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.

Can't afford to take anything for granted

Notes of how our family has been affected by my son's brain injury in June 2011.

How Jorgie and our family has been affected by Jorgie's inability to eat. 

One of the only things that Jorgie had in common with us and others was the fact that he could sit at a table and eat.  He loved the potlucks at church and the fact that he ate so well was a conversation starter and an ice-breaker for those who had never really interacted with Jorgie.  When we would pass by his favorite restaurants, he would yell out from his car seat "HAMBRE!" which means hungry, because he wanted us to go eat.  Dinner time was a very important part of our day as we would sit down together at the table and all of us enjoy the meal.  Jorgie had this strange ability to separate a certain food out of a mouthful and spit it out without spitting anything else out, if he didn't like that certain food.  For example, he wasn't a big vegetable fan, and I would make rice and mix in pieces of carrots or broccoli; we would feed him a spoonful and he would be able to separate (in his mouth) the rice from the vegetable and spit out the vegetables.  He also had a huge apetite, sometimes enthusiastically asking for seconds and even thirds.  We would go to restaurants at least once a week, after a doctors appointment or after church.  Jorgie and I also had our times when I would take him to breakfast, just him and I, he really enjoyed these times.

Now that Jorgie has the g-tube, we have been to a restaurant 3 maybe 4 times in the past year, usually because we can't get home to eat for whatever reason.   We don't plan family dinners in a restaurant on purpose because we refuse to eat and Jorgie feeling excluded.  When I can't cook we will get take-out and bring it home, usually putting Jorgie in his room to listen to music or watch his favorite show. 

Bottomline: mealtime is not the same!

The one thing that connected him and allowed him to feel included and the same as every one else, was taken away from him.

When he was 1-2 years old he had problems gaining weight.  The doctors presented the possibilities of inserting a g-tube to help him gain weight; after attending a meeting with nurses and dietitians and with some advice from therapists, I began cooking hi fat and hi calorie meals, that way every spoonful counted for him.  The pediatrician told me that if he didn't gain 2 lbs by a certain date, the tube would be inputed.  Well he did gain that weight and more, a big relief and victory for our family.  As he got older his eating and weight improved.  He was always underweight on the charts, but very healthy and never diagnosed with failure to thrive or malnourishment, the doctor wanted to keep him slim so we would be able to carry him.  His weight and health was always monitored and every one was impressed by his eating abilities.