave (and called/text him to see if Kinsey was okay) and my lovely blogging mom's group for keeping me grounded with prayers and words of encouragement and support.

4. Our ER is located in the same hospital that Brian and I were born in, our siblings were born in and where I had Kinsey and Brielana. I couldn't think of a place I trusted more with the care of my child. All the nurses and doctors were amazing!

5. Brain rest is real- the first two weeks after a concussion the brain is it's most fragile and cutting out tv/screen time, resting and keeping calm, keeping the lights dim and eating healthily all help it to heal faster.

6. Mood swings are to be expected. Kinsey went through a trauma and her mood swings were crazy the first two days; irritability, weepiness and outbursts.

7. Limiting social and physical interactions is exhausting- I get serious cases of antsyness and having to take it easy is hard, so I totally sympathize with Kinsey. By Saturday Kinsey declared, "I just want to be the way I was!" because I wouldn't let her run around.

8. Concussions impair large motor functions and balance and coordination are off for a few weeks, thus no running, jumping, climbing, or playing sports.

9. I got this tip from the ER nurse about vomiting and dehydration- if your child is throwing up and you worry about dehydration, give about 2 Tablespoons of liquid every 2-3 minutes. 

10. We got a copy of her CT scan and Kinsey has a BIG brain, like the technician commented, "Wow, you have a big brain!" It's a trip to see the skull outline and then the whole cavity filled with brains, folds and all. And then there's a view where we saw her eyes! Technology is amazing.

Linking up with Beth and  Karli.