At around 3:45pm today, BOY and GIRL were playing around with the carpenter's measuring tape. They have been having fun the last couple of days measuring the heights of chairs, couch and the distance to the ceiling. Today they were playing with it, there was a snap, and the metal tape sliced into BOY's finger like a knife. He wasn't crying much when he came to me, just said he had cut his finger and there was BLOOD. I took a look and almost passed out. Where his pinkie finger meets his hand, on that crease of his finger, it was sliced open. Deep. Probably 1/4". There was some blood, but the scary part was the depth of the wound. We put a cold washcloth on it and I immediately knew he would need a stitch or two.
I gathered BOY and GIRL, called E who was at work, and left for the urgent care as fast as I could. We were there about 20 minutes when E walked in and the four of us waited a really long time before seeing a nurse. E went out to get us dinner as by this time it was getting close to 6pm. After a brief taking of vital signs, we were sent back into the waiting room. To wait. Again. A long time. We were called again, and this time a nurse poured a bottle of sterile water in a basin and had BOY soak his hand in it. And we waited. And waited. BOY and GIRL were amazing. E entertained them by pretending to be the doctor and Captain Underpants. By the time the doctor came in the exam room we had been at Urgent Care about 2 1/2 hours.
The doctor determined right away that BOY would need a couple of stitches. And because of the awkwardness of the wound, it would not be an easy thing to do. They had to put him in what they call a "papoose" which kept him immobile except for his one arm. We explained to BOY what was going to happen, but nothing prepares you for the earth shattering shrieks of your own child in pain. It started with the beta dine swaps and continued through the lidocaine injections and crescendoed with the stitches going through his skin. And getting him to stay still while the doctor was injecting him with pain medicine and then putting a needle through his skin and pulling thread through where it appeared the lidocaine had not worked...well, it was torture. Poor GIRL was with us in the room, but by that time neither E nor I wanted to leave the room and have BOY think we were abandoning him. Not only was he shrieking, but he was shrieking for them to stop hurting him, that he wanted to go home now and shrieking for us. Calling out, I want my Mom and I want my Dad...and we were right there. He broke blood vessels all over his face. Poor little guy had to pee in the middle of it all, and we told him to just pee in his pants. He was almost as upset by that as by the pain he had to endure.
He ended up with 3 stitches and as soon as his sweat and pee soaked body was out of the papoose and in his daddy's arms, everything was better. He was incredibly brave. I will never forget looking over at GIRL and seeing the expression and tears on her face. Bad, bad call on bringing her with us. It was only last August when she was in the ER having her head stitched up. She looked how I felt. We left the clinic with two children wearing red, tear blotched faces. All of us wounded. One little boy the bravest of all. There is nothing that makes you feel more helpless as a parent than not being able to protect your children. And today was a day that dictated my helplessness. And those screams, still echoing in my head and heart, will take a long time to go away. A long time...
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Oh, honey. This broke my heart. Poor little guy. Just awful.
ReplyDeleteI feel so bad for all of you.
This definitely calls for a night sleeping on the upper porch under the Christmas lights, for all four of you.
ReplyDeletePoor little guy....I'm teary jusst reading this. I hope you are doing fun stuff today.
ReplyDelete(HUGS)
Oh, poor little boy! I'm sorry you all had to go through that. Sounds like a really rough evening.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. Bless you all. What a horrible ordeal. And I'd REALLY love to know what their definition of URGENT is. I think once I recovered I'd be writing some letters. That is unacceptable. I hope everyone recovers, physically, mentally, and emotionally, VERY soon! {{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
ReplyDeleteOh my. That is awful. Feeling helpless as a parent is the worst feeling ever. The good news is that kids bounce back faster than we do!
ReplyDeleteThat is the worst feeling in the world. I just went through a similar experience taking both girls to M's ENT appt and we all still shudder thinking about it. Hugs for everyone.
ReplyDeleteSharon
OH so sorry!
ReplyDeleteTrust y'all heal up soon!
It's absolutely the worst having a kid in pain.
