It’s bowling. That should be safe. The bowling alley was ten to fifteen minutes away from our house. What could possibly happen with bowling? It’s bowling.
This was Mia’s very first time on a field trip without me. She had bowled before though she really didn’t show much interest. This trip was different. It was therapy for Mia to develop more social skills with other kids. One therapist accompanied each kid. I thought that she would actually enjoy bowling this time.
A friend drove Mia and me to the bowling alley. We dropped Mia off with the therapist who waited for her. That went smoothly. My friend and I came back to the house to work with our Essential Oils businesses. We were just getting started, laying out inventory when the phone rang. The therapist told me that Mia fell and cut her finger and that I should come back to the alley. I grabbed some Band-Aids, Coban self-adhesive wrap, my computer, and few other things Mia likes when she gets hurt.
My friend drove me back. I heard Mia screaming bloody murder as soon as I walked into the building. She sat on the therapist’s lap with her middle finger wrapped in big wad of paper towels. The therapist told me what happened. Mia picked up a six pound bowling ball. They asked her to put it back. She tried but fell while doing so.
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| Mia's After Initial Treatment |
I took off the paper towel, one glance; I knew she needed to go to the hospital. The ball had landed on of her finger. The impact of the ball ruptured the flesh on the side of her finger, splitting the side of it into a deep gash.
A trip to the emergency room requires some necessary preparation from us. I called Craig. He got the ice pack made with rice from the freezer and compounded medications. He gathered her comfort items as well: her stuffed bear holding his wubby and her own blanket that served as her own wubby. He met us at the ER.
As soon as we pulled into the hospital’s parking lot, Mia said, “No”. She didn’t want anything to do with it. I got her calmed down. We went through the normal check-in procedure. They asked about her allergies. Upon hearing about them, they changed her location from triage to a treatment room. I pulled out my computer and emailed Mia’s documents to the charting staff, who added them to Mia’s record. That made to process simpler.
A couple of residents and a nurse entered the treatment room, but hesitated when confronted with Mia’s many allergies. They placed a call for the guidance of a more experienced physician and sent Mia to Imaging, which showed no broken or fractured bones. Then, they addressed how to properly treat Mia without creating other conditions that were much worse than her split finger. The treatment team considered having a cosmetic surgeon treat her because it tended to have better options. By the end of the discussion about her possible reaction to the stitches, Novocain, and metals, the physician decided to let the wound close on its own. The question became how to best protect it from infection, pain, and more damage. The staff wrapped her finger with gauze, bandaged it, put a splint on top of that, then wrapped it with more bandages.
At home, we took great care in changing her dressing and replacing the splint. We are limited with what Mia can use to soothe her pain and itching but she finds relief with the Essential Oils. She asked for them to be put on her skin or she will go and try to get them herself if went aren’t fast enough. As you can see in the picture, despite all the limitation and allergies, her wound is healing well.
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Mia's Finger Healing
No Stitches, No Novacain |
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| Dressed and Splinted |
