Daughter - Head Injury

[carlflaherty]

Today has been the worst day of my life! I have never been so frightened and worried. I just can't sleep!

Ok, today my daughter had an accident. I live in a first floor flat with my partner and daughter. My daughter, Keira, is 13 months old.

At 14.45 today, my dad left after a visit. He left is phone so i ran downstairs to give it to him. The next thing i know is my girlfriend is screaming and i run in. As i walk in i see my daughters head bounce off the bottom concrete step Sad

Let me explain. We have two doors. One upstairs, and one downstairs. Between the upstairs and downstairs doors there are 30 concrete steps. I know, damn concrete! As i ran downstairs to give my dad his phone, i shut the upstairs door, or atleast i thought i shut it property. As i opened the downstairs door, the wind must have blown the upstairs door back open as i can't of been shut properly.

With this, my daughter, who started wlaking about 2 months ago and has now started running around everywhere, ran straight from the kitchen and out of the upstairs door. My partner followed her. Without time for my partner to grab her (shes 10 months pregnant), Keira has tried to climb down the stairs. She fell head first off the top step and her head hit every step on the way down. As my partner screamed, i ran back into the downstairs door way, and caught my daughter just after hear head has just bounced of the bottom step.

I couldn't even breathe! As i picked her up, she was in so much pain she couldn't even cry. Her little body covered in cuts and bruises and her head swollen all over.

I rushed her straight to hospital, both me and my parter frightened. We ran into A&E, to be met by a cue about 10 people long. Not one person offered to let us speak to the receptionist first!!!!!

With this, i ran straight to the nurses desk, where they quickly looked at her and told us to go and sit in the waiting room!!!

We sat there for 2 hours with Keira crying before they finally came to see us, and they just gave her some calpol and sat us back down!!! No

Another hour later, the give her a full examiniation.. if i could even call it that. They didn't even stip her down. They couldn't check her pupils were dialated as she wouldn't sit still. With that, they gave us a leaflet explaining all about head injuries in children, told us to give her calpol and sent us home.

My daughter has 8 hugh bruises all over her head. She won't drink or eat, and she has been mostly asleep since the accident.
I am really worried, i saw the way here head bounced off the bottom step, but yet the hospital insit that shes ok and just needs rest. How can they say this without a thorough examination.

The bad thing is, our top door way is to narrow to get any pressure safety gate to fit. The only thing that will fit is a screw fit safety gate, which my landlord refuses to let my fit!! The top door doesnt even close properly!!! Im so damn angry!

So, after all of this, my daughter is asleep in her cot in our bedroom. I dare go to sleep incase anything happens to her. She just looks like some one has kicked hell out of her body, covered in hugh bumps, cuts and bruises. Should i take her back to hospital and demand she is looked at properly?? Should i take her straight to the doctors in the morning? Ever since the accident, when shes been awaks she has has a bad temper, lashing out at us and constantly screaming.

Your advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Carl

 

[ColtonsMom]

OMG! I cant imagine how awful that would be. I saw my son roll off our bed and cried for 15-20 minutes!
I would definitally take her to the doctor. Especially with what you have described about her bruises and everything. I wouldnt take just what the ER doctor had said.

 

[Deise]

Get her to the doctor first thing in the morning! Im not sure where you are, but I would be outraged that they didnt xray/CAT scan to make sure there wasnt any bleeding on the brain, etc. and keep us updated!

 

[kookie]

thats terrible i'd definately get her to the dr asap hope shes okay

 

[sabby52]

Awww poor little girl, I would go to doc ASAP, oh and I think you made a mistake a woman cant be 10 months pregnant, I think you meant 9. Hope your little girl is better soon. Take care

 

[oOKayOo]

go to the docs asap! Hospitals make me so angry when do fob people off! please update us , i hope she is feeling alittle better

 

[xarlenex]

Thats a shame I would definately take her to the doctors xx

 

[Tilly]

That sounds terrible, I really hope she is ok soon. I would definitely take her back to the hospital or doctors to get a full check up done and make a complaint about the hospital.

Hope you're ok

 

[Amanda]

Definitely take her to the doctors, or even back to the hospital. That sounds awful.

