Last week was one of the most traumatic weeks our little family has experienced. Teddy fell out of a tree and sustained two lacerations to his liver. He is fine now but we had a few very scary days in Intensive Care as we waited to see if his liver would recover on its own. The tree was only 3 1/2 feet tall but all the impact of his fall must have somehow concentrated in his little liver, causing it to split.
After he fell, he was winded and I hugged him until his breathing calmed. But the ache in his chest remained. We went home and rested on the couch. It was three hours later, when he threw up, that we realized he might need more serious medical attention.
We immediately took him to our little community Emergency Center where he was examined by a wonderful doctor. Fearing liver damage, the doctor ordered a CT scan which confirmed that Teddy had two lacerations on his liver, one 5 cm long and the other 2 cm long.
We were transferred in the ambulance to Children’s Hospital where we spent 24 hours in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. His blood was tested every two hours to make sure his hemoglobin levels remained stable… if they had dropped, it would have been a sign of internal bleeding and Teddy would have needed to have been operated on. Getting the news every two hours that his hemoglobin levels were stable was such a relief. He had IV’s in his arms and heart monitors on his little chest and he looked at me with big eyes devoid of sparkle. It was heartbreaking to see my little boy in such danger and all I could do was hold his hand and tell him that he would be okay.
On the second day, with his hemoglobin levels remaining stable throughout, we were transferred to the regular pediatric hospital ward for a few days. It was such a relief to know that he was out of the woods. He remained quiet and low of spirits until his sweet teacher delivered hand-drawn cards from his classmates. Each one was a picture of the hospital, or the ambulance, or Teddy falling out of a tree. For the first time, he smiled. And then he laughed. His eyes lit up as he read which friend had drawn each picture. It was amazing to see the effect that community love had on my sick little boy. From that moment on, he started to recover. Color came back into his face and his appetite returned.
It’s true. Love can heal.
We are back home now. Teddy is fine with no pain at all. He has strict activity restrictions for the next 4 to 6 months… no sport or any activity that could result in any sort of pressure to his abdomen… which, when you think about it, is EVERYTHING! What if he trips and falls and bumps his tummy? What if a friend pushes his tummy playfully? What if a basket ball hits him in the tummy? It’s scary.
But we are very grateful that he is home and healing. All the hospital staff were wonderful to us, treating Teddy with respect and kindness. We thank them all.
The months ahead will be challenging, trying to contain an 8 year old boy so if you have any ideas on how we can help occupy his mind, please leave them in the comments below.
We’ve had a horrible experience but it has made our love for one another grow even stronger.
Blessings and magic,
Donni
14 Responses
How scary, Donni, glad to hear Teddy is doing well now. Hope he will heal fast with no further incidents.
Hi Anya. He’s doing fine now… it’s just the no-activity part that is going to be a challenge.Thanks for your good wishes xo Donni
Hi Donni,
So sorry to hear about the scare! And wow. to keep an active child inactive. a big task. My boy was a thinker/reader. And now that he is older he is more active. So, I can’t really say from our experience, other than reading and learning, except making. Do you allow whittling and knife things at his age?
Sandy in the UK
Whittling is a great idea, Sandy! It’s creative and will feel like an activity without him actually being active. Thank you for the suggestion. I’ll research where to start with it. xo Donni
Hi Donni,
What a frightening time for you al!! So glad to hear Teddy is on the mend. Scary to think about how much time Harrison spends climbing trees. Alas, nothing I can do about that I suppose! Best of luck containing your boy. H and I recently discovered the joy of dioramas after building one this weekend for a dinosaur project. Personally I am ready to start a new one, and the theme possibilities are endless!! H caught the bug too! I’ll email you a pic of his work. Could be a fun project idea for Teddy? Take care. Laura
Hi Laura, Thank you for your kind words. A diorama is a fabulous idea. I especially like the idea of a dinosaur diorama for Teddy… he’ll love that and we have a whole box of dinosaurs that he’s ‘grown out of’. They’ll be so happy to be loved again. I’d love to see the photo of H’s dinosaur diorama show Teddy. Great idea… thank you :)
xo Donni
Dear Donni,
I’m so sorry to read about Teddy’s injury. My thoughts and prayers are with your family during his recovery. Someone once told me that when you become a mother, it’s like walking around in the world with your heart outside your body. It’s intense, meaningful work to parent a child. Blessings to you that you may get the rest you need after such a stressful situation, and to Teddy for his body to mend.
XO Heather
Thank you for your kind words, Heather. What you said is so true. On the day your child is born, you are re-born a mother too. Yesterday I picked up a heavy bag and immediately set it down thinking ‘I’m silly to pick this up!’ Then I realized that it’s only Teddy who can’t pick up heavy things. I’ve been so mindful of reminding him of the things he can and cant do that I’ve internalized it. Although horrid, this whole experience has reminded us of how lucky we are to have all the blessings we have. Blessings back to you, Heather. xo Donni
dear Donni my best wishes and hugs <3
Thanks Stella Bella. I miss you!
xo Donni
Yes, Love can heal all. Good luck and 1000 kiss from France…
Thank you for your kind words, Vic. I’ll definitely let him know that he’s getting kisses from France.
xo Donni
What a wonderful teacher and group of friends. Here’s hoping his recovery is uneventful and he heals quickly.
Hi Jen… I know… amazing how the things we think are little things can actually be the biggest things of all. Thanks for your good wishes… I’ll pass them on to Teddy :)
xo Donni