I received a call from camp around 11am. Lydia's face was cut, they didn't know how and there was a lot of blood. Luckily I was working from home and was very close to the park. I grabbed a bag, a change of clothes, some wash clothes, gauze, wrap, tape, some snacks. Also, Lydia's iPad, I knew this was going to be a long day.
The camp counselor met me at the car and said, "I don't know what type of parent you are and what you can handle." I said, "try me, let's go." Lydia came walking to me in near hysterics, holding a bandage to her head. They asked me if I wanted to see it and I said no, not yet. Another counselor came walking up with her broken glasses, another with all her belongings. I wrapped the bandage to her head so she could stop holding it and make it to the ER without bleeding all over herself any more.
The story was, she was on the zip line thing on the playground. You hold on and it takes you across in the air on a track. Kind of like automatic monkey bars, you just hold on and go. It's really fun until it's not. Until you lose your grip, fall from about 6 feet in the air, and the only thing between your head and the rock hard step is your glasses.
We went to CMH KS and sat in a room for awhile so a few people could look and all agree that plastic surgery should do the stitches since it was a little jagged and on her face. I agreed. No plastic surgery services at CMH KS. So we went left and went to CMH Adele Hall. The ER lot was full, thankfully the ER was not. They were expecting us. I used valet. In all my trips to CMH this is the first time I used valet. Lydia wouldn't change her blood soaked shirt because she didn't want to get any more blood on the Harry Potter shirt I packed. So there we sat some more in a stinky bloody shirt with the original dirty cuts on her face covered in whatever amateur bandages me and counselors came up with.
We waited. I asked for sedation. They told me no because of her medical history. Child Life came to try and keep her calm during the procedure. Have you met her? She doesn't do calm when there are pokes of any kind involved. It was nice of them to try. After Lydia jumped off the bed and escaped the room once and attempted another time, I looked at the room of 5 medical professionals and said, "this isn't going to get any better, let's wrap her, hold her down and get this done."
I wonder what these people think of me sometimes. I don't sit in the chair and wait. I don't hold her hand and comfort her. I hold her down, swaddle her tight, hold her head or other body parts. I have watched blood draws, I've watched central lines go in, and now I've watched stitches.
We wrapped her in a sheet like a burrito as best we could. This girl is pure muscle, growth hormones, remember? Child Life had her right leg. A nurse had her left leg. Another nurse had his elbows pinning her arms while laying on top of her to use his hands to steady her head. I was right in her face trying to talk to her about Taylor Swift, 3rd Grade, and how many Robux she wanted for Roblox when all this was over. The surgeon and his student were also right in her face stitches up the raw flesh on her face.
If the nurse, surgeon, student, Lydia or I had any illness to share in that moment we all would have it. We were up in each other's business. I saw the inside of Lydia's face, under her skin, exposed things that I was never meant to see. I also saw them numb her with big needles. I also saw them sew her up with curved needles. It was all way less glamorous than the hot plastic surgery doctors on Grey's Anatomy make it seem.
After about 6 hours of fun in two ERs, we were done. The message from the doctor was no sun, no pools, no sunscreen for 3 weeks. All my energy left my body. I felt exhausted at that point. He could tell. He hugged me. Maybe it was for me, maybe it was for her, or maybe him, but we all needed that hug. The nurse took her to pick out prizes and I nearly lost it in the empty room. I don't lose it much when it comes to Lydia's medical demands. I done that day. You wipe the tear, take the breath and you smile as she comes back in the room talking like that last traumatic 30 minutes never happened.
Amazing, Brave and Courageous Lydia.
What the heck was I going to do with her for 3 weeks and no summer camp?
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