Closed Nasal Reduction

On Sunday, March 11th Aidan caught a baseball with his nose. 

I raced outside to find him on all fours with "a bloody waterfall" coming from his nose.

Those are his exact words when he told the ER doc what had happened.

It wasn't pretty, and I did the wrong thing by lying him on his back. Evidently this will let the blood run into your stomach. My friend, Liz, loaded him up into Scotty's truck since it was closest. It didn't start. 

Of course. 

We switched cars and ran him to the neighborhood life flight nurse. 

With one look he said, "Broken. Head to Primary's."

We did. 

Aidan cried and held a towel over his face. 

Eventually, he fell asleep on the 40 minute drive as blood trickled out his poor little nose.

Primary Children's Medical Center had several docs take a peek. Some were being tested on their knowledge.  All concluded, not broken, damage to cartilage, take something for pain. The swelling was masking the real damage.

Aidan rated his pain a 5 at that time. After some grilled cheese sandwiches dipped in A-1 (Liz's addiction) we headed home and put him to bed with a puffy face. 

By Thursday, the swelling was reduced and a hard lump on the side of his nose had us back in a pediatrician's sweltering office. Aidan and I both started to fall asleep as Dr.McCune bounded in. 

"Looks broken to me. You need to see an ENT soon."  

Monday morning I pulled the boy out of school yet again and we went to the much praised Dr. Heidi Heras. Mind you at this point Aidan has not had an x-ray.  I learned that x-rays of noses just aren't really used much (unless you've been in a car wreck or such where there'd be other injuries to look at and insurances to appease).  Heidi used her skilled hands to find the break on both sides and guided me to feel them for myself.  Then I looked up the boys left nostril.  There was just a small space for him to breathe through. When she held the right side shut you could hear the air squeeze through the left side.  

"It's been too long and this is too set for me to work on.  I'm going to send you to Dr.Denys this afternoon." She spoke of tools that resembled butter knives being used to realign things.  As we left the tears started. I tried to console them with a smoothie and fries.  That afternoon we were in yet another Dr.office. Dr.Deny, who'd received mixed reviews from my peers.  He was a quiet man, who made small talk with Aidan and then drew me 3 diagrams, at different angles, of Aidan's nose fracture and how he could fix it. He really made it sound like no problem to fix. It was somewhat set, but he could get those bones to move back into place. 

Monday morning at 6:00 Aidan received a Priesthood blessing and we headed out in the dark to American Fork hospital.  

Cole got up early to tell Aidan good luck.

We talked about how lucky we are to have doctors who can help us feel better, and clean comfortable hospitals to be treated in.  Then we went through the list of surgeries in our family.

Daddy- brain

Mommy- C-section

Chloe- ---

Asher- hernia

Aidan- nose

Cole- -----

Grace- MRSA infection

Without the help of modern medicine some of us wouldn't be here.   

Aidan checked himself in and grabbed a beeper. 

 He checked out the awesome fish tank in the empty waiting room.

 Changed into the awesome gown fitted with a plug for a hot air blower to be attached after surgery.

 Then he sat back and enjoyed the t.v. as doctors, nurses, and anesthesiologists came in and out checking paper work.

 I waited about 45 minutes and they brought him back to me sniffling from crying so hard.
The nurse said he had the anesthesia blues.  I guess this was his reaction to the meds.
 Of course it was. He's a tender-hearted boy, and I tried to soothe him and tell him he was all done and okay now.  He slept for a time, then I was able to get him to eat some grape slushy.

 We were home around 10:30, and the medicine had taken a toll on his stomach.
I tried to cheer him up by bringing him a package the UPS man had delivered.
It was his battle axe he'd purchased from Amazon with his birthday money.
Great timing, but until he reset his stomach he wasn't interested in anything.

This is where he spent his day.
In his box fort with his blanket and battle axe.


Glad the worst is behind us.