It Took Us 13 Months To Get To This Day

Yesterday Bailey turned 13 months old.  Today, we made our first trip to the Urgent Care ER thingy we have here for a true emergency.  I say it that way because she has been to that clinic before, but only because her regular doctor was booked up or it was a Saturday - simply because she was sick.  But not today.

My main vice is a cold can of Dr. Pepper.  I'm embarassed to admit that back in the single day, one could walk in my house and find not just one can of Dr. Pepper sitting around, but sometimes a few.  And before Bailey, or when Bailey isn't around, I can usually be found with a can of Dr. Pepper sitting somewhere nearby.  But about a month ago I was in her room and I heard her playing with something that was making a funny noise but didn't think too much about it.  She had just started walking and all the sudden, here she came toddling into her room holding my DP can.  She had been playing with it for a while and I was thankful she didn't spill any on her little stroll and even more thankful she didn't cut herself on the can.  That day I made a mental note to self that I must keep my Dr. Pepper can put away.  I even suffered a slight headache one day last week when we were so busy and drank less than half the normal amount just because I had to keep my beloved beverage in the fridge all day and could only sip every now and then.

Today, I wasn't so lucky.  Bailey and I shared some ice cream after lunch today and I distinclty remember telling myself I could take my Dr. Pepper to the coffee table while we ate it because she wouldn't be interested in it while we were eating our Cookies and Cream.  And that was true.  But I forgot to get the can when I got up to go put the empty bowl in the sink and we moved on about our business.  A few minutes later I looked up and saw her going for the grab, the grab for a FULL Dr. Pepper can.  She has gotten in the habit of knowing when she is doing something she shouldn't and hurrying up to get it done before you get to her.  So when she realized I was coming, she went even faster and got to it right at the same time I did.  I jerked it up and so did she.  And it spilled everywhere.  I moved her away from the spilled can and went to get something to clean it up with.  I should say here that Sid was working and we were home alone.  Anyway, she cried, but I thought because I got onto her and moved her away from the DP.  About a minute went by and she stopped crying and was up and on the move back to the coffee table.  I saw her fingernail as her hand grabbed the table and thought hmmm it sure is red.  I picked her hand up to look at it and blood spewed out everywhere.  I flipped out.  I grabbed her up and took her to the sink to wash her hand off and see where she was cut and it didn't take but a second to see that her middle finger had been sliced wide open.  I flipped out again and all I could think to do was apply pressure with the paper towel I had in my hand.  I sat down in the rocking chair and she laid her head on me and I was able to apply pressure for a few mintues with her arm raised above her head.  Then I took a peek....still a spew of blood.  I flipped out.  I called Nene because she could get to us faster than Sid and I knew as long as I could keep pressure applied to it it was fine but I would have to put her in the carseat with blood spewing everywhere and no pressue to get her to the ER.  Plus we put our pj's back on after showering this morning so I was going to have to put her down to get dressed to go and I didn't know if that was good.  Nene was on her way and every few minutes I'd take a peek....still tons of blood.   And I broke down.  I just cried and cried, thinking of her having to go through getting tubes and a scope yesterday and just how sweet and precious she is and how much she LOVES DP herself and I was upset that I was too busy cleaning up the mess to notice she was bleeding.  Nene finally arrived and took one look and said it needed to be looked at.  I put clothes on and we drove the Urgent Care ER place, which is less than 4 minutes away.   They took us right back and less than 10 minutes later we were back out the door on the way home. 

Here's what we learned.  When you have a cut like that and you use paper of any kind to apply the pressure, every time you take the paper off, you are tearing off the clot.  Who knew???  I sure didn't!  So, really, I guess every time she stopped bleeing I'd make it start all over again.  The doctor also said it wasn't as deep as it looked but there was....how should I put this..... a place where a piece of meat was torn off and missing.  I love this doctor, we've seen him before, and once he realized I was just ripping the clot off time and time again, it took him literally about 3 mintues to fix her up.  He got a non stick pad and applied pressure for about a minute and TADA - no more spewing of blood.  He then took this little tube of stuff that comes in a glass dispencer with a cotton tip and dabbed a little skin glue on it, applied a small band-aid and we were out the door.  That little trip probably cost us $500 bucks.  All because I did not know you could continue to tear the clot off of a cut.  I think the band-aid made it about 5 mintues after we got home and it was off. 

She and Sid went to Wal-Mart to get a few things and pick up supper while I picked up the house a little and they got us some of that skin glue to have on hand and the doctor said you could use something like saran wrap in the future as something non-sticky to use to apply pressure.  I was so thankful she did not have to get stitches.  I was crying and crying before Nene got here thinking about how sorry I was going to be if that was to happen.  I've never had stitches and I sure didn't want to see my 13 month old get them.

Speaking of 13 months, it made me realize it took us 13 months to get to our first emergency like that and now that she is mobile and demonstrates her will at all times I'm sure it won't be our last.  But it sure did freak me out a little.

Tomorrow I'm going to brave church alone because Sid has to work.  If she shows out, which she NEVER does, really she doesn't, because it's always her nap time, I have vowed to myself to start putting her in the nursery.  I doubt she does though, really, because usually she just sleeps!

And I want to say here-just so my mother knows-had it been a different place or more blood or something that needed immediate attention and not something I felt could wait the 15 mintues for Nene get here, I would have strapped her in the carseat blood or not and pj's or not, to get her somewhere fast enough.  I didn't even have pants on though, haha!