We've had broken bones (twice - both Emily) that sent us to the emergency room.
We've had cuts and bumps that sent us to the emergency room (Ben and Katie).
We've had to call the poison control center (Ben).
Now we've had our first major burn.
Katie was making macaroni and cheese which she's done many, many, many times. The kid loves mac and cheese, always has, plus she's almost fifteen and doesn't really need supervision in the kitchen unless I'm teaching her to make something new.
However.
On this occasion as the noodles came to a boil, she realized there was too much water in the pot and it was going to boil over. She got a measuring cup to dip some of the water out and pour it in the sink. Again, something that she's done many times before. This time though some of the boiling water - just a drop - splashed on to her hand as she dipped it out. In reflexively snatching her hand away from the hot water, she accidentally poured the entire cup of boiling water right down her shirt.
It's funny how kids can make a noise - not a scream or a shriek - just a quick, "Oh!" and somehow you know it's bad. Katie didn't even make a very loud noise; I don't know how Kerry and I both knew something was really wrong but we both headed into the kitchen immediately. I grabbed paper towels and wet them down with cold water to press to her chest while Kerry ran for a hand towel for the same purpose.
The burn didn't look that bad at first. Her skin was really pink but it didn't look too terrible. I got her an ice pack and had her lie down with it on her chest. She was laughing and asked me to finish making the mac and cheese for her. I did and she ate it. I thought she'd never want mac and cheese again.
After she ate, Katie asked if she could get in the shower to let cool water run over it. I went in to check on her after a while and she didn't want to get out because the cool water felt so good. I got her a fresh ice pack and once she was out I checked the burn again. She had one big blister - about the size of half dollar and several smaller blisters.
We started thinking maybe we should head to the hospital. Kerry called the advice nurse and she told us that if the burn was larger than the palm of Katie's hand, we should go to the ER. Well, yeah, the burn was probably about 5 palms big so a hospital visit was in order.
We had company coming over so Kerry had to stay home and be the host while I took Katie to the ER. I had her change into one of Kerry's shirts so it would be big and loose and she'd be able to just unbutton the front instead of having to pull a shirt over her head.
We spent over two hours at the emergency room. Katie's burn was looking really bad by the time we were seen. Fortunately they have a marvelous cream called Silvadene which is apparently a miracle medicine. From the minute they put in on Katie's burn, she didn't need an ice pack any more!
So now we are back home, she is doing well, and we just have to keep an eye out for infection. Most of her burn is first degree, with only a few areas that are second degree.
We've had cuts and bumps that sent us to the emergency room (Ben and Katie).
We've had to call the poison control center (Ben).
Now we've had our first major burn.
Katie was making macaroni and cheese which she's done many, many, many times. The kid loves mac and cheese, always has, plus she's almost fifteen and doesn't really need supervision in the kitchen unless I'm teaching her to make something new.
However.
On this occasion as the noodles came to a boil, she realized there was too much water in the pot and it was going to boil over. She got a measuring cup to dip some of the water out and pour it in the sink. Again, something that she's done many times before. This time though some of the boiling water - just a drop - splashed on to her hand as she dipped it out. In reflexively snatching her hand away from the hot water, she accidentally poured the entire cup of boiling water right down her shirt.
It's funny how kids can make a noise - not a scream or a shriek - just a quick, "Oh!" and somehow you know it's bad. Katie didn't even make a very loud noise; I don't know how Kerry and I both knew something was really wrong but we both headed into the kitchen immediately. I grabbed paper towels and wet them down with cold water to press to her chest while Kerry ran for a hand towel for the same purpose.
The burn didn't look that bad at first. Her skin was really pink but it didn't look too terrible. I got her an ice pack and had her lie down with it on her chest. She was laughing and asked me to finish making the mac and cheese for her. I did and she ate it. I thought she'd never want mac and cheese again.
After she ate, Katie asked if she could get in the shower to let cool water run over it. I went in to check on her after a while and she didn't want to get out because the cool water felt so good. I got her a fresh ice pack and once she was out I checked the burn again. She had one big blister - about the size of half dollar and several smaller blisters.
We started thinking maybe we should head to the hospital. Kerry called the advice nurse and she told us that if the burn was larger than the palm of Katie's hand, we should go to the ER. Well, yeah, the burn was probably about 5 palms big so a hospital visit was in order.
We had company coming over so Kerry had to stay home and be the host while I took Katie to the ER. I had her change into one of Kerry's shirts so it would be big and loose and she'd be able to just unbutton the front instead of having to pull a shirt over her head.
We spent over two hours at the emergency room. Katie's burn was looking really bad by the time we were seen. Fortunately they have a marvelous cream called Silvadene which is apparently a miracle medicine. From the minute they put in on Katie's burn, she didn't need an ice pack any more!
So now we are back home, she is doing well, and we just have to keep an eye out for infection. Most of her burn is first degree, with only a few areas that are second degree.
Comments
Post a Comment