Wednesday, January 19, 2011

STITCHES!!

**Not for the light hearted...advert your eyes if necessary!**

It happened, finally. I had been dreading "this day" for about 11 years. With four boys, I am really surprised that it didn't happen sooner. One of my babies has split his chin open.

Now, just to be clear, Owen was technically the first of my boys to get stitches. It happened this last summer in Moab. We were 4-wheeling, he was wearing cowboy boots, trying to climb up on the trailer...it was bad...and bloody. We were in a motor home so we couldn't really "rush" to the hospital. Fortunately, my little sis had her truck there.

Owen and I went off to the small town hospital together. Everyone in the hospital looked like they had just come in from rock climbing or biking. Dirt under the nails, sunburns, cut off jeans. For real.


Owen's cut was inside his upper lip. He was really really brave. The dr.'s explained that had it been a fraction higher, he would have needed maxillofacial surgery, a fraction lower, he would have lost his teeth. We were very lucky.

Three hours and 4 stitches later (it took us a while to get all of Owen's freaking and thrashing out of the way!) we were as good as new! Owen was so proud of his stitches. He showed anyone who was interested. In fact, he still shows his gums to people...it has been 5 months.

I was so relieved that my baby was not only okay, but not visually/ permanently marred by the experience. By that I mean his perfect little body was still perfect on the outside, (exceptttt for a roasting stick burn from a campout...that is another story!) there were no visible signs of damage.

As a side note, I know this won't last forever. Boys will be boys. Cuts, scrapes, scars and other injuries are inevitable in our future. And heaven forbid if they ever get tattoos!!! Ohhh, the things I have to look forward to. In the meantime, I like to pretend that they are all still precious, soft and downy newborns with the perfect unblemished bodies they were born with. (You can call the mental services on me later.)

So anywho, back to last Friday night. Owen and Myles are in the tub acting like maniacs as usual. (I really do need to start separating them and making them take showers.) All of the sudden, I hear it. The loud, ominous thud followed by an excruciating scream. I know.

I run in, Myles has his hand on his chin, blood is spilling out. Yep. It's time. Sterling, ironically, was not home. I pull Myles out, put some toilet paper on his chin to stop the bleeding and ready myself for the first look. GASP!! I think he knew it was bad because Asher, who was there to catch the action, and I both backed away and put our hands over our mouth at the same time.

We go to the sofa, where I calmly explain to Myles that we are going to have to go the the Dr. to see what he thinks about his cut. "NO NO NO!! I don't want stitches!! I don't want STITCHES!!!"

In the midst of all of this, Asher gets this "ah ha" moment type of look on his face and runs downstairs, returning with his microscope and a clean slide. He wants a live blood sample. Ewwww. Really. I tell him, "You know, now is really not the time. Maybe a bloody nose or a mosquito bite..." "MOM!" "Okay, you have to ask your brother's permission." Myles, who has been crying up to this point, stops completely and says "yes". THEN-he hops (HOPS) off the sofa to peer into the microscope along with Asher. WHAT??? I am dumbfounded. Crisis adverted.

By the time we got to the Insta Care (Sterling met us there) Myles was doing pretty good. He insisted that we inform the Dr. that he DID NOT want stitches. The nurse tricked him and told him that she was cleaning his cut. Instead, she taped a pad holding a liquid numbing solution to his chin.

This picture is pre-stitches- believe it or not! The dr. was great at getting Myles to relax and open up. Myles suddenly had a lot of information to share.

Three stitches. I actually got a bit light headed when they were sewing him up. Sterling told me I was white and the nurse made me eat a sucker! Well, if you insist!

Myles checking out the final look. He is so proud now that he not only survived - but that he is going to have an awesome scar to show the ladies! Let's hope it is only this scar that he ever gets....right?! A mom can hope.

7 comments:

skcoe said...

What IS it about head/mouth wounds that makes them bleed so much???

He'll love that scar one day...Darren is so proud of his!

Owen said...

WOW! Kudos mom, kudos.

Jacobson Five said...

Wow, these are your first seperiences...Tanner has had stitches/stapels 3x, Isaac had stitches 1x, and on Tuesday Noah fell getting out of the tub and he now has 3 staples in his head. Gotta love boys!!!!

briana said...

ummmm OUCH! i hate the part when they have to shoot right into the wound with the needle. got to be brave kiddo and brave mama then!

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