My wife and I spent some time in the ER at WFU Baptist Medical Center last night with our middle child Reynolds. Earlier in the evening I was checking my email on the computer while the kids were in the living room catching that one last cartoon before bed. Out of nowhere I heard this sickening thud, which I knew was the sound of a head hitting something hard. Not knowing which child it was, I instinctively ran to the accident scene.
Before I arrived I heard crying and recognized the voice. Not that I want one of my children to be hurt more or less than the others, but I was relieved that it was not the cry of our 15-month-old because it would have probably been worse if it was. When I got there, Reynolds was holding her head and getting her money's worth in tears. She was wearing her silky pajamas pants and they caused her to slide backwards off a stool with her head hitting the corner of the fireplace hearth. Ouch!
I comforted her and held her and felt the growing lump on the back of her head. Her hair is very thick so I didn't notice any blood until I went to kiss it and make it better. Sure enough, I got a small amount of that undeniable salty taste that I knew meant one thing - we're going to spend the night getting stitches in the ER. Once I got a look at the cut, I knew it would take more than just one stitch or staple to keep it closed (sorry, I didn't have a chance to get a picture of it).
I called my wife, who was at work, and we quickly coordinated where to meet. The kids were already in their bed clothes so I hurriedly put them all in the van with Reynolds holding constant pressure on her wound with a damp wash cloth. Kellie and I rendezvoused and then took our little girl to the ER for what we were both sure would be a grueling evening of numbing shots and wrestling moves to hold her still (I knew all those years of watching Ric Flair would finally pay off).
Once at the ER, it only took us minutes to get back to a room and I was delighted and surprised to see that it was not busy at all. There are certain words that you don't use to describe the ER and quiet is one of them - it messes up their mojo if you use those kinds of words - but for some reason it was eerily calm. The resident came in and proclaimed that she would need either stitches or staples but when the attending physician came in, he overruled that decision. Instead, he ordered DERMABOND as the solution.
DERMABOND is basically a medical type of super glue. Once the wound is clean the doctor applies it to the inside and outside of the cut until it's dry, which only takes a minute or two just like regular super glue. With this option there were no shots, no stitches or staples, and no fighting. Unbelievably, we were there less than an hour before we were headed back home.
There are some times in life where, as a parent, awful scenarios just don't turn out as bad as they could. Sure, I hate my daughter cut her head but it wasn't as bad as it looked and we didn't spend the night in the ER. She doesn't have any lingering effects from her trauma (thank you, Lord!) and she also didn't milk all of the attention into a long-term strategy like she could have. If this happens again I might just run down to the hardware store and pick up a tube of super glue to fix it myself. If men can fix most things with duct tape, why not super glue as well?
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