The fall that cost me $8K.
I don’t know why it took me so long to write about Jerry’s fall that cost me $8K. I meant to write about it some time back, but i guess work took the most of out of me then. The husband is going away for 9 days and i’m up for solo parenting for the next week and more. I moved back to my mum’s today to ease my traveling time from depositing and fetching the kids and got triggered about writing this post because i’m back at where the incident happened…
It was a sunday morning and i was still in bed when my mum frantically knocked BANGED onto my room door and shouted at me to come out, voice filled with frantic. The husband was away attending a wedding in Msia so i was alone that day.
I got out of my room and almost fainted. My son was in a bloody mess. Like LITERALLY. His face was filled with blood, he was screaming non stop, clothes was stained with blood and i went from my sleepy stupor into shock mode in a split second. I frantically grab some wet wipes and clean him up to access the damage while my mum went to grab some sugar and poured them over my son’s face – in a bid to stop the bleeding.
he suffered a split chin, and it was pretty bad. I called the husband, grabbed my phone, wallet and health booklet and carried the kid out of the house in a pronto. Luckily my brother was home so he drove us to my pediatrician. I didn’t think it would have warranted a hospital stay and that a PD could easily glue him back or stitch him up.
Little did i know……
At the pd’s office where i averagely wait for 1.5hrs to 2hrs each time, i triggered the urgency to the nurses and got to skip the queue and see her immediately. The cut was deep and bad and she couldn’t glue him back, and because of his age where he would struggle and scream, we would have to admit him for the surgeon to stitch him under GA. Then there were complications – Jerry was coughing and having bronchitis and it was not recommended to be under GA. There is a risk involved.
Long story cut short – we admitted, surgeon thought it was ok to go under GA, Jerry had to fast for 3 hours and got his hands all bandaged up for drips and that’s pretty much the reason why he was sobbing so badly in the picture above – hungry, immobilized and in pain. It was the longest 3 hrs because i was all alone – my brother had something to attend to and only dropped me at the hospital and every single minute was difficult to pass – it was heart wrenching to see Jerry crying non stop and i could do NOTHING to soothe him. #worstfeelingever
I don’t even have a toy to entertain him with, and my phone threatened to die on me any minute. We couldn’t leave the room and I even had bursting boobs to deal with. i remembered thinking to myself that that was the worst moment of my life. #helpless
The husband didnt attend the wedding he was supposed to and u-turned back home right after he passed his friend his ang pow. He was worried sick about his son.
Everything thereafter is a flurry of activities – surgeon came, nurses came, prep for operation, jerry refused to change into the gown (see above sobbing mess + added crankiness), loads of coaxing etc. The nurses tried to help but worsen the situation and i had them leave us alone for the kid to calm down. the kid was screaming and overly stimulated and tired and hungry. I eventually did everything with a packet of green tea. No, not drinking but holding it and the promise of letting him drink after seeing the doctor.
I accompanied him into the operation theatre and watched him go out like a light on the surgical table. Very scary moment for me. and the wait is like forever..
//
Post surgery boy looks like this. he got moved back into his ward, and minutes later, opened his eyes and demanded for the green tea. My back-up came (the husband) with all the toys and entertainment for him as well..
and then the flurry of visitors in that few hours. All it took was me posting 1 sobbing picture online and all the relatives got activated and came to the hospital. I can’t tell you how thankful i am for all those people who loved him as much as i do.
AND MY CHIRPY BOY IS BACK.
Well, i had an issue with trying to remove his hospital gown and changing him out. He refused to so he is forever in the gown for the rest of the day. Flicker-minded chap. First, he doesn’t want to put it on, then he doesn’t want it removed. Argh! He had to stay in hospital for observation because of his bronchitis and we ended up staying for 5 days, with the husband and me taking shifts and time off work to accompany him.
