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Six Freaking Hours? Them's The Breaks!
Wed Mar 10 2004

After spending 6 freaking hours in the emergency room with #1, the results are in. His finger is broken.

He managed to break it at the very bottom of the finger, where it joins the hand. This caused a very strange and WRONG angle for his finger to be situated in while we waited and waited and waited to be seen.

When we were finally seen, and #1 saw the size of the needle they wanted to use to numb the hand up so they could set the break, he totally freaked. Look in the dictionary under conniption fit and you will have a good idea of what he was doing. So… the orthopedic surgeon who had been called in to take a look at it tried to manipulate it without the pain meds.

I am pretty sure the immediate and rapid emptying of the emergency waiting room was a direct result of #1's screams.

We finally got him convinced to let the doc give him the shot. He held on to me with his head averted sobbing his heart out while the doc stuck a needle roughly the size of a beverage straw into his hand and wiggled it around to every possible and impossible angle, injecting what seemed like a gallon of Novocain into his hand.

A side note here. Sue I really admire you for being able to handle these things in your day to day job. You are definitely a better person than I!

I watched it with a sick fascination, as my oldest child’s hand ballooned up with the fluid being injected into it. I could feel my stomach roll in a sickening way and little spots and flashes appeared before my eyes.

Knowing that seeing his mother faint would not be the best thing for #1’s attitude and over all morale, I managed to pry my eyes from his hand. I found the wall and ceiling to be much more comforting to look at. No where near as fascinating, but definitely a safe thing to look at.

The doc got #1’s finger set, splinted him up and had a few more pictures taken of the hand before releasing us into the night. We left with instructions to come back and see him on the 23rd and to keep the hand clean and dry.

Whoever came up with instructions to keep something clean and dry never had teenage boys.

#1 is finally in bed, and if not already asleep, then well on his way to that liquid depth I find so elusive tonight. Every time I close my eyes I see the needle pricking and prodding the hand, sunk what seems to be an impossible depth into the flesh between his fingers.

I’m SO not looking forward to the dreams I will have tonight.

7 Comments
  • From:
    Angelnut (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Mar 11 2004
    You should have videotaped the entire episode. You could have made it on to the Naughty File of America's Funniest Home Videos!

    (As an aside--I pray every day that neither one of my children will EVER break ANYTHING in their ENTIRE lives--I don't think I can take it!)
  • From:
    BabyImAStr (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Mar 11 2004
    I would not have been able to deal with watching the procedure-which-shall-not-be mentioned in the ER. You are a tough ass mom! Hopefully you are to get some much needed rest.
  • From:
    Yetzirah (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Mar 11 2004
    You wait, later he will have this great gory story to tell his friends. Guys. Babies in private, he-men in public!

  • From:
    Monstergue (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Mar 11 2004
    Poor kid and poor you. I think the damned numbing shots really hurt worse than the actual fixing part. Sounds as if you handled it like a trooper. Hope it heals up well.
  • From:
    Sezrah (Legacy)
    On:
    Thu Mar 11 2004
    poor little guy
  • From:
    TraumaMama (Legacy)
    On:
    Fri Mar 12 2004
    LOL Alli---I avoid sticking needles in children at all costs, especially in a moving ambulance.
    I remember during my OB clincials...I watched the doctor give an epidermal and seeing the needle disappear into the spine and an impossible depth. Oh man, I was lucky to walk out of the room, I was really shaky.
  • From:
    Salamander (Legacy)
    On:
    Mon Mar 15 2004
    I imagine I'm going to have to do some quick reading to catch up on how the patient is doing, but I wanted to stick a quick "get well" in right now while I move ahead.

    And I'm really impressed with you having the presence of mind to find a way to get through the ordeal in a supportive way like that. No jokes here. I've heard too many of my compatriots telling me of having clients keel over because they insisted on staying with their pet in the ER, or because they wouldn't let the doctor take Fluffy back to draw blood. The doctors end up having to take care of the wrong people at times like that. We advise just looking away, or preoccupying yourself with something else if necessary, but people seem unable to take that advice sometimes, and it can make for a real mess. So good on you!