CLICK HERE FOR FREE BLOG LAYOUTS, LINK BUTTONS AND MORE! »

Friday, July 20, 2007

Stitch Witchery

Today was stitch removal, part one. The ER doctor told me to have my pediatrician remove Henry's stitches. I can see why -- it's impossible to do, and the ER didn't want us to come back! Lesson learned from this entire experience is that if a small child has a facial injury that needs any sort of procedure, head straight for the sedative. (Note, the sedative should be for the child, not necessarily for the parent.) Had Henry been sedated in the ER when the stitches were put in, I don't think he would have been so traumatized and scared of someone touching his face. He obviously remembers that it hurt at the ER, and he wants no part of that. So today we're at the ped's office for our appointment with the nurse practitioner, whom I love. She's amazing with the boys, very knowledgeable and professional, and just a really sweet person. She's also young, very smart, and I've always felt equally as confident in her abilities as a medical professional as I have the pediatrician. She came in and looked at his face, talked to us for a few minutes, and got a nurse to help hold him down. One wasn't enough -- we needed two more. The PNP was at his head on one side, I was holding his head from the other side, one nurse was holding his chest and arms, and two more nurses were each holding a leg. He still almost fell off the table. My boy is strong! We tried for probably 15 minutes, but she wasn't even able to get one stitch out. And he was bleeding. Even if we restrain his whole body, he just screams, yells, and cries, moving his mouth the whole time. The only part of his body we couldn't stop from moving was the part she needed to get the stitches out of! After some discussion we decided the best thing to do is for us to go back in the morning. We got a prescription for chloral hydrate, which is a sedative, so we'll knock him out and do it then. I really think that's the only way we'll be able to get the stitches out without making a mess of his face. So please cross your fingers that the sedative works. Quickly and thoroughly!!!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

How did the stitches go with the sedative? ED doctors hate giving kids narcotics and sedatives...hello - you need it more for a kid who you cannot talk through something than you do for a 40 year old crying like a baby.

Oh well - Beau and I had our first date out in months all by ourselves! I was so excited. For excitement...we went to a 5pm movie with all the memere and pepere's. Followed by sushi and a trip to buy diapers and toys for Jaxson. Obviously we need a life.

Also loved the 4th of July story. I loved the summer when David and Jaxson were just babies together at the lake. Although - sounds like he'd be a partner in crime for David and Henry. I almost died when I read about painting their bedroom...you have your work cut out for you.