I remember it being a tiring time for the entire family – everyone made time to come to the hospital. My mum cooked food for him, the husband and me literally stayed in the hospital on most days till the wee hours, we barely slept, survived on cup noodles and had to entertain the him non stop since he is known to be very active (like mother like son here).
The surgeon did a wonderful job of stitching him up from inside, with dissolvable threads so the busted chin looks good!
Anything Disney Planes was a life saver then. I had to grab this when i saw it in 7-11 while picking up some cup noodles! We were so relieved when the doctor told us we are free to head home after 5 days! Poor Jerome got neglected and put in the care of my mum all these time and i remembered me missing him badly, but i was really really glad that the boy is fine and that’s all that matters right?
We went home with a $8K hospital bill (ouch, ouch, ouch!!) and ever so thankful that we bought him insurance.
Well, the cause of the split chin? This brave boy took his buzz lightyear ride on and tried to scale down a flight of stars at the lift lobby while my mum was busy watering her flowers. I have a garang (i.e. fearless) one on my hands. i know right? I am already prepping myself for more to come.
P.s. I received quite a bit of comments and well wishes for the boy. i forgot to clarify in the post that this has happened some months back and the boy is now well, and probably bolder than ever! Boys, they just don’t learn right? And whatever that doesnt breaks them, makes them stronger. Grrr…
Cherie
Hi there! Thanks for popping by. I'm Cherie, a ftwm (full-time working mum) to 3 lovely kids (2 boys & a princess) and my motto in life is to BE HAPPY. Sure, life isn't all that smooth but it's the mentality that counts, no? This blog documents my life. Or rather, snippets of my life that has passed me by. I love capturing life memories in the blog and being able to read back and laugh at myself (or anyone). I love to eat (A LOT), travel and paint my own nails so the blog is mostly about that. Is that considered lifestyle? Of cos, the family is also very much an integral part of me so there would be loads of memories about the husband and my kids - Jerry (9yo), Jerome (7yo) and Leia (2.5yo) and everyone else that's close to me. I like documenting the kids' milestones, their growing up years, their achievements (and sometimes, mine), and my struggles and battles with motherhood. It sure ain't easy. I love seeking out good food and travelling, is trigger-happy, love new gadgets, love exploring new places and strives to live life to the fullest. I aspire to travel the world as much as I can, to soak in the different sights across the various continents and visit all the Disneylands in the world (almost there!). Have fun reading and do drop me a comment to say hi! Love, Cherie Lim Find me on Instagram.
19 Comments
irene soh
Ouch! That is one bad fall! I’m glad he is back to his active self again. (Hugs)
Cherie
I know right? These kids are pretty resilient! He obviously is still as hyper and always running amok! I sometimes wish i didn’t have such a cheeky kid to deal with!
Mabel
i was wondering how he fell! very garang indeed! glad that he was all better after the chin was stitched up and back to his normal self in no time!
Cherie
He is all well now with a battle scar to boot! Sigh, i did wish he has learned to be careful from the incident though… if anything, he is now bolder!
Angie.S
I remembered how harrowing it felt when Dana suffered a similar split chin 2 years ago from an innocent fall…the bloody and sobbing mess, the heart-in-your-mouth feeling when you first saw the injury and having to keep praying that your child will be alright despite the operation…I was alone too (and had to put up a brave front despite crumbling inside)….but thank God for prompt and reliable medical help in Singapore. Dana’s wound has healed well and I am sure Jerry’s would too. Big big hugs to the Momma though. It’s a bad scare for both parent and child. Sometimes I still wish I can turn back the clock so this accident never happened….
Cherie
Hi Angie,
I have come to realise that split chin are like the most common thing next to fractures in kids. And yes, i do wish that the accident didnt happened at all, but well.. we just turn back the clock. I’m trying to use the incident to teach my boy a lesson and obviously he thinks its fun and tells me, “mama, i want to go stay at the hospital!”. *sigh*
Why do kids forget their pain so fast? i guess thats the wonder of kids as well – NOTHING gets them down!
