Sunday, June 22, 2008

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!

11 comments:

Lee and Carrie Soptich said...

The fun and excitement just never ends with a family does it? Looks like you made it through it though - good job on telling the hospital what you thought. Maybe Asher will grow up to be ambidextrous (sp) ")

Tara said...

What an experience! I am glad that he is mendable. I think boys break more. And, we had to have Paul sedated for a 15 second CT scan, he wouldn't go anywhere near the machine while awake. What a little trooper.

Sarah said...

poor yaya. He looks like his regular happy all be it hoped up on codeine self! welcome to the mother of boys club!

Jenna Marin said...

Drunk Asher is funny, but sober Asher is still way better.
Thanks for being so dedicated to your calling President... seriously, you're just good at life.
And remember. I'm just about 5 feet away and it's summer :)

Kristi said...

Poor lil guy!
I cannot believe that CT Tech! Good for you for speaking up!
So sorry he got his first big injury! Hopefully it will be a long time before the next!!!

d.c.r.k.soptich said...

He still looks so happy! Good thing he is such a strong boy! I know this sounds bad but I can't wait to see him in his one sling!

Calley said...

poor guy! I love that he is such a trooper and still has his little smile on his face all the time. I look forward to seeing him with his one arm duct taped to his body in a few weeks :)

Jen said...

What a tough kid. Good thing he was compiant with the CT. Braden wouldn't even allow the Dr to listen with the stethascope at his last well child check up. Thank goodness we haven't had to deal with that. Good luck keeping that arm immobilized.

Higham Family said...

It's so sad when our little guys get hurt. I think it might be even more emotional when they try to be brave- Good for you for knowing what's okay and what's not, and then speaking up for your rights. I'm glad he's gonna be okay. Thank heavens for AC or the poor little guy might roast in jammies in July.

KellyAnne said...

Oh poor kiddo. He seems to be handling it like a champ though.
I really appreciate your thoughts about how to handle bad situations with businesses and such. You're so right that kindness helps a ton!

Kate said...

Asher is such a star!!! And 20 mins to see a Dr is great. The first time we went to an ER was just an ear infection and it was 2-3 hours just to see him... Big hugs and kisses to make him all better :)