Yesterday morning about 8:45 I was jogging on my treadmill. I do this everyday for about 10 minutes. Yes, I realize that is not much. No, I am not jogging to lose weight. I jog because for my health. I am very unhealthy and I can feel it. I am trying to be healthy so I can teach Audrey the importance of eating healthy and being fit.
So, as I was jogging Audrey came into the room. In this room there is a toy box, a rock band drum set, a table for Audrey to color at, a piece of our sectional, and randomly, a baby gate. My point being, this is not a room that Audrey is not allowed in. I recently made it a room that she is safe in, or so I thought.
The random baby gate I mention is right behind the treadmill. Audrey was next to me playing with the drum set and I noticed her walk behind me. I looked back to see what she was doing, what I saw was her facing away from me fidgeting with the baby gate. Due to the fact she clearly had no interest in me or the treadmill I ignored it and figured she would walk back over to her toys.
She didn't. Within 2 seconds of me looking at her, she turned around and got her hand stuck in the treadmill. Exactly how she did it, I do not know. All I know is that as soon as I heard her scream I turned off the treadmill and pulled her hand out as quickly as I could. What I saw, was this.
At first I was not going to take her to the doctor (judge me all you want), then it started swelling and I was not sure what to do. I knew I had to take her in. My Mom came over as quickly as she could and we took her to the little medical center here in Holbrook. Not long after we got there we were told to take her to the ER. They did not have an xray machine she wanted to make sure it was not crushed.
So, we did just that. We went home, grabbed a few things, got in my car, and left for the Winslow hospital. Where we sat in the waiting room for 2 hours, give or take. By this point I was in a complete daze. I was not feeling anything. I was trying to stay strong for Audrey because when she saw me cry when it first happened she became very upset.
Even though we were in the waiting room for so long, it really was not a horrible experience. Audrey was in a great mood. We snacked on pretzels and cinnamon buns, and played games on my phone. Luckily, I had brought a blanket with us, which turned out to be a blessing because it was freezing in there. We cuddled in the blanket and took Audrey for walks around the hospital.
Finally she was called back for xrays. She was an ANGEL. She did everything the nurse told her to do without making a single peep. She just sat there. Possibly it was because she scared but she did not look like it. She just sat and watched the nurse do what she needed to do.
From xrays we were admitted to a bed. There was a big room with 3 beds. An 80 year old man on one side, and an 8 year old girl on the other, the three of us in the middle. The only thing separating the beds was a curtain. We could hear everything, and see from the ankle down under the curtain. This was really quite traumatizing because of the events that took place.
Let's start with the 80 year old man. He asked to use the restroom, so they brought him a portable toilet. Moments later (this is really gross so don't be a cry baby), we hear diarrhea noises. I felt bad for him but it was horribly disgusting. The smell was overwhelming. I had to stick my face in either my hands or Audrey's blanket just to breathe. I am so thankful Audrey was not awake because when she smells something, she let's you know. It would have been so embarrassing. I feel bad for the old man but holy cow, it was AWFUL.
Now for the sad part. The 8 year old in the other bed was not there when we first arrived. She was brought in a few moments later by wheelchair. Accompanied by her mother, and a doctor. Just as she went on the other side of her curtain she started to vomit. It was so violent. My mom and I looked at each other in shock.
After she was done vomiting she kept saying to her mom "my stomach hurts," "hold me mommy." Every time she said a word my heart broke even more. This little girl was in pain. It was so very sad. We overheard that she was going to be transported to the Phoenix Children's Hospital by helicopter.
As soon as they arrived they woke her up to place her on the gurney. Right after she woke up she vomited blood which splattered on the floor. I just happened to be looking just as it hit the ground. That image is burned into my memory. After that her mother got on the phone, went into the hallway, and began sobbing. I so badly wanted to go give her a hug. How come nobody was with her? Mother's need support too. Anyway, I will be praying for that little girl.
Back to Audrey. The doctor came in and informed us that there were no broken bones (big sigh of relief, even though I sort of figured). They said it looked like a burn so they were going to treat it as such. A nurse came in, covered it in an ointment, and wrapped it in a bandage. An hour later we signed the discharge paperwork and went home, finally.
I learned a whole lot from this. #1 I learned that Audrey is going to be injured throughout her life and the only thing I can do, is try my best to remember that things that seem harmless may not be. I need to be more cautious. Especially at this age, she wants to get into everything. Because apparently I am going to have to be able to see into the future. #2 I will never complain about how long it takes to be seen in the emergency room. The staff knows what they are doing and there are some people that are far worse than you, even if you do not think so. Case in point, the little girl in the bed next to us. She was very humbling. #3 People are going to say and think, what they want about your parenting. I am not one to care what people think of me unless it is pertaining to my parenting, then I am very sensitive to derogatory statements. I should not be because in my life there are a few people who do nothing but make false statements about others. I should not let it bother me because I know in my heart that I am a damn good mother.
I also learned that Audrey is as tough as nails. She is a trooper and she certainly does not get it from me. Pain does not phase her. She cries more for attention than she does in pain. She was amazing in the hospital and I am so proud of her for being so strong and smiling the whole time we were there.
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| This is from this morning when I did her first bandage change of the day. |
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| She was lazy all day long. |
I am so proud to be Audrey's mother.
I also want to thank my mom for being there for us. I could not have done it alone. I know Brandon would have come but we could not afford it. My Mom was there to offer as much help and support as she could and I am so very thankful.
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