Oh man. I really didn't want to have to blog about this one...really I didn't. But I figured one day Tanner would want to know the whole story of the day he carved out quite the *unique* little scar on his left wrist.
I will admit, that this is not the first 'traumatic knife' incident or rushed trip to the Dr.'s office that involved a knife and Mr. Tanner. That story however is for another day...or maybe never! It was pretty awful.
So here we go. Last week started out like any other. I had just picked Tanner up from preschool and we came home for lunch. It had only been a matter of about 5 minutes or so that we had been home and I was on the floor in my family room changing Mia's diaper. That is when Tanner asked so sweetly and innocently..."Mom, will you cut me up an apple for lunch?" I said, "Sure buddy, give me a minute I'm changing Mia." And that is where this story should have ended. Well, unfortunately for all involved it did not. So, I honestly wasn't even paying attention to him, since as previously stated was changing a diaper on the floor. That is when I heard the screams of absolute horror coming from the bathroom. I was honestly quite stunned as to what on earth could cause Tanner to carry on in such a manner. Well, I didn't have to wait long to find out the source. He came tearing out of the bathroom holding his arm and all I saw was blood pouring out. (Without being too graphic, lets just say there is a good reason why people cut themselves in that manner when they are trying to off themselves.)
It bled A.lot! My first instinct was to make sure it wasn't pulsating (meaning he cut his artery) and thankfully it didn't appear to be involved. So, my initial reaction was are you seriously kidding me kid??? You literally couldn't wait the 2 min for me to finish and cut your apple?? I was SO mad at him, but then again I felt pretty bad for him too because he was so scared and obviously in a lot of pain. I knew I had to pull it together and get him in to the Dr.'s as soon as possible. There have been a few occasions when being a nurse has paid off for me, and this was one of them. I didn't panic or freak out--I knew exactly what I needed to do. I grabbed a towel and wrapped his arm as tight as I could. I grabbed Mia and the diaper bag and got her in the car first. Then I called my neighbor and was beyond relieved that she was home so I could drop Mia off on my way to the Doctor's office.
We get there in a matter of minutes-- and from that point on, honestly it really sucked. I hated the whole experience. He was terrified and not acting like my Tanner boy. He was hysterical at this point and not listening to anyone. He would not hold still, he was kicking and screaming so it took 5 staff members (and me) to hold him down so the Dr. could stitch him up. I mean, I don't blame him in a way because it was only last month that he endured a similar experience with getting his abscessed tooth pulled at the dentist. That wasn't a fun day either. But, as you can see from the pic above the Dr. was able to get it put back together and Tanner survived the ordeal. I think since that day, several very important lessons have been learned. Patience for sure. Sometimes we don't always get what we want when we want it....but sometimes there is a reason why that is the case. Obviously knife safety was a big one. We have gone on and on and in great detail about that one. I thought it was important for both his primary class and his school class to know what happened to Tanner's arm and the dangers of what can happen when you don't listen to your parents and take matters into your own hands. I hope he won't ever forget that day. And if he needs a reminder....all he has to do is look down at his
*apple scar.*
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