The Seidel Family: Playing Catchup: Grace's Black Eye

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Playing Catchup: Grace's Black Eye

So, back in August, on a Sunday afternoon, when the kids were tired and we'd been at church for a few hours, I made the decision to take them on a quick trip to Joann's Fabric Store for a few things. Vic was still at the church doing some work and I was headed home after that. Well, I should have just gone home. Kids were tired and Grace didn't want to walk or be in the basket, but only held. So, by the time we got to the checkout counter, they were done. I sat Grace on top of the counter and started to get ready to checkout and pay, when she lifts that little leg up and gets off balance and crashes to the ground with a terrible sounding smack to her head. Oh it was terrible! She screamed and cried and I tried to finish paying while holding her and checking her out and just wanting to get out of there. I should not have put her there, but at the same time, she was not trying to get away and was stable enough to normally just sit there for a second. I was so close to her that as this was all happening in slow motion, I grabbed her leg which slowed her down but it slipped out as she fell. It was just awful in that split second. We get to the car where she won't stop crying and her eye immeidately swells up. I was so worried because I felt sure she hit her head and not her eye. But, nothing was popping out or in on her head and it was only becoming a little red. I would normally just watch her and go home, but that eye swelling up made me more concerned. I called Vic to meet me at the ER to take Atticus and I decided to take her in to get checked out. Thank goodness all was ok. The doctor told me that since she was still mad about it and crying and never went unconscious and that when he felt of her head, all bone was intact and nothing seemed to be wrong, that she did not have a concussion or need a CT scan or anything. He told me she just hit her head hard and that is why the swelling was happening and that I should expect to see some bruising around her eye. In fact, as soon as he gave her a popsicle, she stopped crying and started to calm down and get much happier. The ER doctor was SO nice and I was so thankful that all was ok. I was just more worried when that eye immediately swelled up! So, we went home, gave her some pain meds and then watched nothing happen, until the next day. Ironically, I got a stomach bug in the middle of the night (which must have been food poisoning because nobody else got it!) and by morning while I was feeling terrible, she was feeling better...except her eye was bright purple! Had I woken up to that on that morning without having gone to the ER, I think I would have been more worried. It looked terrible. Over the course of the next week, it went from purple to looking worse but finally the swelling went down before our Jellystone Vacation and then was just a black eye for a couple more weeks. So, sweet Grace has had her first and hopefully last ever black eye incident!! Here's a few pictures although it hurts me a little to see them again!