Days in the Trauma Unit

Ryan was moved from the ICU into the Trauma Unit on Tuesday (I think- the days are really blurred there for about a week), which, while still scary- was a much more relaxed environment and we started to think that the light at the end of the tunnel was maybe an exit rather than a train.

Once we had been there for a day- we were given the all clear to even hold Ryan. This was such a huge relief- the entire time that Ryan was conscious during the last few days- all he wanted was to be held by either Shaun or I... and it was just one of those things we couldn't do. Ryan's trauma doctor wanted him to be absolutely still so as not to disturb the liver, which was slowly starting to get it's HCT levels up. Plus, moving him any more than was absolutely necessary also disturbed his pelvis and collarbone.

Ryan's spirits started to improve upon the move as well. He was still more than a little irritated at the fact that he couldn't move, and it helped that he was allowed a thickened liquid diet. Again- because of the severity of his liver lacerations, he wasn't allowed to eat for about four days (something that if you know Ryan at all- is all but impossible. He just LOVES to eat), so when we offered him a banana- he went ballistic. In retrospect- it was actually kind of sad- he grabbed at the banana like he had never seen food before and was afraid that he never would again. He was so focused on the banana- that he ate a good portion of the peel as well. He wouldn't let us take the banana long enough to peel it for him- I think he was afraid we were taking it away. He ended up throwing the last part of the banana at Shaun because once we did wrestle it away from him long enough to peel some more for him- he was so angry that he wouldn't take anything from anyone.

We were able to cheer him up a little bit though. Grandma Janet came to visit shortly after that and she brought a Winnie the Pooh balloon for Ryan to look/play with. He loved to hit it- but it kept getting away from him, so we ended up tying the balloon to the iron bar that connected his legs in the cast. It worked out pretty well- and it was so nice to finally see a smile on Ryan's face.

We also found that Ryan had started his own following of nurses over here on this side of the hospital too. While still angry at Shaun and I for the banana incident (and he wasn't too fond of anyone that came in wearing a white coat)- he loved the nurses. He found shortly after his move over into Trauma that he was wearing a bunch of leads that were attached to his chest. He also figured out that if he pulled one of the leads off, it started a machine beeping and one of the nurses would come running in. We would go home at night to rest, and when we came back in the morning, the night nurses would have all these stories of Ryan pulling off a lead whenever he needed some company. He would pull one off, wait for the nurse to come in, and then he would stick it back on.

Ryan was also visited by his share of doctors while he was in the Trauma Unit- and again- this was where we started to realize the real danger that he had been in when he was admitted to Primary Children's. I think the doctors were kind of vague in the beginning- maybe it was so that we as parents didn't freak out- or maybe... okay- really I don't know. And there is the possibility that I had a hard time concentrating on EVERYTHING that they were telling us. Anyway- besides the pelvic breaks (which we found out when he was taken back into the Operating Room- the Orthopedic Surgeon had to actually re-set the bones his his pelvis because of the way that they had broken- I am so grateful that he was put out during all of this) , the collarbone break and the lacerated liver- Ryan also saw an Ophthalmologist because of some pretty bad bruising he had behind his eye, which they are hoping won't manifest itself in some type of permanent blindness in the right eye. And because of the hit on his head (which was classified as a mild traumatic brain injury) from the bumper- he is at risk for the next six months for seizures.

It's more than a little overwhelming- but I can't help but think that he'll be alright in the end- there is a reason this little boy is still with us. He must have bigger things to do in this life because his Heavenly Father decided to keep him here with us.