Because of David, I know how to get to the Emergency Room (actually I had directions in my daytimer before we needed them!! Thanks, Lord!!), the pediatric dentist, and the urgent care! Yikes!
In a period of 2-3 months, David had several accidents.
First, David bit through his tongue so that the tip was dangling off!! At about 9:00 pm after Sunday night small groups, David was sitting on the couch watching football while I got the boys' rooms ready for bed. Joseph was at work for the night.
I heard a "thump" and then a cry, so I came quickly. David was face down on the floor in a little pool of blood!!! Apparently he fell off the couch! I grabbed the first thing I could find for him to suck on to stop the bleeding -- a dirty dish cloth!! Ahhh! (Note to self, take an extra 2 seconds to grab a clean one!) The second thing I got him was a frozen teething ring ... which he kept in his mouth for the next 16 hours!!! Literally!
I called for Daniel and we quickly went next door to the Kleitz's house. They kept Daniel until Aunt Loretta could arrive. David and I headed to the ER.
At the ER, David was a TROOPER! He repeatedly opened his mouth and stuck out his dangling tongue so the doctors could examine it. By midnight, the ER determined that they didn't want to try to stitch David's tongue without sedating him, and they didn't want to sedate him. Instead they sent us home and referred us to a pediatric oral surgeon/dentist to give him stitches in the morning.
Aunt Loretta took Daniel to her house. David and I slept together in the living room chair for a few hours, and he continuously held the no-longer-frozen teething ring in his mouth! Perhaps the pressure made it feel better? Perhaps he was too scared to move it? Regardless, it brought him comfort and we got a little sleep.
In the morning, we headed to the oral surgeon, but unfortunately we miscommunicated. I thought the dr. said to be there first thing. The dentist thought that first thing they were calling me to set up a time to come in. They were gracious and agreed to work us in. So, we spent 5 hours there! But again, thank the Lord, David did very well!
At this point, David hadn't eaten or had anything to drink since the night before - and the dentist didn't want anything in his stomach in case he needed to be put under for stitches. By late morning, David began asking for apple juice, but he was pretty okay when I explained that the dr. said he couldn't have any yet.
When David did finally see the dentist (15 hours after the accident!), he was pretty amazed with David's willing cooperation! Thank you, Lord, for helping David stay relaxed and compliant!
At about 2:00, they were able to put in two stitches, without sedating David, and secure the tongue tip back in place.
The three pictures below are 1) the tongue before stitches, 2) David outside the dentist with his trusty teething ring, and 3) the tongue after stitches!
I think I'll have to write about the other injuries another time! Whew! This was enough for one post!
2 comments:
I've determined that, given that David's injuries are starting so early in his life, he will likely feel invincible if he makes it past the age of 20! He'll definitely be the cute boy in the class with all the scars that all the girls drool over. :)
Maybe you should suggest to Daniel that he acquire some scars, and then his concerns about whether or not he'll have a woman to marry will vanish in an instant!
Oh, except you'll need to remind Daniel that he should NEVER remove his clothing in public if he wants the aforementioned woman to stick around by his side for very long!
Post a Comment