What sort of things do we need to do to prepare her body for this assault? What kinds of questions should we be asking the doctor? What should we be watching for at the hospital? How do we prevent one of those terrible hospital infections I read about?
Here's what happened:
While I was away at the mother's homeschool meeting Monday night, I got a phone call from my husband. Because our bathtub is old and makes interesting noises when you walk on it, our 7 y.o. had amused herself, while supposedly bathing, by jumping up and down in the bathtub. The jumping dislodged a big sister's razor, knocking it into the tub. She didn't see it and jumped on it hard- later we found the pieces of the plastic and the broken razor still in the bathtub.
So DH called me at the meeting to say he was taking her to Lafayette to the emergency room to get it stitched up, but he thought everything was fine, so not to rush.
I have several teens, and he wasn't waiting for me, and this child is our busy, busy, busy one, who is always doing this sort of thing, so I wasn't too worried. I came home a few minutes later when the meeting was over.
The children at home told me it was a pretty horrific gash, as I
could see by the blood. Our 18 y.o. had cleaned up the mess, but saved the towel they had first used to stop the bleeding to show me. She completely bled through one bathroom towel- all over it.
At about 1 a.m. my husband called. The doctor was 99 percent sure that the 7 y.o., who is ominously nicknamed Calamity Jane, hadn't cut any tendons, but thought, due to the location and depth of the injury, that it would be best to be sure, so they were waiting for an orthopedic specialist.
At 4 a.m. Hubby called again. The orthopedic specialist has
found that Calamity nicked the tendon of one toe, damaged the nerve of another, and in all probability severed the tendon of the third, since he is unable to find it.
She is to remain off her feet entirely until we can see the specialist again, which we are to try to do asap.
The specialist says she will need surgery as soon as possible, and
that after the surgery she will probably be in a cast for another 8
weeks, and should stay off the foot then, too.
If you knew Calamity, you'd know why the thought of her off her feet for 8 weeks fills me with a sense of foreboding on top of the one I already feel about surgery for her.
I am also concerned because she has a condition called hypertrophic scarring. I don't know what sort of problems her hypertrophic scarring might cause. The doctor who first told us about it also told us that this was something to be more concerned about in the event of surgery.
Thanks for any advice, warm thoughts, prayers, suggestions, or sympathy you can offer,
Kanga
Here's what happened:
While I was away at the mother's homeschool meeting Monday night, I got a phone call from my husband. Because our bathtub is old and makes interesting noises when you walk on it, our 7 y.o. had amused herself, while supposedly bathing, by jumping up and down in the bathtub. The jumping dislodged a big sister's razor, knocking it into the tub. She didn't see it and jumped on it hard- later we found the pieces of the plastic and the broken razor still in the bathtub.
So DH called me at the meeting to say he was taking her to Lafayette to the emergency room to get it stitched up, but he thought everything was fine, so not to rush.
I have several teens, and he wasn't waiting for me, and this child is our busy, busy, busy one, who is always doing this sort of thing, so I wasn't too worried. I came home a few minutes later when the meeting was over.
The children at home told me it was a pretty horrific gash, as I
could see by the blood. Our 18 y.o. had cleaned up the mess, but saved the towel they had first used to stop the bleeding to show me. She completely bled through one bathroom towel- all over it.
At about 1 a.m. my husband called. The doctor was 99 percent sure that the 7 y.o., who is ominously nicknamed Calamity Jane, hadn't cut any tendons, but thought, due to the location and depth of the injury, that it would be best to be sure, so they were waiting for an orthopedic specialist.
At 4 a.m. Hubby called again. The orthopedic specialist has
found that Calamity nicked the tendon of one toe, damaged the nerve of another, and in all probability severed the tendon of the third, since he is unable to find it.
She is to remain off her feet entirely until we can see the specialist again, which we are to try to do asap.
The specialist says she will need surgery as soon as possible, and
that after the surgery she will probably be in a cast for another 8
weeks, and should stay off the foot then, too.
If you knew Calamity, you'd know why the thought of her off her feet for 8 weeks fills me with a sense of foreboding on top of the one I already feel about surgery for her.
I am also concerned because she has a condition called hypertrophic scarring. I don't know what sort of problems her hypertrophic scarring might cause. The doctor who first told us about it also told us that this was something to be more concerned about in the event of surgery.
Thanks for any advice, warm thoughts, prayers, suggestions, or sympathy you can offer,
Kanga
