Daughter - Head Injury

Today has been the worst day of my life! I have never been so frightened and worried. I just can't sleep!

Ok, today my daughter had an accident. I live in a first floor flat with my partner and daughter. My daughter, Keira, is 13 months old.

At 14.45 today, my dad left after a visit. He left is phone so i ran downstairs to give it to him. The next thing i know is my girlfriend is screaming and i run in. As i walk in i see my daughters head bounce off the bottom concrete step

Let me explain. We have two doors. One upstairs, and one downstairs. Between the upstairs and downstairs doors there are 30 concrete steps. I know, damn concrete! As i ran downstairs to give my dad his phone, i shut the upstairs door, or atleast i thought i shut it property. As i opened the downstairs door, the wind must have blown the upstairs door back open as i can't of been shut properly.

With this, my daughter, who started wlaking about 2 months ago and has now started running around everywhere, ran straight from the kitchen and out of the upstairs door. My partner followed her. Without time for my partner to grab her (shes 10 months pregnant), Keira has tried to climb down the stairs. She fell head first off the top step and her head hit every step on the way down. As my partner screamed, i ran back into the downstairs door way, and caught my daughter just after hear head has just bounced of the bottom step.

I couldn't even breathe! As i picked her up, she was in so much pain she couldn't even cry. Her little body covered in cuts and bruises and her head swollen all over.

I rushed her straight to hospital, both me and my parter frightened. We ran into A&E, to be met by a cue about 10 people long. Not one person offered to let us speak to the receptionist first!!!!!

With this, i ran straight to the nurses desk, where they quickly looked at her and told us to go and sit in the waiting room!!!

We sat there for 2 hours with Keira crying before they finally came to see us, and they just gave her some calpol and sat us back down!!!

Another hour later, the give her a full examiniation.. if i could even call it that. They didn't even stip her down. They couldn't check her pupils were dialated as she wouldn't sit still. With that, they gave us a leaflet explaining all about head injuries in children, told us to give her calpol and sent us home.

My daughter has 8 hugh bruises all over her head. She won't drink or eat, and she has been mostly asleep since the accident.
I am really worried, i saw the way here head bounced off the bottom step, but yet the hospital insit that shes ok and just needs rest. How can they say this without a thorough examination.

The bad thing is, our top door way is to narrow to get any pressure safety gate to fit. The only thing that will fit is a screw fit safety gate, which my landlord refuses to let my fit!! The top door doesnt even close properly!!! Im so damn angry!

So, after all of this, my daughter is asleep in her cot in our bedroom. I dare go to sleep incase anything happens to her. She just looks like some one has kicked hell out of her body, covered in hugh bumps, cuts and bruises. Should i take her back to hospital and demand she is looked at properly?? Should i take her straight to the doctors in the morning? Ever since the accident, when shes been awaks she has has a bad temper, lashing out at us and constantly screaming.

Your advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
Carl

I canrelate to how you feel. I suggest you take her to her family doctor. He's going to need to see her as a witness that this wasn't done purposefuly (Definitly not saying it is). But rumors fly within minutes and hospital nurses and doctors see so many kids they are unreliable in more ways than one lately. But the main point is that you try and get as much help as possible. I would request an appointment with a neurologist to get a more detailed internal look at her brain, too!
For now try to stay calm and rational. Panicking will just upset your daughter more! Hope all goes well!

I would definatly go and get her assessed "anywhere" especially if she is starting to have fevers etc.Even if she seems ok i would still take her for a second opinion even if its just for your own piece of mind.I cant believe that they would just send her home and not even check her out for internal injurys???.
I hope your daughter is feeling a little better and you and your partner are recovering from the shock.

I know how you are feeling.

