Monday, October 4, 2004 - Storytime (Part 1)

Apparently I've inspired a couple people (namely Wendy and Jade) to share some personal stories as a result of my post yesterday about when my eldest son went walkabout. I have stories in response to both of theirs, so first here is a story relating to Wendy's post:

For his 3rd birthday, Rascal received an inflatable activity center from his uncle and aunt. He loved it. A week later, late on a Sunday evening, Rascal is bouncing on the toy in the living room (an intended purpose of the toy). He launches himself off the toy and crashes into the corner of the doorway of the room, resulting in a large gash above his left eye.

It's Sunday night, so the doctor isn't really an option. Ironwolf and I debated taking him to the emergency room, but the bleeding stopped quickly, so we decided to wait until the next morning to call the doctor's office.

I take him to the doctor the next afternoon, and she agrees that the wound needs to be closed. She decides that the best way to do in is to seal it with cyanoacrylate (whatever medical brand name it was doesn't matter, the point is, the stuff is superglue). So she goes to apply this stuff with a swab, and Curtis, being 3 years old, unrestrained, and very wary about someone touching his boo-boo, squirms.

And there goes the superglue swab, right across Rascal's eye. Yes, folks, Rascal's eye is glued shut. He's screaming bloody murder because he can't see (thankfully it didn't seem to get in the eye itself though). I'm trying to comfort him and the doctor is flustered. She and I work at it for 10 minutes, first trying to get it off with water and petroleum jelly, and at the end when we couldn't do anymore with that we were literally prying eyelashes from his face.

In the end no harm done. Later I spoke with several nurses in my acquaintance, and they all agreed on these two points: A child under 5 should have been in a restraint before the cyanoacrylate was used, and it is never supposed to be used near the eye.

Rascal still carries a significant scar above his eye from the accident. (my poor baby, 3 years old and scarred for life!) But I think it will be far less noticeable as he grows.