Daily Living - 4/22/08

For those in Pennsylvania, don't forget to vote! I voted already today! The new computerized polls are nice but they sure don't make the process any faster.

Prayers are needed today for Cassandra. She feel off the skateboard last night. We, the family, decided to go for a walk around the block. Cameron on his bike... Cassandra on the skateboard. I was the only one walking.

She went riding down the slight hill (the street we live on has a slide grade). She feel off the skateboard and is all banged up. She skidded and rolled down the sidewalk. She has scrapes and abrasions down one entire leg, both knees, hands, and one arm. She also banged up her face so she has black eyes, scrapes all around the right eye, bruising of the nose, and a swelled lip. Good thing she was wearing her helmet or it would of been a lot worse. To top it off, she fractured her wrist. My poor baby!

My heart is breaking.

I went running when she started screaming. Cassandra is very tough for a girl... for a 6 year old... for a 6 year old girl... so if she would take a tumble (which is rare) she usually just shakes it off. I knew something was wrong when she started screaming.

My heart is breaking.

I didn't know I could run. All out of breath... fearing the worst... I ran to her. Cameron is hysterical because now he saw the blood. I looked Cassandra over for broken bones, major bumps, excessive bleeding, etc. I am carrying the skateboard and holding her hand up the hill. Cameron is behind us pulling on his bike. He doesn't want to ride it now. I'm trying to keep calm... keep her calm... keep him calm.

My heart is breaking.

Single parenting sucks... especially at times like these.

My heart is breaking.

I keep talking calmly to her. We get home. I carry her up the stairs to the bathroom... grab the Bactine, bandages, wash cloths. I stuck her in the tub and poured water over her wounds. Sprayed Bactine on her wounds (not the wounds on the face, of course). I blew air on the wounds so the Bactine wouldn't sting. Poured soapy water and then more clear water over the wounds.

My heart is breaking.

Got her dressed for bed. Finally, got her calmed down and big brother calmed down. (I can't imagine what he thinks when things like this happen since he perceives the world so differently due to his mental health issues.)

My heart is breaking.

Suddenly, her wrist starts swelling up, rapidly. Her arm is all purple and on a biracial colored child seeing purple on that colored skin is a major problem.

My heart is breaking.

Now I'm running around packing up drinks, purse, small toys for Cameron, lovey for Cassandra, etc., so we can go to the ER.

Arrive at the ER in 10 minutes. One nice thing about living in a small town.

My heart is breaking.

Waited for 1.5 hours and the triage nurse hasn't even seen her yet. Cassandra is hurting and crying. Cameron is upset, on sensory overload, and crying.

My heart is breaking.

We go to another ER, about half an hour away. Within 5 minutes, the triage nurse sees her and sends us to registration. An hour later we finally get ushered inside the ER. Not even a regular room, no bed, only one chair. The room is set up for eye, nose, and throat emergencies. But it was a room.

My heart is breaking.

Cameron is on his second wind (its after 10 PM and he is usually in bed at 8 PM) and working out his sensory overload by being erratic, moody, loud, obnoxious.

My heart is breaking.

An hour later a physician's assistant comes in to see Cassandra. We go through the story for the fourth time of the evening.

The P.A. said I did an excellent job of cleaning all the wounds. She said, "Many parents don't clean the wounds which causes more problems and infections."

We went down to x-ray. Got lost on the way to x-ray. I had to hold Cassandra's hand during the x-ray. She is shaking and crying the whole time.

My heart is breaking.

Half hour or so later the doctor asks me to follow him. I follow him to another room where he shows me the fracture in Cassandra's wrist.

My heart is breaking.

The nurse put a splint on her wrist. Then they send us home to mend and to call an orthopedic specialist.

Its been a long evening!

Now my heart is tired.