Joseph was 15mths and was running after my mum down the corridors at school and he fell and his head bounced off the corridor floor. He promptly threw up everywhere and I rushed him to the GP (because as a trained first aider we are told and tell parents if their child bumps their head and is sick seek medical attention) On the way to the GP he wanted to fall asleep but we wouldnt let him. The GP asked why I was panicing because it is 'normal' for a child to be sick after they have bumped their heads and sleep was normal as well. I was told give him calpol and let him do what he wants- sleep (it is his way of recovering)

Joseph was ok but had a rather nasty egg in his forehead and a HUGE bruise. I also found out that if he had been put to hospital for observation the hospital would only have kept him in over night becuase that is the critical period (12hours after a bump)


If you are concerned today I would visit the GP for a 2nd opinion.

Hope she is ok.

I know exactly how you feel. At 9 months old my youngest Amy fell out of her cot heaqd first onto a concrete floor. Her head just swelled before us, we where hysterical we honestly thought she was going to die.

We went straight to A&E in an ambulance and Amy had much the same examination that you little one had. However we knew she would be fine because when she got to hospital she asked the nurse if she could have some chips and nuggets (she must have thought she was at Macdonalds!)

The whole of Amy's forhead was three times the normal size and one huge bruise. She was also very sleepy after the accident (shock causes this) but we were told as long as we where able to rouse her and she didn't start vomiting everything was fine.

Small children rarely injure themselves badly even in such accidents as they don't tense their bodies when they fall. For Amy's bruising we used Arnica cream, with in about 4 days the bruise was almost gone.

With regards to stairgates and your landlord's refusal to let you fit one I would contact your health visitor and also Social Services as they will take a very dim view of your landlords refusal and can even force him to allow a gate at the top of the stairs.

Please don't blame yourself even though I know that is very hard to do. I blame myself for Amy's accident as she had learnt to stand in her cot the week before and I kept saying that we should lower the cot base, but never got round to it.

carlf said:
The bad thing is, our top door way is to narrow to get any pressure safety gate to fit. The only thing that will fit is a screw fit safety gate, which my landlord refuses to let my fit!! The top door doesnt even close properly!!! Im so damn angry!

Personally I would get your landlord round for him to see himself the damages your daughter has recieved from this and then demand a stair gate put on the door, if he still refuses then tell him where to stick it and fit it yourself, personally the welfare of your own children is a damn site more important to some little whole's in a door frame and therefore should be treated so.

I would get her up your doctors asap as they tend to have a bit more time for children of such a young age. Good luck with it all mate

Gosh, just read this. I do hope she's feeling better.

I would definitely get a second opinion from your doctor. Also, might be worth taking her to the next nearest hospital and insisting on a thorough check over. It makes you wonder what the NHS is coming to doesn't it.

As for your landlord - stuff him! Get a stair gate fitted immediately. When you move out, fill in the 2-4 little holes it leaves and put a dab of paint over them! If he comes and does inspections and complains, I'd let him know clearly if the flat is rented to people with children, it must be safe. His attitude is anything but good. If he didn't expect child safety measures to be put in place by tenants, he should not have let it to people with children. You look after your family first - they are the top priority honey!

Good luck with it all.

Hope she recovers from her tumble quickly.

Don't blame yourselves, kids do get into scrapes, but I can imagine how horrifying it must have been when you saw her falling.

Maybe ring the NHS helpline and see what they suggest or try the GP.

Only just seen this post as computer was playing up. I do hope she keira is ok now? It must have been absolutely terrifying for you and your partner. As alex says the critical periodis 12-24hrs after the accident. I am so shocked you weren't seen to more quickly and that she wasn't kept in for observation. I thought that was pretty standard with head injuries? especially in children. Obviously not! If ever you aren't happy with a diagnosis or the treatment you are receiving demand a second opinion hun. As for the stair gate, tell your landlord what has happened and if he still refuses then just fit one anyway. If and when you leave fill the holes it leaves and make good. I think safety is definitely a priority in this case. Don't blame yourself though hun, accidents like this have happened to everyone! Xx