Guess who has Super Glue holding his head together? Oh, yes, we had some high drama here at the Musings household last night.
When Little D was at a friend’s house yesterday afternoon, he stumbled and fell and got a big gash in the back of his head. He came home by himself, walked right by me to go to the bathroom, saying a casual "hello" on the way, and when he came out he told me that the back of his head felt sticky.
I took one look and about fainted dead to the floor. The back of his head was a mass of red, gooey blood, there was blood splattered on the back of his neck, all over the back of his shirt, and covering his hands. It looked like a crime scene straight off of CSI. No joke.
I didn’t want to alarm him, because thankfully he was calm, but I was gagging as I investigated, trying to find the source of the bloodbath.
Now, one thing about me. I’m worthless in a crisis situation. Totally and utterly worthless. I always figured when you become a mom, you just develop certain instincts, one of them being the ability to remain calm and in control in an emergency.
Not me.
I heave at the sight of bodily fluids, I can’t think straight, and every bit of useful information that I might have owned just seems to fly right out of my head and into thin air.
Fortunately this was past the emergency stage of the situation. I could see that, although there was blood E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E, the worst of the bleeding had stopped. And I seemed to recall that head wounds bleed a lot. So I managed to keep my cool as I gingerly moved pieces of hair to get a better look at the injury site, swallowing my own bile. I decided that we weren’t in any immediate danger, but it did look suspiciously like we could use some stitches.
My mind immediately started flying around, thinking of which neighbors were home and who might be able to help me determine if a trip to the ER was necessary or not. I couldn’t think of any nurses in close proximity, so I called on my neighbor the cop who was home sleeping off his night shift. Yeah, I know, I’m heartless. Poor guy.
Sure enough, stitches were in order.
Long story longer, Husband came home and took Little D to the ER. I know I could have hopped in the car and taken him myself, but I dunno, an evening in the ER with a lively 2-year-old and a talkative 4-year-old AND an 8-year-old with an open head wound just doesn’t sound like my idea of a good time. I mean, the goal here is to maintain what little sanity I have left while navigating the sea of motherhood.
Thankfully Husband was able to leave work and come to our rescue. And what would a trip to the ER be without a four-hour wait? After literally four hours in the waiting room, Little D got a CT-Scan, had his head glued shut (in the form of Dermabond, or, as my son said, "Mom, they put Super Glue on it!), and was sent on his merry way.
He got a trip to Blockbuster on the way home because according to Husband, the kid was a real trooper throughout the whole thing. And now he has a story to tell his teacher and classmates when he goes back to school tomorrow.
So. All’s well that ends well, I suppose.
30 Responses
Okay, the whole time I’m reading your post I expected you to say that your son had super glued his wound back together. I was greatly relieved to discover that a professional had actually used the glue. Okay, I feel better. I could just picture your son falling at a friends house and the friend saying, “Hey, let’s put some Super Glue back there to put that things back together”. I’m glad that was not the case! I’m sorry he got hurt and they had to spend 4 hours in the ER, but I’m happy you arn’t going to have to clean Super Glue out of his hair for the next month!!
O, My! Glad he’s okay and that you’re okay. We had the same thing happen with an injury to the back of the head- E. didn’t realize he’d done it until I went to the basement to clean-up toys and found blood all over the couch, coffee table and floor. Amazing how calm they stay when they are really injured but if its minor the whole neighborhood can hear the wailing.
I am glad to hear everyone is okay now. We had to take a trip to the ER this summer but it was on the forehead. Luckily, Little D won’t have a visible scar. They say that it is a right of passage for boys! Not so much fun for moms, though.
poor little guy!!!!
(ewwwwwwwwwwwwww – poor mommy!)
Aw. You know what? My first instinct was to say, AW! Poor little D. But I am surrounded by little boys on this street so I realize that the correct response is “COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!” 🙂 And what’s cooler is that if he ever decides to shave his head, cut his hair really short, or even… um… Go bald later in life, he’s got the Quintessential Tough Guy Scar to display back there. LUCKY DOG! Slap him five for me, Mama.
HOLY Cow!!!!! What a crazy day.
These are character builders FOR SURE!
ouch. i like how he was all “my head feels sticky”, and not even noticing the blood all over his hands. lol.
i am such a whuss about pain/injuries, i would totally be requesting Blockbuster, an ice cream sundae, oh yeah, and my own personal helicopter. or something. lol.
What a trooper you have there to have walked home and being so calm. I am pretty good at emergency situations, but do not go near vomit…that is totally my hubby’s domain. Glad everything is okay and I am sure Little D is gonna love going back to school to tell everybody…war wounds rock!!
Poor guy…I would have been a mess. The first time Miss Peach hurt herself, I was a complete mess. Sounds like you handled it well.
