Wednesday, June 18, 2008

ER visit at just 4 days into summer break

I was so excited to have the kids out of school. The last couple months were just so jam packed with school projects, activities, homework that I was really looking forward to some lazy days of summer!

Of course I didnt really think about the fact that with them on summer break that means they all will be doing errands, shopping and everything else that I would do while the older 2 were in school. I do now recall last year's summer shopping experiences with a shudder.

It was just 5 days before Father's day and 1 day before hubby's birthday and I still had yet to get to the store for their presents. I got the kids in the car and off to Menards we went. Now on this day I had put off several errands I needed to complete for the past week so I had about 10 stops on my list (Menard's being 2nd stop). I wanted to get in and get out quick as I had so much else to do and not much time to get a nap in for Trevor. We are putting the things we picked out in the basket and doing good on time. Then I notice that Menards has a grocery section (I did skip it even though we needed milk - I was on a mission to get in and get out!). Next I saw a greeting card section - Who knew Menards had greeting cards and groceries, I sure didn't.

So I am looking at the cards and at this point Trevor is out of the basket. He does not shop well anymore and wants out of the cart soon after he is in so I sometimes let him out and have him "help mommy" push the cart. He is pushing the cart till I decide to stop and look at cards. I pulled out a card and start to read it (I can see Trevor in my peripheral vision) and then seconds later I hear crash and then another crash and then screaming. Trevor saw a glasss candle bowl right at his eye level and pulled it out to look at it and it fell and shattered. I pick him up and am looking at his hands as he seems to be upset about his hand. I can't find any cuts on him and wonder why he is crying so hard till I look down and see all this blood on the floor. I still didn not comprehend that he was bleeding for a couple of seconds.
He has cut himself at the knee and it is bleeding and has soaked the top half of his sock already. I am carrying him through the store (and I am embarassed to admit holding him in a way so blood isn't dripping all over me) get to the front where I ask for first aid kit and also for someone to take my purchases and ring me up - Even in a crisis I am trying to multitask! I am looking it ove r and realize that it probably should be looked at by a doctor so I quickly get him bandaged with the help of a girl at the front desk, sign for my purchases (I didn't even look at the reciept so hopefully they didn't rob me blind!) and swiftly left the store.
We go to Urgent Care/Walk in Care - It can be faster (should be faster) than the ER. We had quite a wait; over 1/2 an hour. The nurse did wash out the injury and said a doctor would be in shorlty. Well, the room is terribly small, the door doesn't lock so Trevor keeps getting up to go through the door as I keep trying to get him to stay still so he doesn't make the wound bleed again. Finally the doc comes in looks at it and tells me I have one of 3 options: 1) do nothing - go home and let it heal by itself - it might have a little bit worse of a scar (and he seemed to want to go with this one - where did he go to medical school??) 2) He could try to stich him there, but there would be no anestisia and Trevor would scream and cry and fight it and it would be traumatic for him and hard for the doctor to get the stiches in 3) go to the ER where they will give him anestisia and be able to do the stiches better. I don't wantt o just take him home - he wouldn't keep a band aid on for a day and he is always falling so the wound would keep re-opening and not heal very well.

So, we bring him to the ER (after going through Urgent Care and spending an hour there!). At last some inteligent nurses and dcotors. ER doc said it definitely needed stiches. It would take months to heal on its own if not stiched. It is at the knee, so the bending would make it harder to heal, plus it is rather deep and a flap of skin is hanging down.

The nurse mummied him up and the doctor gave him local anestisia (they don't put him out for this like the other doctor told me). He of course cried, but he did good. 10 stiches!

I wish I could say it was the first time Trevor has been to the ER, but it isn't. He was there at 7 months for bronchitus (I actually saw that doctor and a nurse that treated Trevor for bronchitus months back while we were there for the stiches. Stephen has yet to break any bones or get any stiches (except when he had the chalazion cysts by his eyes removed). Stephen is 9 with no serious injuries from playing. Ryan made it till age 5 where he got a cut under his eye from a pin wheel that Stephen slashed him with (mama always said someone was gonna poke an eye out and while its not exactly an eye pockin', it was an eye injury). So now Trevor at the ripe old age of 22 months has his first injury requiring stiches!

The wound keeps being opened up, so although we were supposed to have the stiches removed a week later, we had to set up another appt a couple more days after that.

I cringe at the thought of another shopping excursion with all 3 boys!

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Books I have read

  • Friday Night knitting Club
  • The tale of Edgar Sawtelle
  • Island of Lost Girls
  • The Prizewinner of Defiance Ohio
  • Nineteen Minutes
  • Kite Runner
  • Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons