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Today is much calmer than the weekend. Mason’s finger is doing better. His doctor wants us to keep it very clean so no going outside for Mason but thinks it will heal OK.

I hadn’t posted a Flickr Favorite in a while and just wanted to share something pretty from a great Japanese photographer shinichiro*. I also love poppies so this was a nice choice for the day.

04/24/2007 | | No Comments

My son almost lost his fingertip

Things always happen when you least expect it, good or bad.

My family had planned on going out of town to see family, but plans changed. The last thing I was going to put in the car was Mason’s stroller but he wanted to go for a ride. He hadn’t been in it a while so I thought, what the heck. I went to open it with he and Danielle right there. I have always had a hard time opening and closing this thing so Danielle was helping me. I didn’t realize Mason was so close and when I made that final lock of the Maclaren Quest stroller, he started to scream.

We realized his finger was stick and tried to open it but just couldn’t fast enough. I tried. Danielle tried. I tried again and Danielle finally got it. She was hysterical!!
Once he was loose, I looked at his finger to find his entire fingernail bed was completely folded back and only held on by a small piece of skin. I screamed and thought he was going to lose his finger. His finger was cut almost a third away from his fingernail. I still can’t believe this as I type. Danielle is so freaking out and ran do call my parents. Matt had gone sailing earlier this morning.

I started to freak out, grabbed him and ran to the kitchen to get ice. He wouldn’t let me put anything on it and was just screaming like I have never heard before. I was able to get a towel and wrap his finger and ran to the car. Danielle was still hysterical. I put Mason in the car and asked Danielle to hold his hand as we rushed to the a new hospital that just opened up. The hospital in front of Shadow Creek Ranch is about 10 minutes away but I made it in 5! I’m so glad it was there or I would of had to drive 25 minutes to the Houston Med Center.

We couldn’t find the correct door to get in but a nurse pointed me in the right direction and I ran across the lawn with my 26 lbs son bleeding all over us. There was no one in the waiting room and the nurse that pointed me in the right direction showed up and asked what was wrong. I told her about Mason’s finger and she called someone else. It felt like we waited forever but we were taken back within minutes while Danielle filled out forms and checked us in. She also called my sister to come over, who only lives literally right behind the hospital.

A nurse filled out some forms in the computer while Mason continued to scream. I asked if he would pay more attention to my son instead of the computer. I with there was more I could do. There was blood all over us, blood completely soaking the towel and now blood was getting all over the bed. If Mason would stop crying for a second, just looking at his hand would make him cry again. I tried to keep in covered but he still wanted to look at it too.

We weighed Mason and he was exactly what I guessed, 26lbs. I mother just knows I guess. He was then given Motrin with Codeine for the pain but he was still screaming. He didn’t stop screaming. The doctor came to see him and asked for X-rays. We went around the corner almost immediately and had 3 X-rays done. Danielle came in with us to help hold him along with an X-ray tech and 2 assistants. They had to use tape to hold his hand in place. He hated it!

We went back and the the TV was on. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were on but Mason wasn’t into them at all. So he kept screaming. Soon the doctor came in with 2 nurses to start his stitches. We had to basically swaddle him with his arm sticking out to restrain him. He hated that too. Dr. Vu numbed his finger but he still screamed through out the whole procedure. At some point he was screaming “No” and “Mommy” mixed up.

Mason got 4 stitches in his tiny little 4th finger. He had 2 through the top of this finger tip and 2 more through either side of the fingernail to keep it on. since the fingertip was cut right under the cuticle there was nothing else to stitch but the nail itself. He was cleaned up and bandaged up.

I took him out to see Danielle soon after. The nurse brought out an Orange Popcicle with are his favorite. That was such a great jesture. It really is about the little details you remember.

Mason started to calm down when he was eating the popcicle. The doctor gave us care instructions and said he would be fine and that he would sleep at home.

We got home about 1 hour and 5 minutes after we arrived at the hospital, which thinking about it after the fact was so fast. It seemed slower when we were there because Mason was in such pain and screaming the whole time.

He took it very easy but didn’t sleep until 2:45. He asked to go outside soI took him but he played very differently. He only used his “good hand” and looked for bugs. He didn’t ride his bike, play with balls or sticks or try to use his law mower but he was in a better mood. He was still very aware something was wrong with his hand.

After his nap he went outside to play again and was doing even better. I tried to throw him a ball lightly. He put his 2 hands together but then saw his finger and looked at me like “mom, I can’t catch a ball right now with my boo-boo!!” He did get his lawn mower and pushed it around with one hand though. He’s a tough kid.

I couldn’t sleep at all that night. I kept hearing him scream and just pictured the hospital. Even over the monitor I heard him cry twice but each time I checked on him, he was sound asleep. I still went up and slept in his room with him on the twin to be close to him.

Accidents happen but I still feel so bad. Matt is always pointing out things to Danielle and to help us be more careful but he is really Mr. Safety. I know this wouldn’t have happened if he was home. I feel terrible.

Its Sunday and Mason did much better today. He seemed like his old self but was just a bit more careful with his hand still. He understands his limitations.

Tomorrow I am taking him to the doctor to have things checked out. I hope he is healing OK and hope that he won’t have really bad scars. I wonder if I may need to take him to a Plastic Surgeon just in case. If anyone of you knows me in real life, you know I broke my leg when I was 19 and have a wicked crappy scar on my leg because the doctors in the ER were not concerned about the look of my leg but that my bone not get infected. I hope Mason’s finger looks normal and that he is not teased later in life for any irregular finger.

I’ll update tomorrow after the doctors appointment. Night all.

Tags: finger, ingury, mason, toddler

04/22/2007 | Tags: finger, ingury, mason, toddler | 4 Comments