And our life changed-The ER Visit

June 2, 2011

ARRIVING AT RADY CHILDREN’S EMERGENCY ROOM

Upon arrival I called Jorge to let him know we had gotten there.  I rode in ambulance in passenger side, while Jorgie was in back with 2 emts.  When we entered ER, nurse begins to read EMT report, reading back that Jorgie was pushed by another child.  First time I heard that.  I told her I didn’t know, EMT states he was told that is what happened.

We are taken into a room, numerous nurses and doctors walk in at different times to examine Jorgie, focusing mainly on his left arm and shoulder.  When they would ask me if his behavior was normal I would answer no, that his calm and sleepy behavior concern me.  One of the main doctors walked in and asked me again if he was acting normal, after I insisted that he wasn’t acting normal, she ordered xrays for his left shoulder and a head catscan.  This was approx. 30 min after arriving in ER.  He was taken to catscan within 10 min of order placed by doctor. 

After catscan, we were escorted back to ER room, on our way to room I heard on intercom a request for trauma team in trauma room.  Once back in room with nurse, another nurse rushes in and tells current nurse to take Jorgie to trauma room (1 or 2, can’t remember).  I grew concerned because I heard the intercom message minutes before.  There were many people in the trauma room waiting for Jorgie, I was encouraged to wait in corner while they examined Jorgie.  I heard words “head injury” “brain bleed”, “surgery” but no one explained anything to me until a few minutes later.  The doctor told me they found a bleed and introduced me to one of the neuro-surgeons, who proceeded to explain to me the injury, he showed me scan.  The bleed was pushing brain upward, it was a significant left epidural bleed.  Doctor stated and I quote “if we don’t do this surgery, he could die”.  After speaking with surgeon, he joined team and Jorgie to prep him for surgery.  After talking to surgeon I called a friend to babysit my girls so my husband to get to hospital, I called my husband crying, told him what was happening and to get to hospital immediately because Jorgie was going into surgery.  After call, I was introduced to a social worker who sat me down and gave me a cup of water and tried to comfort me while I cried.  Within 10-15 minutes, Jorgie was being wheeled to surgery,  I was escorted by nurse to a conference room where we would sign anesthesia and surgery consent form, as well as, meet with other surgeon and anesthesiologist.  My husband arrives while I am waiting for doctors.  We speak to anesthesiologist and surgeon.  Jorgie’s surgery begins about 45 min after arriving in ER.  The surgery lasted an hour. 

As we waited in lobby, husband was making calls to family outside, I sat in lobby.  School principal Dawn Minutelli shows up at hospital with concern in voice.  As I explained what happened, there was silence for a few minutes.  She than asks the following question “So does Jorgie fall often at home?”  Of course, I said no because he doesn’t.  After surgery, my husband and I were paged by surgeons, we were taken back to same conference room; surgeon walks in to inform us that surgery was successful they got the clot all out.  I asked him if that clot could have been a pre-existing condition that we just now noticed, he said “no”, this bleed was caused by a severe impact such as a very hard fall.  We were told to wait in lobby a little longer while the team finished up with Jorgie and he would be taken to PICU.  We went to lobby, told principal he was out and stable, she stayed for about an hour, left after Jorgie was out of surgery.  Left me her card and cell phone to keep her updated. 

Jorgie was than taken to PICU, he was intubated.  We weren’t able to see him for about 2 hours after surgery.