I’m yet to enter the head wound chapter of motherhood, though my daughter seems the same age as your son so now I step forward in fear. I am used to paper cut amounts of blood… This mass of sticky, red goo about makes me faint just reading about it.
And to think, up until this point, I had only feared major bone breakage!
In all seriousness, I am so glad that he is OK…
the guy i used to date once cut himself with the chain saw and went to the ER. AFter being told that there was a 4 hour wait, he left, stopped at the store, bought peroxide, super glue, and these special bandages and proceeded to superglue his own wound back together… i started freaking out and he said “it’s what they would’ve done at the ER… this is cheaper and won’t take as long”
fortunately, the wound healed beautifully, but I just kept thinking we were going to have to amputate and he wouldn’t feel like going to the doc and he’d do it himself…
sometimes i’m glad we don’t date anymore…
but as far as the whole blood thing goes, I’m the same way… my 8 year old is the wanna be nurse so she handles all the blood stuff here….i heart her
I know this is a very serious situation, I am sitting here almost peeing my pants from laughing so hard!!!!!!
I too am very very worthless when it comes to emergencies in our home. Let’s just say when my husband deploys, I threaten my kids not to fall, die, get as much as a scratch until daddy gets back.
I know that’s a tall order to fill but, hey, I have my priorities straight too huh? 🙂
these are my favs—————–
**I took one look and about fainted dead to the floor!
**I was gagging as I investigated, trying to find the source of the bloodbath.
**so I called on my neighbor the cop who was home sleeping off his night shift. Yeah, I know, I’m heartless. Poor guy.
*an evening in the ER with a lively 2-year-old and a talkative 4-year-old AND an 8-year-old with an open head wound just doesn’t sound like my idea of a good time.
I LOVED THIS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!
I’m so happy he’s ok and that he loves his super glue experience.
i’m totally worthless when it comes to that stuff too.
I have become a little more seasoned and stronger when it comes to the whole vomit stuff.
but just a tiny bit.
Shortman would have come screaming-ass home believing he was about to die.
Oh, yes, I can’t wait for the wisdom teeth surgery he’s facing on 11/21.
Now that I know everyone is OK, I can tell you— Duct tape works really great on head wounds.
Oh my! Well, you handled that much better than I would have! I would have had my child in tears due to fear that something was horribly wrong thanks to my freaking out! Probably.
Glad it wasn’t worse, and that you didn’t have to sit in the ER! And very glad he’s ok!
I’m glad he is okay! What a trooper! Next time you are here remind me to tell you the camp head wound story with the youth group.
My sympathies! When my son was 10 months old he had a bad, BAD habit of head-banging the wall. . .a favorite spot being beneath our beloved cuckoo clock (which we got on our honeymoon). Well, on this particular evening, he banged that clock right off the wall, 6 feet down onto his head. Needless to say, I was one panicked mom and we did spent the requisite hours waiting and then having actual stiches put in. I had to help hold him down since the most traumatic part of the entire thing was indeed the stitches! It was on the crown of his head, right where it parts when combed. Of course. So we always see a little white line reminding of us that fateful evening. And the clock? It was desparately in need of repairs and still sits in a box awaiting our decision on whether we want to put that one back up. That was nearly six years ago!!
oh, I have a 10 year old who is a veteran of the head wound (oh, the bloood)! I support your trip to Blockbuster, poor kid.
Oh, you poor thing. I thought that calm demeanor in emergencies came naturally with motherhood too. So disappointed to hear it doesn’t!
Glad he’s okay. He seemed very stoic. Maybe cause he couldn’t SEE it.
Ouch! Poor guy, we hope he is feeling better. I remember you having a previous head wound to deal with many years ago!
EEK!!! hope it heals quickly!
Holy moly…I understand I go into super nurse, but hubby is bad. We had a few head wounds….so I understand. I am glad he is ok.
That just happened here not a month ago…I hear ya! 🙂 Blood bath around my kitchen…lovely!
Head wounds are the worst. Glad he is OK, and it sound like you did just fine!!!
wow, at least it wasnt green or anything like that, then that would have really been scary
Wait a sec! Did the mother of the other kid not motice your son’s head was covered in blood?
I totally would have been the same way as you, and would hope that in the event of any emergency my nurse and EMT neighbours were at home.
That glue is wonderful stuff. My then two year old slipped off the counter when she was brushing her teeth and split her ear. It wasn’t a deep cut exactly, but the placement was such that it wouldn’t close or stop bleeding. Lucky for me, we have a plastic surgeon next door.
I went over and asked him to come look at the wound. He came over, took one look, went home for his glue and had her fixed up in no time. And he gave us an extra tube of glue for the next time we have a cut in need of repair.
I tagged you in my 7 facts post. I think you may have already done something similar, but maybe not! https://mrsbranham.blogspot.com/2007/11/7-by-7.html
I’m glad he’s ok but I now have the heebie-jeebies.