Post Op Falls
Hi Guys,
It's close to three months post op. Milo has had three "significant" falls. It is very hard to keep a daredevil little four year old calm! I wanted to write my experience so that any one else who had similar experiences would be able to have some reference. The first fall (around 17 days post op) was from FIVE feet in the air .. landing in Mulch. He did not have any "symptoms" of brain involvement so I did not take him to the ER. No knots on the back of the head etc. (He had surgery for Metopic). The second fall was two months post op. We were in the doctor's office and he was sitting on his knees in the chair, he asked for snack and I told him to sit on his bottom, as I was bent over, He stood up in the chair (to get on his bottom) and flipped backward onto the tile!! It sounded absolutely HORRIBLE! Then, his nose had a blood tinged clear discharge (I know this is a sign) and they sent us right down (nurse escort) to the ER. We were discharged within two hours because he had no other involvement (just a huge huge goose egg on the back of his head).
This time (thursday)- three months post op, was the least alarming injury and most alarming result. He was simply getting a ball from under the table and hit his head on his way up. This was about three fingers length from his hair line. He whinned about ten seconds and that was it. I put him to bed an hour later not thinking anything about it. I was rubbing his hair and felt this ENORMOUS pocket (I would not say goose egg) of squishy under the scalp. As I felt more, It felt like a "depression" in the area. The squishy feeling felt like it did after surgery and it went from about an inch past his hairline to all the way down his forehead over his eyebrow. SCARY! If you google "squishy lump" after a fall most places will say "skull fracture" I was terrified. I immediately emailed Dr. F and his nurse. Milo did not act any differently, no vomiting etc. So I did not feel it was an emergency but I got him in to the pediatrician first thing in the morning and Dr. F's nurse emailed back with theis response:
It is very common for large "goose eggs" to occur after even the slightest bit off trauma to the skull of kiddos who have undergone craniosynostosis repair, and these can feel very squishy, like a wet sponge.As long as Milo is acting like his normal self, we typically treat these conservatively.
It will take several weeks for the swelling to go down and the fluid get reabsorbed.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have additional questions or concerns.
My peds doctor said the same thing. If it has not gone down in four to six weeks, I am to go back (it has gone down a little each day).
This has been a ride. Its funny because when all this first started (cranio) I thought, we will have the surgery.. it will be a hard few weeks and then back to normal. I do not feel "normal" in any way shape or form. I am a nervous wreck .. all the time. I am just trying to let Milo be a typical little boy but the truth is I can't! I nag him about using the rail when going up and down the stairs, I constantly worry when he is not around. Really, I just want to put his head in bubble wrap!! ugh!
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Jessica 
Jeffrey James
