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The Burn Victim



Wednesday was my mom's birthday. Because my grandmother really can't go anywhere, we brought dinner to their house. Everything was fine, the kids were having a grand old time playing, and I was standing in the kitchen talking to my mom. Caleb was in the living room playing with my dad.

All of the sudden, I heard a scream and then he just started wailing. I knew immediately what it was...Caleb had touched the pellet stove.

I was a little nervous about it being on, but when we got there I took him over to it and had a long talk about how it was hot and that he couldn't touch it. There was a bench in front kind of blocking it. He repeated "hot" and is usually good about listening with things like that.

Apparently, he went around to the side to get the little Boxer statue that he loves so much. As he bent down to get it, he put a hand out to steady himself...ouch!

My dad rushed him into the kitchen and we started to run his hand under lukewarm water. He was just an absolute mess of tears! My mom then found a burn gel that we attempted to put on it, but he wouldn't let us. We tried to wrap it with gauze, but that wasn't happening either.

I thought that maybe all of the attention was overstimulating him and that's why he was so hysterical, so I took him into the spare bedroom with the lights off and just rocked and sang to him. After doing that for five minutes with no changes, I took him back into where the activity was.

For some reason, Caleb wouldn't straighten his pinky finger. When we did try, he absolutely lost it. I started to get really concerned about that and everybody began to say that we should take him to Urgent Care. My mom and I went together---happy birthday, Mom!

We thought that perhaps the hysterical crying might make the waiting process a little faster...it didn't. I asked if they had any burn spray or anything to help the pain, but the receptionist said he couldn't have anything until he saw the doctor. She did give him some Thomas the Tank Engine stickers, which caused a momentary lapse in the crying just long enough for him to say, "Thomas! Stickers!"

Caleb did somewhat calm down while we were waiting. Mom had a pad of paper that he drew on and she let him look at her pictures. Several times she tried to get him to sit with her while I filled out forms, but he was having none of it. When he is hurt, no one else will do! (That's just fine with me!) :)

I finally got back to see the doctor after almost an hour, and Caleb did have a second degree burn. By this point it had begun to bubble the length of his palm and was looking pretty bad. She gave me a prescription for Sulfadine (which we already had from Matt's burn over the summer!), and said to try to get him to hold a cold sippy cup full of ice, since he won't let us put anything on it.

The ladies there absolutely loved him (once he calmed down at least!), and the boy left with 10 different stickers! Even when he is in pain, he's cute!

Now, it is a humongous blister that looks like it will pop pretty soon. Once it does, we'll start putting the Sulfadine on it. Of course, that's a Sulfa drug and I'm allergic to Sulfa, so either Matt has to do it or I have to wear gloves!!

Poor little guy...:( I did take some pictures of it, and I'll try to get them on here whenever I can get to Walmart to get a disc made.

*Sigh* Never a dull moment!

Comments

Katie said…
oh no, poor Caleb! I hope it heals fast! :-(

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