And when you're a kid they won't believe you when you say the lido didn't work so they won't give you more. I'm an adult and I have to be a bitch to get it. A traumatic evening all around, I'm so sorry. Hope there was a metric tonne of ice cream for dessert. For each of you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a terrible thing for all of you to go through.
ReplyDeleteOh, poor little thing! This is so hard - on the babies and on the mamas!
ReplyDeleteHave a good day - Kellan
It sounds awful for all of you.
ReplyDeleteMy son started getting stitches routinely at 8 months old. 12 times and counting (he's 15 now). We actually never papoosed him--that's more for the convenience of the doctors and it freaks out the kid. Next time (and there will be a next time) try to give him a chance to hold still in your lap in order to avoid the papoose.
Oh, poor kidlet.
ReplyDeleteoh, how hard.
ReplyDeleteE though? pretending to be captain underpants. I love it!
Ugh. This brings back memories of RC's first stitches last April. Didn't hear the term papoose. We called it a "burrito" but the blankets were the same. Two doctors, two nurses, and me pinning him down while they stitched just below his eyebrow.
ReplyDeleteAnd the whole time he's screaming and crying, he's looking at me with a "how could you let them do this to me, Mommy?" look that still breaks my heart.
Poor baby, poor you, poor E. Having Girl there sounds like extra misery/guilt/horror.
I'm sure he's practically himself today, being the rough and ready boy he is.
Oh I am so sorry. That is heartbreaking, because they really don't understand. I am so glad the injury itself was minor.
ReplyDeleteWhen she was 15 months Little Red drank a bottle of children’s liquid Tylenol that had not been properly capped. She had to be put in that papoose and have her stomach pumped. I was not allowed to stay with her. Seeing her sweaty little exhausted face afterwards and the look she gave me "how could you, you left me"...well even to think about now 13 years later... I still cry.
Oh honey! It's so hard to watch them suffer! Big hugs to your brave man.
ReplyDeleteOMG, god bless you all. Perhaps he's young enough to forget it? Poor little guy. When our 1st was still just one, she cut her finger open very similarly on the bottom of our oven (who knew there were vents under there?). She had to do the papoose thing, but of all things, we lucked out, and she...are you ready? Fell asleep. I know, don't throw rocks. We were lucky. At least it's over.
ReplyDeleteSee you at BlogHer. Let's look each other up.
Tacky Princess (Molly Wendland)
I have have jelly legs just thinking about it - No 2 spilt her head open, and I was useless - thank goodness for Husbands!
ReplyDeleteOh, how awful! I was wondering where you were! Poor little guy. I hope he is OK now. give him lots of love and hugs - and his sister too.
ReplyDeleteI think that papoose thing is probably more frightening to kids than the actual procedure itself.
My Son had a broken arm at 3 and we had to sit in the ER for a while with him. They ended up taking him to surgery because they had to put pins in his elbow. There's nothing more frightening than having to be outside the room while they're treating your child.
Oh poor baby!
ReplyDeleteI almost bawled reading this! It is so horrible to watch our children suffer and not be able to do much to help! This is one time I wish you weren't such a good writer, because you wrote it so well, that I am now exhausted.
ReplyDeleteOh no! Oh no! You poor mama, and your poor babies. I hope it is all a distant memory soon...though I'm sure it won't ever be for you.
ReplyDeleteOy, I remember the papoose. Horrid, mean, evil little device! All three of my kids had stitches above the neck. I remember each one like it was yesterday.
ReplyDeleteDo your kids have a toy doctor kit? lay on the floor and play patient, letting your son fix you up. Its supposed to help kids manage (feel control over) their anxiety/fears associated with the ER trauma.
OMG. Bless you and your brave little boy.
ReplyDeleteI remember when we were in the ER with Ryan I thought I was handling everything calmly until I stood up to leave and my knees just buckled beneath me. My legs weren't couldn't keep up the charade...oh, and that papoose thing is nightmarish.
Oh poor kiddos. Both of them. This was one of "those" parenting days.
ReplyDeleteOh! That same thing happened to us, except that it was Dylan's chin and Zach was 11 days old.
ReplyDeleteHe survived (and was swimming the next day). No scar to speak of! Me, however, different story.
I see above that he's doing well! So, yay!