Waiwai
Oh dear… hope he get well soon
Cherie
Hi Wai wai,
He is all good now and probably a lot bolder than before! SIGH. my poor heart! I think i need more strengths to withstand the scares that he gives me. Nonetheless, thank you for the well wishes!
Esther
Cried when I was reading about the fall. Reminds me of my son fall with a torn lip that cost me $7k but it’s not about the money issue. More on heart pain to see them going thru the surgery and leaving a scar.
Cherie
Oh no, i know how that feels. The scar is also like a constant reminder that we are ‘bad’ parents right? Every time i see the scar, i wish i was there to stop him. sigh.
Susan
Thank goodness he’s getting better. It’s always so heart wrenching to see the kids fall, bleed and get hurt. And yes what doesn’t break them, makes them stronger.
What insurance did you buy for him by the way?
Cherie
His insurance is from prudential and a mix of everything. I think there is Prushield upgrade for private hospitals as well..
Sandra
Oh dear!!! Poor boy – and poor mummy! How traumatic! I am so glad he is fine now!
Cherie
Hi Sandra,
I know right. My boys, they give me heart attack all the time. My mum says its karma cos I used to be super active and jump/climb all over so now the kids are doing the same back to me.
Melvin Chia
Reminds me of the time (2012) we went to Taiwan with my daughter (then 1+) and stayed in a Minsu at the top of Qingjing which didn’t have a bathtub, and they provided one of those large wooden buckets which she could fit in for her bath. That night wifey was bathing her, turned around to get the soap, and he next thing she knew, daughter was in the bucket crying, blood flowing from a cut on her chin.
Turns out she slipped in the wooden bucket, fell and knocked her chin against the edge of the bucket, and the skin split. Trained as a 995 paramedic in my early days (now we know why), I grabbed the cleanest thing I could find in the room – the box of facial tissues, wadded a few tissues into a pad, and applied pressure until the bleeding slowed and eventually stopped. We could see that 2 “layers” had split. Nothing much we could do at the Minsu, so we asked the owner for a plaster to cover the wound.
When we went downhill the next day, we went to a large supermarket and bought a pack of 3M Tegasorb Thin Hydrocolloid Dressing (this is its current name, back then I was looking for something similar to OpSite plaster so it can hold the wound closed as it heals), cut into smaller pieces and that held the wound closed until we came back to Singapore.
Thankfully, the wound healed with little scarring and no medical or surgical intervention other than my own.
Cherie
Hi Melvin,
WOW. Am impressed with you. I would have faltered and feel totally helpless at the situation (even though I used to be a certified first aider). Kids are definitely a lot more hardy than we give them credit for, I realized.. and they survive such situations a lot better than us. I think our hearts ache a lot more than their wounds.. Heh. After all, they are all precious to us.
Thank you for sharing your story. Now I would know better than panic so badly and I would keep in mind the tip on taping up the wound!
Rachel
What an experience! An extremely costly one as well. I think being a mom of boy/s, we will experience something this at least once through their growing up years. I think going straight to the 24 hours clinic at Thomson Medical will likely be the best choice for an emergency like that, esp one that will require stitches.Private hospitals will not be cheap, but likely will provide u with the quickest treatment. The last time when K needed stitches when his toe was ‘sliced’ I rushed him to Gleneagles and that was a costly experience too.
Cherie
Hi Rach,
We did end up at TMC though, mainly because our pd’s office is there but yes, they are costly! Then again since Jerry’s insurance covers private hospitals as well, so I guess its new good for us. I am not sure just how many knocks my heart can take! Last night, he fell off the bed while sleeping and suffered a bad bruise on his face. Sigh. Sleep also accident prone.
Cayce
I got a sick feeling just reading the start, that was one tough thing for you to bear! so glad Jerry is fine with no scarring. and he switched back to his usual self real fast!