A First, but Probably Not the Last

Yesterday, Asher made his debut in the ER.  We had spent the morning watching Mike compete in his first triathlon (post to come) and then we played at a park in the Seattle area with some friends we haven't seen in a year.  Asher took a tumble from the top of one of the playground structures he was climbing, probably about a 5 foot fall.  He was pretty upset, but consolable, unless positioned in certain ways which led to more tears.  This was not our normal YaYa who usually bounces right back up when he falls.  Anyway, we opted to head home and take him to a local hospital where the ER wait would be minimal if any, and close enough to home so that we could drop the girls off with Aunt Sar (thank goodness for family).  

Asher was  a superstar 2 year old patient, and I speak from experience.  He drank up his pain med like a champ and afterward looked at the empty medicine cup and said, "wawa gone, blah!"  (All liquids are wawa, including narcotics apparently.)  He laid still for his arm x-rays which got him a really cool transformer sticker that was definitely a highlight.  Falling from a distance of more than twice his height, also bought Asher a CT scan.  Our second attempt at the CT was a success after a little attitude adjustment for the tech (you never tell a parent that you hate having to NUKE these kids over and over again because they can't lay perfectly still, especially when the kid's mom is a pediatric nurse and will be having a little chat with the Dr. ASAP). Asher was perfectly still without crying during the second try, while I held his head and sang Popcorn Popping, his personal favorite.  Too bad he had to have the first experience.  Anyway, the verdict was a broken clavicle, or collar bone, which the doctor said is probably the easiest bone to break and fix.  So the good news is the CT showed no head or neck injury and there were no broken bones we had to cast.  The bad news is that we are supposed to keep his right arm and shoulder immobilized for 4 weeks with just a sling.  Are you kidding me?  I'm pretty sure he might dictate otherwise, but we'll do our best.

I have to give a shout out to Island Hospital in Anacortes.  They were phenomenal.  We walked right up to the admitting desk and immediately after we signed a few papers, the triage nurse came to get us.  After vitals and a few questions regarding Asher's medical history we were brought to a room and the amazing Dr. Cooks followed us in to do his exam.  Within 20 minutes Asher had recieved his pain meds and was getting his X-ray.  Our little unfortunate first encounter with the CT tech was handled immediately and professionally with sincere apology. We were discharged at 10:30 PM, just 3 hours after walking in the doors.  So for those of you who live in the area, I highly recommend Island Hospital if you ever have the unfortunate need for an ER visit.

This was Asher after he woke up at 10 AM this morning (I think the tylenol with codeine might have had something to do with that), his arm all snug in his jammies, eating breakfast with his left hand.  He just might have to stay in zip-up PJs for 4 weeks.

A moral to this story...never be afraid to demand better care for your children or any family member.  Hospitals are businesses too and they don't want to see their "customers" chased away by bad employees.  So speak up if something does not feel right and give them the opportunity to fix the situation.  And just like any other business, if things are not handled appropriately, take your business elsewhere.  Oh, and one more thing, don't forget to be kind and rational as you employ these guidelines as that is key to getting things done quickly!