Sunday, February 15, 2009

Sunday am run

Cold, wind, ice, new snow, the-just-before-sunrise-dark.


Base layer, heavy tights, marmot fleece, trail shoes, gu (just in case), cell phone (just in case), extra heavy socks, a layer of aquaphor covering my face.

It's one of those mornings where all you can see is your breath and all you can hear is your feet crunching snow.

Sometimes, I just want to run. It doesn't matter how cold or windy or snowy.

I just gotta run.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

What happened....

Wow---sorry, I didn't realize that I left out HOW it happened.

They were playing a game in PE. Slin was running at an all out sprint when he tripped and went headfirst into a brick wall, at full speed.

The only thing he remembers is tripping and waking up to a bunch of people staring down at him.

One of the boys on our block, and on Slin's basketball team, said that there was blood everywhere (which is normal for a head wound). Last night, his school called me to check in on him. I can't imagine what it must have been like for the rest of the kids in his class.

One funny part is that while we were in the emergency room, and I was looking at his face....which is just JACKED UP. And I noticed his mouth....the teeth that had just spent the previous two years in braces, were perfect, not a chip or cut. I said to Slin, "Well, at least your teeth are ok."

How to spend a Wed evening

Emergency room visit.


Yesterday, I got a call from "Slin's" (name has been changed to protect the innocent), my 13 year old, school. They informed me that just was in an accident and that they contacted 911. In the background *I think* I heard Slin crying/screaming/something.

If you have kids, you've probably gotten the phone call saying they bumped their head, or jammed a finger. So, I'm pretty used to that having two really active boys.

911 puts the call into a different category.

They asked me if I wanted to meet the ambulance at the school or at the hospital. We live within walking distance, so I told them I'd be at the school. On the way to the school, I did my yogic breathing knowing that Slin was going to be very upset and that I had to be calm when I saw him.

When I arrived, there were school administrators everywhere. Blood smeared all over the gym floor and wall. I talked to the school officials. I asked them about his vitals, how long he was unconscious, did there appear to be other injuries. He was unconscious for they thought one minute when he woke up. Just then, the paramedics wheel him past me. He was on the stretcher attached to one of those body boards and neck restraints. He looked like those football players when they wheel them off the field.

His hands had blood all over them. I could only say, "Hi Slin." When they wheeled him past me.

I followed the ambulance to the hospital. When I got to the room, the doctors were just getting ready to remove him from the board and start testing for pain and mobility/spinal injuries.

The doctor's were some of the best around. Although Slin wasn't in any position to laugh, I could see him smiling at the bad jokes they were making.The testing all showed to be normal. The doctor's asked me if he *appeared* to be normal. Well, other than the blood running down his facing, matting down his head, his face looking like Rocky Balboa with a swollen cut up nose, scraped up elbow, bruised knee, yeah, I guess he looks pretty normal.

The rushed him to get a CT scan.A little bit later, Mr. Tea and Googs (15 year old) show up. I give them the update, which was not much at that time. Mr. Tea was shaking and Googs was ok. Until they wheeled Slin back in, and both of them saw his head covered in blood.

Rather than take you through the cleaning and all of the other stuff, here's what we ended up with:Head wound requiring 2 staples.Concussion.Minor cuts and bruises on his face. His nose is swollen but not broken.Cut up knee and elbow which are sore, but minor injuries.His ankle is in a cast. The x ray was inconclusive but since the pain in in his growth plates, the doctor didn't want to take any chances. He is not allowed to put any weight on the leg in the cast, and he's hobbling around on crutches. We have to watch his progress to see if at any point he can put weight on it. If he can, then it's not broken and simply a really bad bruise. If in the next week, he can't put weight on it, then it's likely broken, and we have to follow up in 7 days.

In the meantime, Slin is home today as we have to watch the head wound for infection, check him for headaches/unusual behavior, and make sure he stays off his ankle for the day. He is in much better spirits today and had me take a picture of the staples so he could send them to all his friends. We got a good one with lot's of blood. That made him pretty happy