Last week, on a day I wasn't there... little Ana fell down the stairs at her house. She scraped her shoulder & got a concussion! She was woozy, had nausea & even vomited!
Her doctor (who also happens to be my doctor!) gave an "observe & protect Ana" diagnosis for her parents to follow who in turn, gave it to me!
Do you know how hard it is to prevent a 3 yr old from jumping on her bed, running in the house, walking on the stone wall, climbing trees & roughhousing w/her older sister just to keep her safe from maybe bumping her head again?!?!?!?
Next to impossible, I tell you!
It did bring me a memory of my own concussion experience though!
Let me share it w/you!
It was the beginning of summer, between my 3rd & 4th grade.
In the summer it wasn't unusual for my mother to kick us outside to play w/instructions to remain outside until dark! With so many kids, I guess it was how she kept sane during school vacations!
She'd send out a loaf of bread & a jar of peanut butter for our lunch. Sometimes, we got Kool Ade but mostly, we drank from the garden hose if we were thirsty. When we weren't busy w/our chores & other assignments like weeding the huge garden, we had a lot of "yard" to occupy us which included a pond, several muddy streams, trees, hills and an old barn.
One day, while playing in the barn w/some friends, I *fell* through a trap door
(long ago, used by cow farmers as a way to push manure in the cellar of the barn. It collected on a concrete slab so a tractor could scoop it to spread on crops).
I *fell* about 10-12 feet onto the concrete slab, headfirst!
I don't recall the actual *fall* but I DO RECALL waking up, feeling blood running down my face & having extreme pain in my left wrist! I remember screaming & running. My mother & older sister, PJM, attended to my injuries. I was woozy & had nausea so off to the doctor we went.
Once the blood was washed away & they could see the wound, I got 2 tiny stitches. Head wounds, even tiny ones, cause a ton of blood!
My wrist was badly sprained, not broken. I was vomiting by now so I was admitted to the hospital for overnight observation. Every so often, a nurse would enter the room & shake me to be certain I wasn't sleeping. I got my own TV! I got to stay up past my bedtime! Hawaii 5-O was on that night! Finally, I was given the OK to sleep, though by now, I was scared enough about being away from home, that I couldn't fall asleep.
When I returned home the next day, it was right back to my "normal" routine, injured or not! I was expected to do my chores, watch my younger siblings & stay out of the house during the summer days! The only difference I noticed... getting screamed at by everyone who saw me favoring my left, sprained wrist! I thought they were just being mean & thoughtless by insisting I use my very sore & painful wrist, but as it turns out, by using it, I speeded up the healing process. Weird.
And that's the one & only concussion I ever experienced.
*fall* or *fell* It wasn't a real FALL! Unbeknownst to me at the time, my brother, PAM, who enjoyed being a troublemaker, was in the barn cellar & heard me heading towards the area where the trap door was located. He waited until I got close, then... using a long handled rake, he pushed the door open & I went through!
also, I mentioned my sister, PJM, because I remember she ran away from home (for the 1st of many times) while I was in the hospital. I had thought it was odd that she was being so attentive to me that day, but I guess it was her way of saying "good bye".
