Predicament of a parent

On Labor day evening, my niece was riding her bicycle after mastering the art of cycling using her feet to rotate the pedal fully. Seeing this, I started pushing the bicycle with force excitedly.

My niece survived the first two pushes. As a result, the adrenalin levels climbed and I pushed harder. This time, she lost her balance and fell on the concrete floor. Recently, her parents had tonsured her head. So the impacted area swelled up fast and she suffered a massive shock as evident on her face.

Her dad, her mom and me took turns in consoling her. Then, I went home for a change as we had planned to meet in couple of hours for dinner at my sister’s place. When I returned with my family, one of their friends was in the apartment alone.

My niece had vomited twice. Since she fell hitting her head, my sister and her husband took her to St John’s Hospital. The doctor had advised for CAT scan to rule out any hidden issues. The CAT scan can be performed only after 4 hours of the incident. So, they were stuck in the hospital.

We drove to the hospital immediately. On the way, we frantically tried to reach whoever was in the hospital with my niece. By the time we walked into the hospital, the scan was completed and technician had assured us there was nothing to worry about. We felt better and waited for the pediatrician’s final words.

The pediatrician took a look at the scan results and okayed it. He called up a neurologist for a second opinion. After a long wait, the neurologist turned up. He looked at the scan results and confirmed everything was alright.

I was standing by my brother-in-law’s side when the doctor advised him , “Everything looks good. Now, if you see excessive vomiting, unconsciousness or blabbering in the middle of night, please bring her back”.

I conveyed the same to my sister. My sister looked puzzled. After a moment’s pause, she asked “In the middle of night, both of us will be sleeping. The baby will also be sleeping. How will we know if she is unconscious?!”

Tags: Musings,Predicament,St John's Hospital,Doctor,Sister,Niece,Pediatrician,Neurologist