Wednesday, February 1, 2012

The Aftermath




We've had a day, now, to somewhat process what happened to Daughter on Monday...and to regroup and begin the long healing process....

The accident was in gym class, where she was playing - ironically enough, "No-Contact Basketball." As Daughter was leaning over to pick up the basketball, a fellow student tackled her...driving her face into the gymnasium floor. The boy weighs well over 100 pounds - so imagine 100 pounds of moving force slamming your nose & mouth into a hard, concrete floor.

My daughter's face was the loser, obviously.

Her two front (permanent) teeth were badly chipped, and her nose is broken. She has a mild concussion, as well.

The teeth are fixed...for now. There will be more dental work needed in the future, as well as orthodontia.

Yesterday, we were at the pediatrician's office, checking out the concussion.

The ENT physician can't see her until next week, as the swelling in her nose needs to be reduced before they can take x-rays and begin any treatment.

She's still applying ice packs four times a day to the nose, and she's on soft food, as her gums are still very tender. She's also very sensitive to cold food, so ice cream is out. Unless it's melted and at room temperature - bleh.

This is one of those situations where you shake your head and wonder, "What the heck happened? In gym??? Really? In a basketball game???"

But we also tell ourselves that in the scope of things, there are worse things that can happen. She wasn't in a bad car accident. She didn't lose a limb. She wasn't paralyzed (which is amazing, considering the boy landed on her neck).

We keep trying to focus on the positive, and not the negative.

I've told her she's going to get fabulous, white pearly teeth out of this. And she's going to get a fabulous, celebrity nose out of this.

She's an amazingly strong young woman, and we know she'll get through this and come out even stronger...but it's always hard to see your kids in pain, knowing you can't really do much to take it away.

Onward and upward. Sigh.

Peace.

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4 comments:

Lois--Huckleberry Lady said...

Glad other than all the facial stuff, glad daughter is alright. Focusing on the positive rather than the negative is really hard, I'm sure, at this point!!! I would be mad!!! Keep up those positive feelings!!! You'll be my inspiration!!!
Lois

Emily said...

Oh, wow. Hang in there and I hope she heals up fast. My sister busted her front tooth in a work accident about 5 years ago. (Slipped on the pool deck and bashed her face into a chair.) The dental work was a long process but she's got a permanent replacement and you can't even tell the difference.

And good call on not letting her see the damage.

Mental P Mama said...

But still...

information said...

this is why im careful about who i chose to play basketball with. loose balls, rebounds, rough play happens. there are some very accident prone people who are not considerate of others around them and end up injuring other people. these people are "tunnel-vision wreckless idiots" if i spot one of them on the court i immediately take myself out the game saying "my knee hurts I gotta sit out"