I'm just glad this one wasn't on my watch.
I'd spent so much time out of the house, running errands and going to appointments that when the choice came up yesterday afternoon, I jumped at the chance to stay home by myself. I'd already taken CW to the Optometrist's office and spent 2 hours and over $200 (after insurance) with her, so I felt justified in NOT going to drop CW at a party (4-7pm), hit the library and take SG to the playground.
5:40pm Matt and SG walk back in, with SG waving a bloody paper towel. "Mom! Mom! Wooka myCHIN!" Stuck him up on the counter, mopped it with a wet paper towl, and decided it needed stitches. Well, at least I was already clean and dressed, right? I have this horrible fear that one day, I'll have to take someone to the ER and I won't have showered.
Got there, SG dances into the waiting room and triage area, and generally gives the impression that NOTHING is wrong with him, except perhaps in the head. ;) It being a nice Saturday afternoon here in the 'burbs, the ER was busy furnishing the general population with splints and arms slings - 3 people thusly treated were discharged while we waited to be taken back.
He was good in the room, although I did have to apologize to the nurses when he pressed the call button. Then it was decreed that yes, in fact, he needed a couple of stitches. Out came the papoose (too small) and the pillowcase to help restrain his arms at his side (seemed cruel and unusual, but made sense), and the sterile drapes (It's REALLY hard NOT to touch the tops of those things!) Then the screaming began. The pillowcase was slid up his arms behind him to keep them down at his sides, and then he was placed on the papoose and velcroed up - chest, hips and legs. When I say it like that it doesn't sound to bad, right? Ever tried to put a cat in a barrel of water? Yeah. I ended up laying on his knees once he managed to break the velcro's hold (I'm still sore today). Matt had one hand on his forehead, and another on this chest, and the male nurse was holding SG's head as still as he could.
The Nurse Practitioner put one of those tissue drapes over his face - the ones with a hole through which they actually do the work - and SG REALLY lost it. Spitting, blowing malicious snot, thrashing and screaming, "No, guys! No! Take it off!! Don't wantnymore!! Let me UP!" Words in the screaming made it so much worse than when it was just screaming. But horribly, we were all half laughing - not because we were enjoying it, but because he was SO, so HIM. Matt and I have seen this before (unfortunately), and will likely see it again, but it's always somewhat amusing when other people encounter him in an intense state like that. Shock and awe is really the best way to explain it.
Anyway, two stitches was all he needed, and as soon as we uncovered his face (his hair was soaked, his face dripping and red) he was mostly fine. The NP wanted to check the inside of his mouth to make sure there was no damage to the jaw and whatnot. *snicker* She tried a tongue depressor and a light, and asking him nicely. He clamped his mouth shut and had his lips SO tightly pressed together it looked like he had none. She told the nurse to pinch his nose shut and I laughed outright, "That doesn't work either, he'll just..." and his lips opened the TINIEST bit, "...breathe through his teeth. He does this at the pediatrician's office - we've never gotten him to open up."
She bowed her head and chuckled at this point, but conceded that since he was doing what he was doing, there obviously wasn't a problem with the jaw. So we let him up entirely, at which point he was dancing and giggling around the room again. The discharge nurse asked him if he was the one she heard screaming (we had an enclosed room, btw)? He grinned, delighted with himself and nodded, "Yes!"
........................................................................................
This morning one of the stitches was missing, so we went back. The triage nurse this morning was apparently also there last night. "You were here around 7?"
"Um, yeah. We were...?"
"I heard the screaming."
:)
He's fine, they declined to restitch given how it looked.
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