Fun Friday afternoon!

Last Friday morning I'm working away at my desk and I get a call on my cell that I didn't recognize. I pick it up and it's the Director at the Preschool Alana goes to. After I realize who it is he tries saying something and it's hard to understand what he's saying. So I say, I'm sorry I can't understand you. He says, I'm sorry, I'm really nervous to tell you this. At that point, I'm thinking my daughter's dead or something crazy has happened and tell him that he better get to the point. Already I've picked up my purse and am heading out to my car. He finally spits out that Alana slammed her finger in the gate at school and he thinks I need to take her to the hospital. WHAT?!?! So as I run out the door to my car, I call Victor and tell him to meet me at the school. Again, he can't even understand me, I was in a panic. I had no idea how bad it was, but we've never taken Alana to the ER before so this was going to be a new experience for us!

I flew down to the school and got there faster than Victor (who is closer). Grabbed Alana, hugged her, put her in the car and drove to St. Joe's. The whole time she is screaming how badly her finger hurts. I was trying to hold back my tears but reached back and grabbed her other hand to hold and told her it was ok. The finger was bandaged up from the school so I couldn't even see how bad it was. I of course imagined her finger was hanging off or something.

We finally got to the hospital and Victor meet us there. The ER wasn't busy so they were able to take us back pretty fast. Knowing from the last 40 minutes that Alana wasn't going to let anyone near her finger, the staff decided to put her in what I call their straight jacket. It was no joke. It held her down from neck to toe with one arm out so they could look at it. She was laying on the table in the ER screaming her head off about being in it. I don't blame her. Screaming at Victor and I, please help me, mommy help me, I can't breathe. I knew she was ok but she sure didn't. I started balling my eyes out as I was trying to comfort her, I had to let Victor take over while I sat down. I was going to pass out and Victor knew it. I sat in the room and cried, it was horrible!!! Finally when they were done giving her a shot to numb it they let her out of it and we were able to calm her down. She was as happy as a clam at that point, she wasn't in pain anymore and she was out of that horrible straight jacket. She sat and watched Cartoons.


15 minutes later it was time for an Xray which was easy. Her finger nail had been ripped off and her fingertip was broken. Poor girl. Then they had to stitch up and bandage her finger. Here we go again, back into the straight jacket. I had to leave the room this time and walk as far down the hall as I could with the door closed I could still hear her screams. It was torture for her and for us. They stitched her finger up and then for some crazy reason stitched her finger nail back on, which still makes no sense to me. After all of the screaming, crying and begging to get out of that thing, it was finally done. We both (Alana and I) stopped crying and tried to pull ourselves together. My poor baby girl was so scared and in so much pain and there was nothing I could do to help, even though the doctor's were helping her, she couldn't see that.

Alana's finger one day later.


The next few days of changing her bandage were HELL! She wouldn't let us near it so not having a straight jacket at home, Victor and I pretty much had to flip coins to see who would hold her down and who would clean it and change it. Talk about added stress for all 3 of us. She didn't like us holding her down, but wouldn't let us touch it. We didn't like holding her down but we HAD to change it.
One day after it happened we were supposed to go to the beach for Ellie and Donovan's birthday. Icky beach water, sand and a brand new open wound was not sounding so great for us. But we managed to put a rubber glove on her hand and tape it up so no water would get in. She did a great job of keeping it at her chest the whole day and it stayed dry and clean. She was a total trooper! If I were here I would have crawled up in my moms lap and cried all day, but she went out and played in the sand with the girls and had a really fun day! We all needed the break.


Sunday and Monday were tough changing of the bandage days and then by Tuesday she just handed me her hand and let me change it. The only tears that were cried that day were my happy ones! Finally the stress of holding her down was lifted. Talk about dramatic... for her and for Victor and I. She told me, mom, I don't want you to hold me down... I told her I didn't want to hold her down either. I didn't like doing it. She agreed it was just easier for her to give me her hand!
She gets her stitches out on Friday and her finger is healing really well. No infection, her bruises are going away pretty fast. Thank God her little body heals really fast! I'm so happy that in 4 years this is the first trip to the ER. I'm sure her fingernail will grow back just fine and hopefully her poor little broken finger will heal straight and fast! One day at a time!!