Another Trip to the Hospital...

...for emergency nose surgery to stop Madison's nose from bleeding.

Believe me-this is NOT an April fool’s joke.

What a night. Madison broke her nose last Monday snowmobiling with her step-dad and a friend in Steamboat Springs. 2 1/2 hours later search and rescue got to her and took her to the hospital up there.

Madison is 12 years old.

After multiple follow up trips to the hospital and doctor back in Denver, including Friday to an ENT-by Saturday afternoon her nose was still bleeding off and on and she had lost so much blood she had become anemic. I took her to the hospital at 6:30pm-her step-dad, brother and mother got there shortly after. I wish they had gotten there at the same time as me so I didn’t have to face the interrogation by the nurse to make sure I was not beating up my daughter, but that was relatively painless compared to what Madison had and would endure. I kept telling myself; “It’s good that they ask these questions so they can bust the bad guys.”

For about the last hour before surgery while the ER staff was trying to figure out how the blood transfusion thing worked-that’s the problem with suburban ERs-very little experience with this process. Now if we were in downtown Denver, they would have had a clue, but it would have taken just as long because of the long line to see the doctor.

Pardon the tangent.

For the last hour before surgery Tyler (Madi’s brother), Me and Jay (her step-father) were holding her head and back up, rubbing her back, and catching the blood that was steadily flowing from her nose (and at one point-her EYES). She kept saying-“When are they going to put me to sleep and fix it?” She was very upset and her back hurt from leaning over to keep from swallowing all of the blood she could not spit out quick enough.

Just before we made the decision to give her a transfusion, my mom called (she lives in KC). She had no idea what was going on, other than she had heard Madison was at the hospital for some reason. I assumed it was Rachel, so I just tapped my blue tooth earpiece and said “hold on a second” (very “24”). All my mom heard was me ask the doctor “What are the risks associated with a blood transfusion?” Then I said-“got to go-I’ll call you back in a few minutes.” What a way to leave her hanging.

Finally, at about 9:30pm they took her back to the OR, while we were left waiting in “ICU waiting” for news from the doctor. We were all at our wit’s end by that time and after they took her away our tears finally started flowing and hugs were going around. Rachel and Eva came by the hospital to give me hugs and pray before they went home so they could get to bed.

At about 11:30pm the doctor came in and said he was able to stop the bleeding. From what I gathered it sounded like the doctor said her septum bones and cartilage were crushed and so jagged they were propping open the wound in her nose and preventing it from closing. He straightened it all out, removed some bone and put some “non-stick splints” in her nose that he would remove Sunday. All in all it was a success.

Madi and her mom spent the night at the hospital and I am going to be leaving soon to go help get her back to her mom’s house. If her nose heals properly we will be done with this. If not, they may have to go in and do another surgery sometime later.

I am hopeful that Rachel and I will be going back to the same hospital later today to have our baby that is due on Monday (or Wednesday-depending on whom you ask)