Nasty Nose

The sentence, "It started off as a normal day," is a typical opening when people write about experiences that have affected them and why shouldn't it be? When something happens unexpectedly we're almost always doing something normal or routine. It's the unexpectedness of the event that changes our day around and gives us something to later reflect on, talk about, or write down.

Thus I begin this entry with the cliche "It started off as a normal day...." and for anyone who has followed my life with my children know that while I write about an unexpected event, this type of thing really has become normal for me. So perhaps I should say start with, "It was another typical day for me...."

My children, who were home from school, were enjoying the morning with their Dad, who didn't have to be to work until later that morning. I decided to take advantage of Stuart being home and went upstairs to make some phone calls uninterrupted and without feeling like I would be neglecting my children.

While I'm on the phone Claire comes upstairs and says in a steady voice, "Mom, Jeremiah split his lip and you need to come downstairs."

I excused myself from the phone and walked down stairs unalarmed and unconcerned. After all, kids bite into their lips all the time. I did hear Jeremiah crying, which surprised me a bit since he has nerves of steel and this sounded like it was the "I'm really hurting" cry. I picked up my pace a little bit and turned into the kitchen to see Jeremiah sitting on the counter with blood coming out of his nose and Stuart trying to stop it.

(Ok, mental note. I need to refresh Claire on the difference between nose and lips.)

I still didn't panic. I figured heads had collided resulting in a bloody nose. So I walk over to Jeremiah and got the scoop on what happened. Claire and Jeremiah were playing basketball and both dove for the stray ball. Jeremiah's nose connected with the coffee table in mid dive. My heart picked up just a bit. I peeled back the tissue and said, "I need to go call his pediatrician now. Keep trying to stop the blood."

Of course, I can't get through to the office. No one answers. Then it dawns on me--it's a holiday. Why wasn't I paying more attention? My kids attract injuries/illnesses on holidays like scattered bread crumbs in a park attract pigeons. Frustrated I hung up the phone and said, "I have to take him to the ER." Stuart, who is level headed, had gotten ice on Jeremiah's nose and the bleeding to slow long enough to look up Jeremiah's nose. He said, "Yes you do." Then followed with, "You don't want to look up there."

Ok, that of course gets me very curious. Even if it is my son I still am medically curious about the going-ons and of course have to look. His nostrils was almost swollen shut. Not to mention the blood stuff. No wonder the blood had slowed down.

I called my new friend with whom we had a scheduled play date. I asked her if I could drop Claire off there while I was at the ER. She was very willing to help and I was grateful. Stuart had to get going to work and I didn't want to drag Claire to the ER for who knows how many hours we would be there. So I packed up and left. My friend is thankfully only minutes from the hospital.

At the hospital we were blessed to beat the rush. When we arrived about 4 other people checked in soon after us. The lobby was still fairly full and so our wait was about an hour and a half. Still, it could have been worse. People still need medical attention on holidays. They have to go somewhere and the ER is where they go.

When we finally got to see the doc he gave me some q-tips and had me clean out Jeremiah's nose. I didn't mind doing it because he is my son, but I did think, "If I'm forking out the big bucks for this visit, the least they could do would be to clean out his nose for me so I'm not the bad guy." The doctor then looked up his nose and said, "Well you need to wait for the swelling to go down. Then call your Pediatrician and see who he recommends to see." He didn't know if it was broken, didn't know how/if they would treat it. He did tell me to watch his breathing to make sure it wasn't being affected and that there was a cut on the inside so Jeremiah might bleed more. Our chat was about 5 min. I think that's going to break down to about $100/minute on my bill.

As we left I knew I would hate getting the bill but still would have done the same thing over again. Not having any experience with this sort of thing you do what you need to do when others aren't available. There was no way I was taking the chance my son couldn't breath ok. Throughout the day his little face continued to swell. I was glad when it was bed time because he was starting to look like his post surgery pictures which brought out all sorts of emotions in me. By the time he went to bed he couldn't breath out of the swollen nostril so I made a bed for him right by me. I would listen to his raspy breathing and just be glad I could tell he was getting air in. I haven't seen him yet this morning since it's been dark but I'm hoping today he looks and feels better.

And so I add yet another medical incident to my experience file. I've learned a bit more and will probably learn more as this heals up. Jeremiah has officially decided he does not want to be a basketball player when he grows up. "It hurts your nose." he says. I've learned that atypical or typical day, these sorts of things just happen and when they do, use them to find good moments. Like extra snuggles from your wiggly toddler. Teaching your daughter that blood isn't gross, it's just part of the body like boogers and tears, then watch her laugh hysterically because her mom said "boogers". Then remember those moments as much as you remember the scary times.