We 3 Sullivans: August 2008

Yesterday my poor little girl lost her toe nail.

The morning started out very hopeful. We were going to go swimming with Micki and her kids. They arrived and we went out to the pool. The pool was closed for the season. This made me angry. VERY angry. It's the MIDDLE OF AUGUST.

So I went in to talk to the manager to find out what the hell was going on. (Yes, I am angry remember this entire horrid ordeal.) As I walked into the office, which is right next to the pool entrance, I noticed a very large decorative concrete block sitting on it's lopsided edge.

While waiting to talk to the manager I hear Emma scream like I've never heard before. I rush out there to find my daughter's toe a mangled mess, blood every where. Micki is holding her trying to comfort her. A moment later the manager comes running out.

I LOST MY MIND.

I screamed at that man, about everything I could think of. First the concrete block, then the pool being closed, then every other awful thing about the apartment complex we live in. (The fact that cars come flying into the property on an apparently regular basis...4 times total that I know of.) The state of the playground, that it's a child's death waiting to happen. The missing basketball hoop.

Seriously...I went off...screamed like a mad woman. Apparently I'm more of a mama bear than I thought I was.

We then piled all the kids in the van to drop them off and go to InstaCare. Micki stuck her key in the ignition and turned it. The key SNAPPED OFF in the ignition!!!

So, she had to call her mother-in-law to drive over an extra key for the van...luckily she go the end of the key out of the ignition.

While we waited, for what felt like FOREVER I gave Emma some Tylenol and Micki got the kids some soda...but Emma refused to drink.

Finally we dropped the other kids off and went to InstaCare. When we arrived we filled out the paper work only to be told that my insurance wasn't accepted there. So we had to get back in the van and go to a different clinic.

We finally get there, signed in and brought into a room. We only had to wait 3-4 minutes. I tell the story to the Nurse and he gets everything ready for the worst part of all. The shot...

They had to numb Emma's toe so they could look it over, do an x-ray and if need be adjust the toe if broken.

Soon as Emma saw the needle she screamed and started to fight. Emma doesn't like shots as it is, but already being in a lot of pain I think it was her turn to go nuts.

So, I had to hold my baby down. It took 4 people to hold her down. I held her upper body, Micki held her leg, the nurse held her other leg and the Dr. held her ankle. I have NEVER in all my life heard a child scream this way. I was doing my best to not cry this entire time, but at this point I was sobbing. I felt like I was holding my poor baby down to be tortured. This lasted what felt like 10 minutes, but I am sure it was only a minute or two. They had to inject her toe in 2 places and they had to move the needle around to numb the whole thing.

Soon as the shot took effect Emma finally calmed down and actually started to laugh because, "My toe feels funny!"

Then, Emma got a real treat. Emma is VERY into the human body, the inner workings of it, muscles, bones, organs...so she got to have her very first x-ray. And they let her see her x-ray as well. She loved every moment of this.

We then go back to our room and they have Emma soak her foot in a bath for about 15-20 minutes...(Warning, it starts to get a little gross here and there.)...because there was so much blood all over her foot and toes.

Then Emma said three of the cutest things ever. The Dr brought out a pair of tweezers and a pair of scissors. Emma got very scared and said "Are you going to cut off my toe?"....awww...poor thing! We explained that her toe nail just needed to be removed. She looked at me with the most skeptical face and said "No....." as if this was just the silliest thing she's ever heard. She started to freak out a bit again, but then soon as I got her to look up at the ceiling she was fine. Because she couldn't feel anything.

Then they let her look at her toenail and she got very sad and said "Will I ever walk again?" LOL!!!!!! Again, we explained that her toe nail would grow back in 5-6 months and she will be able to walk just fine in a few days.

They then put her toe nail back because they said it would offer additional protection and it would guide her new toe nail in. And the nurse began to wrap it up. But it didn't stay...his sleeve bumped the side of the bandage and it fell off....so he did it again.

Emma was asked if she'd like an otter pop and what color she wanted. She as her normal very opinionated and cute self and said "I like green. Green is my favorite color. SEA green is my favorite." She was then asked what color tape she'd like on her bandage...of course. GREEN. Then she was asked what color sucker she wanted as she left....of course GREEN. SEA green. LOL!!!

We then go to Micki's house because Emma felt very cheated out of her time with her friends. So we planned on the kids watching a movie but of course....a 4 year old with a numb toe will run around like a 4 year old with a numb toe. And with in 5 minutes of being at Micki's house the bandage fell off!

And her toe nail was MISSING!

So I had to call the clinic and find out what the best course of action was. We decided to just rewrap the toe with out the nail and put a sock on top of the bandage. I told Emma that I was going to throw away her toe nail. She started to cry....she wanted to keep it!!!

So we kept her toe nail.

We then came home and Dada brought home some cupcakes for his poor little injured girl.

And that is the story of Emma's toe.

(BTW, she is starting a dance class in a couple of weeks and the Dr. said she'd be fine to dance by then.)