Life...........and a Level One Trauma........the Details Part 2

Part 1

There were no answers as to how this had happened. The only one who knew was Lindsay and she wasn't talking.

Dave had found her face down in the dirt of the small paddock right next to the barn. Heiress, not wearing a halter, was in her stall with the door still open. Bey Aana who was wearing a halter and dangling a lead was right outside that door in between Lindsay on the ground and Heiress in the open stall.

Every time that Heiress tried to look out or come out of that stall, Bey Aana pinned her ears and forced her back into the depths. Aana was clearly protecting the downed, unconscious girl who had befriended her and won her trust when she first came to live at this Arabian breeding farm.

Dave had had to close Heiress's stall door to secure that horse. Then he had to catch Bey Aana and put her back into the field behind the paddock before he could even attend to his unconscious daughter.

Once both horses were securely away from Lindsay, Dave carefully rolled her over just like he'd been taught in one of his many first aid classes at work. Then he checked to see that see was breathing.

About that time, Lindsay began to stir. She weakly cried out, "Mommy............Mommy" and that's when Dave ran off to get me. From that point on to when the emergency crews arrived, Lindsay didn't speak another word. She just laid there softly crying.

That's how she was when the paramedics arrived. For the longest time they couldn't get any kind of answer from her. When they finally did get to respond to some questions she didn't know where she was, what had happened, her name or even what day it was. It was clear that Lindsay was disoriented and very shook up. There was no question that Lindsay needed to be taken to a Class One Trauma Unit.

I wasn't disoriented at all but things got kind of confusing for me as well. Even though I knew what to expect from my own encounter with a horse related head injury Every time I turned around it seemed like someone new was asking me the same questions about what had happened and Lindsay's previous brain trauma. I must have answered those same questions at least four times and I wasn't the one with the head trauma. We weren't getting anywhere near being ready to leave the farm.

As the firemen worked at getting her stabilized and secure for transport, Dave asked if they were going to take her to Good Samaritan in Puyallup. Before I could get the words out of my mouth that I wanted Lindsay to go to a class one trauma unit (like my friend, Jean, had drilled into my head), at least three firemen beat me to it. It seems I've not the only one to have learned since my last encounter with the fire department. Lindsay was going to go somewhere they knew how to deal with a horse related injury to the head. There wouldn't be any mistakenly sending her home without even being checked out like had happened with me.

Once the decision was clear Lindsay was going to a trauma center things started to get hectic. It turned out that all of Pierce County's traumas were being diverted. How you can have three major trauma units and all of them too busy to accept anymore patients when there wasn't a full moon or a major catastrophe was beyone me. But that's exactly what we had.

Next thing you know they were talking about helicopters and transporting Lindsay to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. I started to panic. Dollar signs and the already mass confusion about my horse business because of Dave losing his job whirled around in my head. Add to that transport to a place a helicopter could land so we could fly to Seattle made it seem like that much longer before Lindsay would even get TO a trauma center mad this whole thing even more terrifying to me.

The only other consideration was the military trauma unit at Madigan Medical Center. For that to be available we have to be connected to the military. They asked us if we had any military affiliations at all. Dave didn't even hear the question but I responded that he was a veteran. They asked me what war..................I responded Viet Nam. Someone said that's a connection and before you know it the approval came to transport Lindsay to Madigan.

To be continued..............

Part 3

Lindsay came home from the hospital late this afternoon. She has an assortment of prescriptions including an anti seizure medication and something for her headaches. She also needs follow up care with a neurologist. She tires easily and must be closely monitored but she's really happy to be home..........because she missed her cat.........and, of course, Bey Aana.

Visit Blog Village and vote daily for this blog Here They are now measuring the rankings by votes out, so if you find my blog on the site, please click that link too to improve my rankings. TY