I will blame the lack of posting this time on being busy. I had a lot of things planned...taking Austin to the dentist, getting my eyes checked, getting a haircut. But then, one night, plans changed. Austin was putting a tall bottle of vanilla back into the cabinet and he hit the cabinet above, which is adjustable. It moved, causing the hot sauce bottles that were sitting on it to fall and break. Hot sauce and broken glass were all over our kitchen. It was on the underside of the cabinets, behind the stove, between the stove and the cabinets, between the cabinets and the refrigerator...and days later it was discovered on the opposite side of the kitchen. I would have taken a picture, but suddenly I hear Austin screaming. I couldn't figure out for a few seconds what was going on. I thought he was just scared. But then he said, "I think a piece of glass pierced my foot!" I looked down, but didn't see anything. I pulled out a chair away from the broken glass and had him sit down, and then I saw that his sock had a hole in it...in the heel. I slowly pulled his sock off to reveal a large cut going around his heel. At first I thought maybe it wasn't too bad and he wouldn't have to have stitches. I called my Mom and asked her to come up and take a look. Then, I went back to Austin and took another look. I was sure it was going to require stitches. He was afraid his foot would have to be amputated, poor thing! I assured him that while it was serious, he was going to be fine and that he would be able to keep his foot.
Strange what goes through the mind, isn't it? It made me recall a time when I was about 3 years old and had a broken leg. My Mom said that when we went in to have the cast removed, I was crying and afraid of the doctor. They couldn't figure out why. When we left the office, I said, "See Mama, they didn't cut my leg off!" It was then that she realized that when I had gone into the waiting room, there were people there with only one arm or one leg. I had thought that this was what was about to happen to me. My Mom said that after I broke my leg, my personality changed. She said that I used to love to call people on the phone, even having their phone numbers memorized. I also loved answering the phone, but suddenly I was afraid when I heard the phone ring. I was afraid when I heard helicopters flying overhead. Things that had been part of my life all along but were suddenly menacing.
How happy I am that Austin is able to voice his concerns to me and I am able to reassure him! I had to help him get out of his clothes. They were soaked with hot sauce, and it was cold outside. I knew he would be freezing if he stayed in those wet things. As carefully as I could, I slipped his jeans and shirt off and put a jogging suit on him. I called Eric and told him briefly that Austin had cut his foot and that I needed him to meet me at the hospital.
The wait at the hospital was long and tiring. We hadn't had supper, so we were hungry. Once I found out it was o.k. for Austin to eat, I got some peanuts and bottles of water from the snack machine. Then, more waiting....and during this time, I began to think about the fact that Austin has been afraid of needles all his life. One time, when he was 4 or 5, he needed to have some blood drawn. I sat on the doctor's table with him, and put my arms and legs around him. There was a nurse on each side holding him, and another nurse trying to take his blood. He kicked and screamed so much that the nurse said she wasn't going to do it. Eventually, we discovered a numbing cream and had no more major problems. And, gradually, he was able to tolerate blood draws without too much fuss. But I knew that this time, they would have to give him shots of pain medicine before they were able to stitch his foot. I worried about how he would handle it. I shouldn't have.
When the physician's assistant came in and told him what she would be doing, he asked her if it would hurt. She told him it would. He said, "How much, on a scale of 1-10?" She said, "I'm not going to lie to you. Probably an 8, but once I get the medicine in there, you won't feel anything else." Eric held his hands and I held his legs, to keep him still, and she went to work. I was so proud of him for being so brave. Finally, after 7 hours of being at the emergency room, we were able to leave at 1 a.m. and go to the pharmacy for pain medicine, then come home and have supper before falling into bed.
So, the things that I had planned took a backseat, as I spent the next few weeks washing and dressing the cut twice a day, and helping Austin get around the house. I'm so glad my Mom had some crutches he could use. At first, he was hopping around on his left foot, but then his left knee got sore. Now, after 3 weeks, he is able to walk a lot better. I'm so glad this chapter of our life is coming to an end, and we will be able to get back to other things that have been put off.
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| Taken while in triage at hospital. |
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| 14 outside stitches. |
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| Healing nicely. |
While we've been home more, I've been planning Brittany's baby shower. It's exciting to see everything coming together and in a few short months, another aspect of my life will unfold...that of becoming a Grandmother. I will have a Grandson. Austin is so excited about becoming an uncle, and I can't wait to see how he will interact with the new addition to our family!
