A Scare

What a scare we had last night!

Shianne tripped on the top step going down the basement, and did two somersaults down 17 steps.

Lots of screamin' and cryin'.

We sat with her about 20 minutes. She sat up a little, and was settled down, even smiling at times, but wouldn't move her legs or one of her arms.

She said her neck and back hurt. We were concerned, to say the least.

I called the dr. on call. Got the doctor I don't really...uhm...appreciate. She doesn't have a very high pain tolerance, so we couldn't tell how serious it really was. After talking a bit he said she's not dying, give it 20 minutes. All righty then.

I read to her and encouraged her to try and move her legs (not the smartest thing in retrospect). while reading to her. After about another 1/2 hour, she could move one of her legs and her arm but her left leg was hurting so bad that she'd scream if we tried to move it or even touch it. So I called a nurse at a different facility. She strongly suggested calling an ambulance.

Later we learned from an EMT...if you fall down 2 or 3 times your height in stairs...lie still and call and ambulance.

I've taken first aid. But you want to think everything is just fine.

So, lights flashing, the local volunteer ambulance crew came to our house. Before they arrived my friend, Deanne, came to watch our other kids (thanks so much, D!).

EMTs came down our stairs, and strapped my sweet 10 year old girl on a board with a neck brace.

Not something you like to see. Ever.

I rode in the ambulance. It's not like on tv, I had to sit up front, I couldn't ride in the back with her. But she could still hear my voice.

The hardest part for me to see? She was so incredibly brave. Wow. She never screamed or cried once the EMTs came. She didn't want to in front of them. It was hard to see pain and fear in her eyes and yet try to smile, or at least not cry. She was just so brave.

They took a gazillion xrays. We weren't allowed in the xray room with her. I paced. And paced. But she was brave even though it really hurt.

But good news. No breaks or fractures anywhere as far as they could see. A radiologist read them but they did tell us to watch her. Kids xrays are hard to read because of growth plates. They think she bruised her hip on her left side, and she probably (IMHO) has strained muscles, bruises, etc. Brandy's also taking her to a chiropractor tomorrow morning. If she's still really hurting by Tuesday, we're supposed to take her in to have her checked over.

She's on crutches, because it hurts terribly to put weight on that leg. She's pretty excited about that. (smile) Oh, to be ten. Again.

God has given me (so far) the ability to be calm when my kids are hurt. That's the only way I can explain it. Because ordinarily I'm NOT good with blood or talking about bodily things. I was actually sick to my stomach just talking about those types of things in college biology. My biology teacher in high school said she had one student she thought would pass out during pig dissection...that would be me.

Even last weekend, we came back from Minneapolis and Kalli (our dog) had hurt her ear. It was so gross. I was so grossed out. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

But if I see my kids blood...I'm ok. In fact, when I called Deanne to see if she could watch my kids, she later said I was so calm, at first she thought I was kidding.

Drawback, however. I can hardly pray.

Arrow prayers. Two or three or four word prayers. Fairly often. But last night I wasn't able to actually talk to my Lord.

Because then I would have had to actually admit to myself that there's a chance that she could be seriously hurt. My brain can't go there. The whole time I just think, this is just precautionary, but she'll be fine. It's like if I ask my Father to make it all ok, that means there's a chance that it's not ok.

Convoluted. But that's how my brain works in those situations.

But, thankfully, my husband is the opposite. God paired us well. He's not so calm and collected (at first) when his kids are hurt. But he prays. And prays. And prays. I did think to call my girlfriend and have her call other friends and ask them to pray. And they did.

Shianne says on the way home, "I think their prayers worked, Mom."

Thanks, Lord. For protecting my little girl.