As for the stair gate... I think you now have a perfect example of why you need to put a screw-in gate, and personaly I would just do it and worry about what the landlord says afterwards. Are you allowed to put pictures up on the walls? That's putting holes in the walls, so surely this isn't any different. They can be filled in a couple of years when the gate comes down. I also got confused with how pg your gf is, but in about a year, you'll have 2 toddlers running round and a door that doesn't shut properly. Good luck.

 

[cherylanne]

If your in England take her to your GP, they will look at her properly and have the power to book a CT scan and other tests for your daughter the same day, they can also refer her back to the hospital for her be placed on an observation ward for upto 24 hrs. This will enable the doctors to watch her carrying out task etc to determine if there is any damage.

I hope she recovers soon and i hope you and your partner are ok, it is very scary when your child is hurt.

Take care xx

 

[hypnorm]

I'm surprised they were so unconcerned considering you have told them that she had falled down a stair way of concrete stairs, she could have had broken bones and even bleeding on the brain. Dilated pupils too?
Personally i would be taking her straight to the doctors again or a+e you can't mess about with head injuries..

Also 10 months preg?? think your partner needs to see the doctor!

 

[jobee2222]

Take her in to the doctors or a childrens emergency room as soon as she wakes up. Head injuries are very dangerous and she sounds like she had quite a bad one. It may be just a few bumps but better safe than sorry.

 

[LaDY]

Omg...Bless her...poor little baby...do take her to the GP definatlly first thing, at least you will have peace of mind and know your LO is ok...you and your partner must be so upset...bless you both...let us know how she gets on. Lots of love to all of you xxx

 

[oOKayOo]

I'm surprised they were so unconcerned considering you have told them that she had falled down a stair way of concrete stairs, she could have had broken bones and even bleeding on the brain. Dilated pupils too?
Personally i would be taking her straight to the doctors again or a+e you can't mess about with head injuries..

Also 10 months preg?? think your partner needs to see the doctor!

i was just wondering this!

 

[cherylanne]

I'm surprised they were so unconcerned considering you have told them that she had falled down a stair way of concrete stairs, she could have had broken bones and even bleeding on the brain. Dilated pupils too?
Personally i would be taking her straight to the doctors again or a+e you can't mess about with head injuries..

Also 10 months preg?? think your partner needs to see the doctor!

i was just wondering this!

me to

 

[sam's mum]

I'm surprised they were so unconcerned considering you have told them that she had falled down a stair way of concrete stairs, she could have had broken bones and even bleeding on the brain. Dilated pupils too?
Personally i would be taking her straight to the doctors again or a+e you can't mess about with head injuries..

Also 10 months preg?? think your partner needs to see the doctor!

i was just wondering this!

me to

So was I?!

But I'm shocked that a hospital wouldn't do any more, at least x-rays and keep her in. They won't usually let an adult with a head injury go home without monitoring them overnight first, so I'm amazed that they would send a child away. If you'd called an ambulance when it happened they would have rushed her straight through, so I also can't believe that they would make you sit in the waiting room.

I'd take her back to the hospital straight away and demand some x-rays

 

[Rachiebaby24]

I would definately go to the doctors or go back to the hospital...is there another hospital you could go to?

As for the stair gate, i would install the gate anyway....or i would call up the landlord, explained what happened and threaten to sue as the accident would not have happened if you had been allowed to fix a stairgate. If you fill in the holes when you leave whats the problem.

Im sure your daughter will be ok (their heads are still softer than ours when young) my little brother fell onto a brick wall when he was 2 and cut his head open and my god....he looked like something from a horror movie with blood all down his face and t shirt.....!

Try to keep her awake as much as possible....to avoid concussion and give her calpol or junior disprin for the pain....she probably will have headaches for a while....

but definately either see your doctor straight away or go back to the hospital and say you wont leave until she is checked out properly....

 

[cherylanne]

Anyone heard how they got on? how's she doing?

 

[Baby-Love]

Aww, poor little love.
I hope she's better today.

 

[sabby52]

I was wondering to, hope the little girl is okay, and the 10 month preggers woman.