I have been ignoring this blog for quite some time. I started this as a second attempt at blogging and breastfeeding. I was only able to sustain breastfeeding for six months (but that's a feat for me considering I only breastfed Elissa less than four months, mixed feeding pa) and it seems that I was about to botch my chance at this blog again.
It's not that I do not have anything to say (friends know me as someone who always had something to say all the time) but maybe I just needed the time to actually log-on, compose, possibly post pictures and write. Ok, I became lazy. But that's not really the point. I suppose everyone deserves a second chance and my inspiration for this sudden post is my daughter Katrisse, who also had a second chance in life.
Last Tuesday, Adrian and the kids were supposed to go swimming at the Country Club when they decided to pass by the house that's being constructed. It was actually just a routine thing as there are times when we bring the kids to the site to see the progress of the house. Poppop was carrying Katrisse when he lost his footing and slid down the stairs. We don't know if Katrisse hit her head during the fall or only at the last moment but she suffered a concussion because of the accident. Good thing that Poppop is OK (it is sometimes scary for older people to have accidents, especially falls) but Katrisse was unconsious for a while and had to be brought to the emergency room.
I was on my way back to Ortigas from Pampanga when I got the call from Adrian. All I could comprehend was that Katrisse and Poppop had an accident and that they were bringing Katrisse to the emergency room of Asian Hospital and that I had to go there right away. I had hoped that it was not serious as I could hear Katrisse crying in the background. I thought that if the baby was crying, then it shouln't be too bad, right? But then the suggestion to have a CT Scan seemed that the situation was critical and that we had to know for certain if she'll be alright.
That was probably the fastest Pampanga to Alabang trip that I had because I was already walking to the emergency room about 2.5 hours from Adrian's first call. Katrisse could not do the CT scan as she was awake and could not sleep. We didn't want to sedate her just yet. Oh but I tried to touch her head - it was depressed and soft on one side, a bruise on the other. She looked so tired and puffy, maybe from the crying. At this point, I was still very calm.
She had to have an IV and it took three doctors and five (my gosh FIVE!) attempts just to stick a needle in her vein. I tried to detach myself when looking at each attempt as she could not stop crying nor spanking at the person (or persons) holding her down. If I didn't detach myself, I could have probably shouted at these doctors for adding stress to my baby but I understood that they were just trying to do their job and that it was really really hard to get a good vein from her.
Finally the CT scan was performed and a few minutes later, the pedia called me for the results.
It wasn't easy for any mother to hear "slight fracture", "skull depression", "hemorrhage" in a matter of seconds. My calm frame just had to make the tears fall as the accident dawned on me at that time. It was only then I realized that she fell at the construction site, which can be very deadly (all the while I thought it happened at home) and from the story of the yaya, she fell unconscious for a few minutes, was limp and unresponsive, until the car ride to Asian. From then on, I held Katrisse in my arms until we were wheeled to our room.
Since she had to be observed for at least 48 hours we did not leave the hospital that night. Yaya and Adrian went home to get our things. It was a time for me to pray the rosary and to do a text brigade to family and friends to make me strong, after all, one cannot doubt the power of prayer.
The pedia-neuro came in a few minutes later and assured me that the fracture will heal and that the bleeding should be absorbed back by the body in due time. She did some tests and Katrisse was responding quite well. We stayed for three nights, with Katrisse being out of the IV after the second night. She was very responsive, already playing with her aunts when they came to visit on Wednesday and we were glad that Friday was spent at home.
However, we had a slight scare on Saturday as we felt that she had a seizure. That day was spent going around hospitals for a second opinion and an EEG test to determine her condition. This was probably the longest three-day weekend as we only got the result of the test today - normal EEG! She's OK :) (Thank you, Lord!)
Of course, we now have to be extra careful and while she's recuperating, we're not letting her watch any TV as to not excite the brain too much. She's "grounded" in her playpen that are full of pillows to avoid any hits on her head. I already bought a lot of the rubber mats so in case that she can already play on the floor, it should cushion any falls. We all seem a bit overreacting but better to do the extra effort than to go through the anxiety again.
I believe that Katrisse has her second chance now as I know that it could have been much worse.
And as for this blog, this deserves a second chance too. Although this will not merit a miracle ;)
