Another time the instagram app is useful? When you find yourself somewhere unexpected! Like the Pediatric Emergency Room!
I got the call at work yesterday. You know the one. Parents who work outside the home DREAD them like the PLAGUE. The call…from…DAYCARE. Is it fever? Diarrhea? Disobedience? No! It’s a bloody face from a playground fall! You win some stained crime-scene clothing and a trip to the ER!
When they called, Wes was screaming bloody murder. When I got to school to pick him up? He had one teacher holding ice and rags on his chin, his sister was sitting with her arm wrapped around his shoulders, and he was eating a Pop-Ice. Needless to say…He was doing JUST FINE. Even trying to not to smile as he was being pampered.
We went to the ER and they took great care of him. He was okay with everything until the prep for the stitches. The bandage they wrapped his chin to hold the numbing agent hurt like hell when they pulled it off, and it went downhill from there. The stitches themselves didn’t hurt that bad, I don’t think. He was well-numbed. But it was the cleaning and the covering and the holding down of the arms and the legs that made the ordeal just…AWESOME.
But we lived! And we went back to school after naptime to show off our stitches and Wes was the KING OF THE PLAYGROUND. My first kid with stitches. If it’s the last? I’ll consider us blessed. If it’s not? It’s okay. I learned quickly what the best post-stitches ritual is.
GIANT MEXICAN BEER.
That is one giant beer. Enjoy!
I know my day of stitches is coming one of these days and I’m glad to hear it wasn’t so bad.
Well, my only experience with stitches came on the heels of a healing hairline fracture in my daughter’s leg. She had already gotten the cast taken off and was wearing the brace and it was the second day of Spring Break. So I agreed she could play outside, on her push scooter. How fast can a kid go within half a block? Well she managed to be going fast enough so that when the neighbor kid got overly excited and ran in her path she swerved, the wheel of her scooter got caught in a rut and she toppled over sideways. She put her arm out to catch herself and of course it broke and her chin hit the sidewalk too. So she had a small crater taken out of her chin AND her arm was very bent in a way it shouldn’t have been. She was calmer at that point than I would have expected. So we took her into the ER and they did xray’s and found the arm needed to be set and then it was decided that she’d need surgery to put pins in it.
So I asked them if her chin needed stitches and they said they thought it might not have been able to be stitched up and after examining it a bit more they decided to go ahead. She WAILED over having the numbing agent and the whole time they were doing the stitches her chin was trembling.
Then came the fun part of the whole experience, it was Spring Break, did I mention that? And that means that all the doctors were out of town with their kids for Spring Break. And the only one that specialized in Pediatric Orthopedics did not have any opening to do the operation until Friday. So we had to keep the partially crumpled arm as still as possible for three days. Let me tell you, that Spring Break was AWESOME.
Oh, poor Wes AND you! I had to get stitches in my chin when I was around the same age as Wes. I seem to remember it exactly as you described Wes. I was fine, laying there, no big deal….and THEN, there was a doctor in my face and I did not like it. My mom was in the room with me and my grandmother was in the waiting room. I started screaming “I want my Mamaw!” really loud over and over. The nurses kept saying “oh, your Mommy is right here.” I didn’t care. Finally, my grandmother (who was a force to be reckoned with!) just ignored the rules and came back to the treatment area. It seems like the actual stitching at that point was no big deal. The nurse also gave me a Strawberry Shortcake bandaid and that was definitely the best part!
Impressed it took that long, particularly given Nikki’s spirit.
I’m not sure I can rememer all the events that called for stitches. Luckily for me, our across-the-street neighbor was an ER nurse, so I’d often come to her for advice. Iirc, the first event needing stitches was when son #1 was 4 (that one was my fault… I smooshed his finger in the car door, as we were getting ready to leave — distracted because a neighbor girl was asking lots of questions as I was trying to buckle son #2 into his carseat).
Since then, both boys have had numerous little injuries, and a few big ones (like a plate and 8 screws in a broken leg at age 15). I got to feeling like Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor’s wife, reminding the hospital personnel of things they’re supposed to do, like provide discharge instructions.
I was always allowed to stay with my child and comfort him during the procedures — except for the broken leg surgery (but at 15, he wasn’t about to cry for me anyway) .
Wow, that is one MASSIVE beer. You earned it!
I’m so sorry poor Wed had to have stitches! I also very much hope I can go at least 16 years before either of my kids need them. It’s good to hope right??
guuuuuuuh. I have a feeling this is like looking into my future. I have fear.
You definitely earned that beer!
On just this past Father’s Day, my 5-year-old daughter was playing “mud monster” in the backyard with her younger sister and their dad, which entailed water hose + dirt + mud all over your body + growling and attacking anyone in sight with mud. I stepped outside with towels for eventual clean-up and went to place them on the patio table. My 5-year-old spotted me and ran full force with a handful of mud to get it all over me. Except she tripped as I sidestepped her and she fell face first into the patio table. Got a huge gash right above her eye. Holy crap. It was awful.
So as blood was gushing down her mud-streaked face and onto her mud-soaked clothes, all I’m thinking is: CONTAMINANTS! INFECTION! OH CRAP SHE NEEDS STITCHES!
We were lucky in that she screamed just hard enough for 15 minutes straight that by the time we got her to the ER she was almost passed out. She got upset when they injected the numbing agent right into her cut, but then was perfectly fine for the rest of it. Five stitches! What a trooper.
And our post-stitches ritual included a giant margarita for me. But that’s also kind of known as A Regular Sunday around here. Nonetheless. Totally necessary. Now she’s healing nicely and gets her stitches out on Friday! Woo hoo! All this to say: I am right there with you! It sucks!
Best wishes to Wes for quick healing. You guys are the rockinest family.
The worst part about stitches for us is that there is always some event right around the corner that is impacted…camp with swimming, an anticipated pool party, an important basketball game, etc.
When my son had to get stitches, he was about Wes’ age. They wrapped him in a sheet with his arms at his side, I layed on his legs, a very large nurse laid on his torso to hold him down and another held his head. All the while he was screaming bloody murder, and saying, “Mommy help me!” It was miserable. I told them next time (they knew him by name at this Minor Emergency Clinic) they were going to have to sedate me if they couldn’t sedate him.
Oh no! I’m glad he did fine, I would not want to hold my son down for stitches! Earlier this year, my niece and my son were playing a chasing game and she managed to smash her face into a wooden rocking chair and split her eyebrow open. I guess she came screaming down the hall about how her brain was falling out and she was going to die. 7 year olds are quite dramatic!
Great mexican beer!! Thumbs up!!! =P xx
We got the copious vomit phone call from our daycare today. Un-fun, and ironic too since she has been totally fine since the moment we picked her up.
Such a sweet little face!
Sage split her chin open a few months ago. The Children’s Hospital glued it… but she still screamed bloody murder!