Tough Guy

I always knew our family was accident prone.  But...I think Adam is taking the prize for most trips to the ER.  This trip was for a lost fight with a candle.  Yes...a candle.  Not just any candle.  A candle the size of an oxygen tank.  The tall ones.  We didn't see it happen, but we heard the crash, heard a scream, and then saw the bloody aftermath.  The candle apparently fell onto his finger and crushed it on the concrete floor below.  We quickly packed up and headed to Brownwood Regional since it was the closest.  Once we got there, they got us back REALLY fast.  The nurses were WONDERFUL.  They did x-rays, got his hand bandaged, and got IVs started with antibiotics and pain medication.  X-rays were obvious that all 3 phalanx were fractured longitudinally.  The middle phalanx took the worst hit and appears to be a crush injury with many little pieces. We asked if we could go to Hendrick to be closer to home and our doctors.  So, they called ahead and found out that no surgeon in Abilene would touch a crush injury on that little hand.  So...next stop...Cook Children's in Fort Worth.  And...we had to go by ambulance.  Or as Adam said: "we're riding in the firetruck."  Again...our ambulance crew was great to me and Adam.  About 2.5 hours later we arrived at Cooks.  Being there made me realize how, in the grand scheme of things, this crushed finger was a small problem.  Seeing so many children in the ER was heart breaking.  But...they jumped right in and checked Adam out.  EVERYONE there was great.  We had great nurses, great techs, great doctor, and a great child life specialist that came through with an iPad at the perfect time.  No surgery like we thought we were going for...the doctor was more worried about infection than the fracture at this time.  So...after they calmed me down regarding our long trip (that will be made again on Monday) they explained that there was too much swelling, tissue damage, and risk of infection for surgery at that time.  They flushed out the wound and closed it up with 5 sutures that kinda helped it look like a finger again.  They rewrapped and placed a splint on his fingers and wrist to keep him from moving.  They also placed a sling on him, but that didn't last long!  This whole process started at noon and we left the hospital at 11:30pm.  We stopped and dropped off 2 prescriptions and then went to eat with the family at iHop.  Aaron and I hadn't eaten since breakfast so 24 hour iHop was the greatest tasting food we'd ever had.  Adam slept through the whole thing.  When we finally headed home we hit a crazy thunderstorm with high winds and hail.  After that it was smooth sailing.  We got home at 3 am and snuggled on the couch until we woke up at 9am this morning.  Yesterday was LONG but we made it through.  So thankful for Granny, Opa, Nana, Papa, Auntie Leah, Bobby, and Reagan.  They were all right there through the whole thing to love on Adam and help us with whatever we needed.  Reagan was very concerned about her sweet Bubba, as well as her own mosquito bites.  So...they found a "doctor" to check her out, prescribe a bandaid, and put her little mind at ease.  Everyone seems to feel ok this morning.  Adam is still hurting and getting pain medication every 4 hours, but he's just as wild as always.  Hard to keep that boy down.  Thanks for all the prayers and please keep them coming.  I'll give an update after our visit to the doctor tomorrow.

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