first trip to the ER

it's been a week since the accident. days with sick kids seem to go by so slowly, but here we are-- a week later and it seems like yesterday. it needs to be documented, no matter how grotesque the pictures.

after 10 years of boys rough-housing, we made our visit to the ER. Only, oddly enough, no one was rough-housing or being crazy. Believe me, Simon spends a good amount of time running around with swords, plastic guns & make-shift "weapons" but last Thursday, he was being a sweetheart, helping me cut peaches at the counter. He was "cutting" with a butter knife, but was doing lots more eating than he was cutting. He had the knife in his right hand, at a 90 degree angle when Luke, who is by far my most calm, well mannered child, walked past Simon swinging a pillow (which is in the shape of a ball.) The pillow hit Simon's elbow in the perfect spot and flung the butter knife into the back of Simon's throat. I didn't see the knife go in, but I saw Simon pull it out and I knew by the small end of the knife sticking out of his mouth that it had punctured and that the cut was deep. Simon put his fingers in his mouth, but did not cry. When his fingers came out bloody, he asked me for a bandaid. I went to get a cold rag and by the time I went to put it in his mouth, the bleeding had stopped. Simon willingly opened his mouth and let me look at it and I was amazed by the lack of blood. The puncture was probably the size of a dime, but it was deep and you could see several inches down his throat. I wondered if Simon was in shock because there was so emotion whatsoever. He was sick already from a bad cough/croup and laid on the couch and fell asleep minutes after it happened..

I called Aaron and a couple of friends for advice on what to do. Katie, my neighbor who is also a nurse, came over to check it out. She confirmed it was probably too deep for it to heal quickly and on it's own. I was on the fence about taking him in, but because he had such a terrible cough and fever anyway, I figured it would be best to get it stitched up. Katie stayed with the baby and put her down for a nap (and also cleaned my house) while Luke, Simon and I went to the emergency room.

The ER was a total bust. We waited forever and they ended up sending us away with a pat on the back, telling us to rinse it with salt water and keep an eye on it. I had sent a picture to a couple of dentists asking their opinion and both had called me back on the way home telling me it needed to be stitched up. Simon had yet to cry or complain over it, but I ended up shedding a few tears on the way home. It's hard to know what to do when you are getting conflicting advice!

Poor Luke felt awful about the whole thing. He stayed by Simon's side the entire time and kept asking him how he was doing. From the beginning Simon acted like nothing was wrong. By the time we were home, he was running around and eating chips and salsa (ahh!) I tried to get him to take a late nap, but he wouldn't have it.. so it was a long afternoon.

(this picture below was taken the day of the accident... he was sprinting across couches as spiderman minutes before Daddy got home from work.)

Aaron had a tennis match that night and lucky (for me!) it rained. He came home and took one look at the open palate and was freaked out by how deep it was. (I tried to tell him on the phone, but I guess you had to see it to believe it.. the pictures didn't do justice.) Around 9 PM, he took Simon over to our dentist/neighbor and they went into the office and stitched him up. Aaron held him the entire time and said he didn't move or complain one bit. unbelievable. I was worried that he was going to freak out because he hadn't had a nap and can get emotional when he's tired. Instead, he fell asleep :). It was only a few stitches, but Dr. Atwood said he was so surprised the ER sent me away knowing how deep the cut was. He also said Simon was a trooper, which we all knew after seeing him behave like a champ. He slept in our room that night and didn't make a peep.

The next morning, he woke up saying he wanted a slurpie, so that's what we got him first thing. He had about 3 sips before he insisted he was fine. I didn't fill the pain killer prescription because he wasn't complaining. He ran around like his usual self and didn't tug at or mention his stitches until 48 hours after the accident. He told me the following night he "had an owie in his mouth" as if I didn't know. We gave him some Tylenol and called it good.

A few days after that, we had the Sister Missionaries over for dinner. Simon was being his usual chatty self and talked their ears off. At one point during the meal, he picked up a butter knife, showed it to the Missionaries and said, "I ate this knife one time." We had to explain the whole story to the Sisters and they were so surprised he was so matter-of-fact about it. He told them all about cutting peaches, going to the doctor and then the dentist and he was happy to show his scar, but still not a single tear. I am totally amazed by this tough two year old of mine. He means it when he says he's NO BABY!

Looking back at the events this past week, I am so grateful for the support system I have... local friends and neighbors who are so willing and able to help us. I am grateful for heath insurance and a husband who works hard so I don't have to stress about medical bills. I truly believe this experience could have been so much worse. I know that we were blessed and I so relieved that our spunky, busy, rambunctious Simon is doing well. Here's to hoping we have another 10+ years before our next emergency.