We Interrupt this Program to Bring You...Audrey's First Emergency Room Visit

This poor little sweetie spent several miserable hours (along with her Mommy and Daddy) in the ER on Sunday evening. While I was working, Corey stayed with Audrey. They were outside playing and throwing/kicking the ball when suddenly Audrey put her hands to her eyes and started screaming hysterically. Corey was right beside her and didn't see anything get into her eyes. Scooping her up, Corey took her inside to flush her eyes out and see if he could find anything in them. All the while, he is trying to get in touch with me and of course my cell phone wouldn't ring. No service apparently...how convenient!!

Audrey continues crying uncontrollably and is still upset when I get home about an hour after the incident. After a phone call to her pediatrician, a long wait for someone to call me back, and then instructions to head to the ER, we jump in the car en route to the hospital. (Let me just say that since Corey is a paramedic and I work around people who make emergency/rescue calls all the time, I try not to overreact or be one of those folks who call the ambulance or rush to the ER just for a slight injury. But after not being able to console her at all, that was our only option. )

During the conversation with the on-call nurse, we are told that they will alert the ER that we are coming. Upon arrival, we check in, only to find out that they had no info sent to them from our DR. (gee thanks!!) Now, during the entire trip to the ER I am praying- not only for AK's eye- but that we will not have to wait in the waiting room with the 592 sickly folks since AK has an immune deficiency. She is more prone to catch anything around.

Well, those prayers were answered. After only about a 1 minute stay in the waiting room, they called us back to a room where we would wait, and wait, and wait some more.

A couple of hours pass...........

And now, enter a couple of nurses and the Dr. We tell the story (AGAIN) of what took place. The Dr. orders several drops to be placed into Audrey's eyes. Here are Corey and myself holding this little one down. She doesn't understand what is going on...she just knows she hurts! Corey is holding her head and I am practically laying on her to keep her arms and legs from knocking the Dr. out. Then the Dr. pulls out his special light to "look" at her eyes. He sees nothing....NOTHING! Now, I am thinking "This doctor thinks we are quack...we brought our kid in for a little eyelash in the eye". But the mommy in me said otherwise. Well after they left to fill out our discharge papers, Corey happened to be sitting at just the right angle and said "Hey, I see something on her eye".

He goes out to retrieve the Dr. and nurses again. Then round #2 begins. We assume the restraint positions and prepare for more drops and poking/prodding in Audrey's eyes. They are looking, and looking and looking...and still claim not to see anything. By this time I can see it clearly (and that is something because my sight is terrible). I am to the point I want to scream at them. Audrey is crying, I am crying because we are hurting her. FINALLY------ they see it and deem it to be a bad corneal abrasion.

We continue the restraint holds while the put some ointment in her eye and bandage it with a patch. They give her a dose of Tylenol with codeine.

And we wait....for discharge papers! Whew!!!!!!!!!!

Audrey was absolutely exhausted and slept with us last night. Corey and I hardly slept any, and Audrey was very restless.

She went back the the eye doctor today for a follow up. He said it looked pretty good and we are to return tomorrow to check on the healing progress.

Please say a prayer for her quick healing.

OH---as you will see in the photos- Corey was so kind to give Lambie a lovely eye patch too. Just like Audrey's!