Hand In Mouth

 “Gage got bit by Poncho.”  That’s what Kelly told me as we picked up the kids from my Mom’s.  I called to him and he came over to me so I could check it out.  He had a small puncture and a little bit of swelling between the thumb and index finger of his left hand.  Gage hasn’t quite figured out that messing with a dog while its eating is not the smart play. Emilee and I discussed whether or not he need a stich, and we decided that he was probably ok in that department.  We knew to keep an eye on it.  Dog bites, no matter how trivial, can be an infection nightmare.  So, we cleaned the area and put a Band-Aid on it.  I even messed with Kelly and told her “well, we will probably end up in the ER over this”.  Karma has a way of making you eat your words…

On Sunday morning his hand looked pretty bad.  He had more swelling, and he would look at you pitifully and say it hurt when it was touched.  So, Emilee got online and reserved us a time at the CHOA Urgent Care.  This kind of thing is where Emilee excels.  I usually look at whichever kid is hurt and tell them to “go rub some dirt on it”, or to “suck it up”.  Emilee talks to them and soothes them.  She gets the ice pack out, or in Gage’s case frozen peas, and sets them up on the couch.  She gets the Band-Aids out and tells them it will take away their pain.  She holds them tight and tells them she loves them.  Typically by the time she holds them tight they are trying to escape to go injure themselves again, but she will lovingly do it all over again when they do.

Emilee kept Gage happy until it was time to go, and then I loaded #1 and #2 into the truck and went to visit the doc.  I am not going to tell you where I went specifically. I walked in at 11:20 and walked out at 11:55.  Checked in, got registered, saw the triage nurse, saw the treatment nurse, saw the doc, and was walking out with a prescription for anti-biotics with popsicles in hand….in 35 minutes!  You guys can find this place on your own!

In that 35 minutes I learned a few things.  First, Gage will always load up his diaper when you forget to bring extras.  Gracie will always be worried about her little brother, but will be happy to let him get shots/medicine as long as she doesn’t have to get them.  Children’s Healthcare nurses and Docs are awesome at their job. And, little kids immune systems just can’t keep up sometimes.  As I discussed the bite it was made clear to me that it was probably going to get worse before it got better.  I was told what to look for and sent to get the anti-biotics.

At around 5pm we noticed that the swelling had gotten worse.  The area was hot to the touch and now there were two red streaks running up his arm.  This was getting bad fast.  We knew we had to take him to the ER.  Emilee started the calls to get someone to watch Gracie and Sophie, and I got little man ready for the trip.  I headed out with Gage and we got to Scottish Rite.  I knew it was not good, but when every nurse or doc that looks at it says it’s bad…

I was surprised at how fast we got seen.  Gage was a champ the whole time.  When the nurse and tech came in to start an IV he didn’t flinch; not even a whimper.  After they stuck him the second time to get a good IV, they drew blood and started to run labs and cultures.  They actually try to grow whatever is in his blood to see if the anti-biotics they have prescribed will kill everything.  He stayed strong, and then his momma walked in.  And Emilee got to hold him tight once again.

Eventually, we ended up staying overnight at Scottish.  He received five rounds of IV anti-biotics and went a little stir crazy in the process.  Emilee had gone home so that Sophie could be fed and managed throughout the night. When she came back the next morning I was so happy to see her.  Sometimes you don’t realize how important your family is and how much you depend on one another.  

This event made me grateful all over again to be married to such an amazing woman.  She stayed with Gage during the day and tried to keep him entertained.  After an hour of wandering, she even found “The Zone’ which is an area where the kids can run around and play.  Why no one told us that there was a playroom literally 30 feet from our room is baffling, but she made the best of it with Gage. They got to come home Monday night.

Gage’s hand is much better, and he is now on to more exciting ways of trying to maim himself.  Thanks to everyone who kept checking on us, and thanks to Edna and Emily for working with us getting kids #1 and #3 taken care of.

I want to make a point here of letting everyone know that this was an accident.  It wasn’t an attack, and it could easily have been any kid and any dog.  Kelly has beaten herself up pretty good over this.  I was pretty pissed off about the whole thing for couple of days, but I hope that time has given me some perspective.  Accidents happen, we feel awful for them happening on our watch, and then we hope to be forgiven.  Well Kelly, you’re forgiven but, don’t let it happen again!  lol

Keep Smiling,

Rob