My Little Trooper
I have officially had my first experience taking my child to get stitches. I guess this is a rite of passage for all mothers...I just thought it would occur down the road for some reason.
Late this afternoon, we were coming inside after playing with our spiffy bubble machine to get ready to go out for dinner with my in-laws. At some point, I heard a loud thud, followed by screaming. Alanna had fallen down, and it didn't seem like a run-of-the-mill spill. She wasn't running...she may have been dancing around, but my back was to her, so I don't know. When I finally got a glimpse of the gash under her chin, I was pretty sure our dinner plans were off, and I'd be heading to urgent care or the ER. Of course, this happens when Jason is in Hawaii at a conference...so he can't assess the situation...more specifically, the gash under her chin and if it needed stitches/glue/steristrips ...whatever. So I called the triage line for our pediatrician, and, considering the shrieking that followed any attempt for me to look at it, my attempts at describing the gash were weak, at best. Not to mention, every time I looked at it, my stomach churned a little. I can deal with blood...anything more makes me very happy I don't work in the medical field. They kept asking questions that I didn't know how to answer; what I wanted to say was "All I know is that it doesn't look normal...not an abrasion, I don't know what I'm looking at...but it looks like what is supposed to be inside her chin is OUTSIDE! Just tell me...do I need to take her to urgent care or the ER???!!!"
Finally the on-call doctor phoned, and he recommended that we head to urgent care. Alanna was none-too-pleased, and Aidan was devastated that we weren't going "to the restaurant." He'd been looking forward to it all day, so we promised him a raincheck. Alanna and I headed off, and we purchased her first Happy Meal. She was a trooper throughout the whole ordeal. I think the worst part was the anticipation. I had to sit with a little cotton ball soaked in numbing medication on her chin for 20 minutes. She was fine...I made up stories...I retold stories she likes from memory...for about 10-15 minutes, then the anticipation was killing her. All I told her was that we were putting medicine on her chin, like orajel, to make it feel better, then they were going to "fix her up," and we'd go home. She started to get stressed and tears started to flow, and it only got worse when they came in to do the procedure. She was very brave, and she didn't fight me or the nurse holding her head and arms at all. I couldn't decide if I should watch or turn my head the other way. I took one quick peek, and that was plenty. Another confirmation that allied health is the place for me! Fortunately, Alanna recovered quickly when it was all over. She was very excited about her little Happy Meal toy...a little bear with a bottle, and getting her very own "milk jug" with the Happy Meal was a big treat.
My little trooper!
