Our Little Patient

Nolan went for a walk on Friday afternoon. Daddy turned to open our side door to get the garage door opener, and the stroller rolled backwards down our driveway. The stroller tipped over, and Daddy dove across the sidewalk to save Nolan. He was still strapped in the stroller, but the right side of his body scraped the sidewalk. Nolan immediately screamed and then fell fast asleep. We were getting ready to go to Noni's house for dinner, so we changed Nolan's diaper. He had his hat on during the fall, and when he was laying down to get his diaper changed, we noticed a bump on his head. We decided to have MoMo look at Nolan to see if she thought he was okay. In the short car ride to MoMo's house, Nolan was gagging and throwing up which told us that he was not okay. We took Nolan to the ER at Christ Hospital. He had a CT scan which showed a skull fracture. So, they admitted Nolan to the pediatric ICU to monitor him overnight. The diagnosis was a linear frontal temporal bone skull fracture on the right side. They wanted to do another CT scan 12 hours later to determine if there was any bleeding in the brain. We worked with a wonderful neurosurgeon, Dr. Hahn, who was terrific. The second CT scan was done at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday. That scan showed three dots which are hemorrhages and an incidental finding of an arachnoid cyst on the left side of Nolan's brain. The cyst is believed to have been there since birth. But, now that we know about it, the doctors want to monitor it. Dr. Hahn wanted Nolan to have an MRI with and without contrast to get a closer look at the spots and cyst. We were discharged on Sunday. Nolan was going to stay in the hospital until the MRI on Tuesday, but the doctors decided that they did not want him to get sick from being in the hospital since there are so many germs and sick babies. So, we were able to go home and go back for the MRI on Tuesday. They scheduled it for Tuesday because that is when the pediatric anesthesiologists are in the hospital. Nolan was such a trooper during his hospital stay. The only time he cried was when the IV was going in. The nurses had a difficult time finding Nolan's veins, so it took three tries. A special transport team came in and finally got the IV in his right hand. Nolan was so good in the hospital, despite the checking, poking, monitoring, etc. during the days and nights. The doctors and nurses loved Nolan because he always smiled and laughed when they came in the room. They told us that most of their patients cry, so Nolan was a breath of fresh air! They loved his legs, too! Nolan had his MRI on Tuesday, and we have not received any results yet. We will let everyone know when we hear back from the doctor. Thanks for the thoughts, prayers and good wishes during our rough time. Please continue praying that all goes well with Nolan. His temperament is great...he is very happy and continues to eat well. These are great signs that keep us hopeful. We have to be very careful with Nolan's head for a long time. His head injury could take two to three months to heal. We will be following up with the doctor to monitor Nolan's progress. There are lots of cute pictures from the hospital. Nolan looked adorable in his hospital gown. We hope everyone learns a lesson from our accident: always put the brakes on your strollers! Our jogger stroller that rolled was the exact same Baby Trend jogger stroller that the baby was in at Belmont Harbor (with his grandfather). Both accidents happened on Friday with the windy day. Enjoy the pictures of our little patient!

Nolan in the ER waiting to go for his CT scan

Daddy and Nolan in the ER
Nolan finally fell asleep after his CT scan while waiting to be admitted to ICU
Daddy, Nolan and Mommy after the IV was put into Nolan's right hand...our eyes were all tired from lots of tears!
Nolan and Mommy...he tried to suck his right thumb, even with the IV!
Nolan sleeping in the ICU
Nolan's leg with the blood pressure cuff and the oxygen read on his toe...his legs were the talk of the hospital!
Nolan's nurse brought him a "busy box" toy...he loved it!
A close-up of Nolan's IV...and a glimpse of his leg!
Nolan was transported to his CT scan on Saturday morning in a Radio Flyer wagon...he is the king!
Nolan resting in the ICU
Mommy and Nolan in the ICU
Nolan was hooked up to lots of monitors.
Another view of Nolan's IV
Nolan often pulled his hospital gown up while he was resting.
Nolan sitting up in his hospital crib
Nolan relaxing in the recliner
This is a full view of Nolan in his gown...he is so little and looked so cute!
Nolan...the happiest patient!
Nolan kept trying to eat his IV tubes, so we put his jammies on and pulled the sleeve over the IV.
Mommy and Nolan outside in the garden at Hope Children's Hospital
Daddy and Nolan at the big fish tank in the hospital
Nolan is ready to go home. He was transported out to the car in a wagon! Nolan's first wagon ride was in the hospital!
Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers. We are lucky to have so many people thinking about us, including the wonderful nurses, doctors and staff members at the hospital!