We applied an ice pack and the swelling went down. This is how it looked the second day.
The swelling and scrape went away, but there was still a hint of a bruise underneath his eye. I talked with Chris about it and he said he just thought he was tired and had bags under his eyes because it was underneath both eyes. I agreed that maybe that was it, but if we went in for a sick visit to the doctor, I would mention it then.
Fast forward a month, Nixon is sick so I take him to the doctor. Unfortunately, I didn't even think about his eye until we got home. As luck would have it, or not, he got sick again two weeks later. This time, when the doctor came in, she was shocked. She said, "What happened to him?" At first I was confused because I was so used to seeing it, but then I told her the story. She was amazed that it wasn't gone yet, and wondering why he had a little bubble underneath his eye, but she thought it was fair to wait another month to bring him if it wasn't gone.
Fast forward to Month 3. This was last Monday. The bruise is still there, so I take him into the doctor when I take Lily for her four month well check. The nurse pricks his finger to do blood work. On Tuesday, Dr. Garrish calls me and lets me know that all the blood work came back okay, but that she had consulted with a hematologist in Chapel Hill and he thought that Nixon needed to be seen.
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| It's hard to see the bruise in this picture, but it's definitely still there. |
To this point, I'm still okay. I call Chapel Hill to get directions and the secretary answers the phone, "Pediatric Oncology." I literally felt the floor cave beneath me. Good thing I was sitting in my office by myself. Somehow, I made it off the phone before I started crying. My mind immediately went to what I would do if my baby boy had cancer. It seemed like the day dragged on forever, but somehow we made it until Wednesday at lunch when we're at Chapel Hill Cancer Hospital. Of course, right in front of me checking in, is a 16-18 year old boy who obviously is undergoing chemo. Then, on the way to the patient room, we pass a room full of recliners where patients receive their chemo. It's a very humbling experience and makes you not worry so much about the petty things we all tend to worry about. The doctor comes in and asks me to tell him the story to how we got to this point. After telling him the story, and doing an exam which consisted of feeling out Nixon's face, throat, etc. he tells us that the possibility of something major being wrong is between zero and squat. I've never felt more relieved in my life! It was like the weight of the world was removed from my shoulders. He did say, to make everyone sleep better at night, he wanted to do more extensive blood testing and a urine analysis to check for a tumor that mirrors Nixon's symptoms with the exception of things slowly getting better. He also chose to do a facial x-ray to check for any fractures that could have slowed the healing process.
With results the next day, the doctor called and told me that everything was fine! He thinks that Nixon just got hit that hard and it's taking an extra long time for that blood to reabsorb. I've never been more scared in my life, but we had a lot of people praying and I felt those prayers every step of the way. The morning of his appointment, I was crying on my way to work and Nixon wanted to hear Veggie Tales. Next thing I know, I'm hearing, "God is bigger than the boogeyman and He's watching over you and me!" It's so funny how God knows just when you need some peace and the way that he chooses to show you!
Side note...the tension was broken in the doctor's office when the doctor asked Nixon how many brothers and sisters he had..to which Nixon replied "1 Brother, 1 Sister"..check out how he says one. For some reason, with his left hand, he points with his middle finger. We've tried over and over to correct him, but he just can't comprehend it. So the doctor kind of chuckles and I'm right beside him saying, "No, Nixon, point with your other finger." The doctor then asks, what about cats and dogs. Same thing, "1 Dog, but no cats" and he shakes his middle finger at that last statement. By this point, the doctor can't hide his laughter anymore and he tells us, "You know what, that just made my day!"
