Last Night and Today

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Around 6:00 last night, Ethan and I were in our pancake-making groove.  He helps me pour the mix and water, then starts to stir while I put together the rest of our brinner.  It was about the time I had the pancake pan heating on the stove top, and measured out the grits, that I saw him begin to fall from his stool.  

Within a literal split-second, he grabbed the closest thing he could find to help catch himself, and I took one step towards him to yank his hand off of the hot pan.  The screams that followed were heartbreaking.

Let me pause a moment to thank God, our incredible Creator, for equipping us with instinct and know-how, even in times we're not nearly prepared for.

Through Ethan's mind-jumbling cries of distress, I was able to immediately put his hand under cool running water and get him calm enough to move to the couch.  Then, I grabbed the first item I saw in our freezer - a bag of corn - wrapped it in a towel, and placed his seared hand on top of it.

Oh - and hey, God? Thanks for those Pixar folks, too.  Mater and Woody were the ultimate distraction from the pain.

I immediately called my mama, just because she always knows what to do, and together we decided that I should call our pediatrician's after-hours nurse line.  Jeramie was home by that time, and a quick chat with the nurse led us straight down I-40 into the Duke Children's emergency department.  

The visit there was quick and efficient.  They gave Ethan some oxycodone to relieve the pain and had his hand wrapped up and ready to go home within two hours.  Due to the nature of the burn, though, and the placement of the developing blisters, the ED doctors wanted Ethan to be seen at UNC's burn center this morning.  I was super impressed that such "rival" hospitals collaborate and refer patients between themselves, and incredibly thankful that both Duke and UNC are a quick 30-minute drive from our house.

Monkey has made as many trips to the hospital as Ethan has.

Going to a completely different hospital this morning was an experience.  It felt odd to not know my way around, or to not chat with medical staff in the hallways, and it made me a little sad that we've become that comfortable with any hospital at all.  UNC was great, though, and they took very good care of my little man!

The burn clinic physician diagnosed Ethan with 2nd degree burns, but was quite pleased with how well they already seem to be healing.  The blisters don't show any signs of popping, which is great for preventing infection, and everything should be completely healed within a week or so.

Ethan does have a compression glove - or, a super hero glove if you're to ask him - that he has to wear for the next 3-4 weeks, and we were given some cream to keep the burns protected and moisturized.  Other than that, it's life as usual, with a few hand stretches added in throughout the day.

It could have been so much worse.   

Thank you Lord, for protection and healing - for distractions and pain relief - for wise medical staff.

And, thank y'all for springing into action and lifting up prayers for my boy.

Amen.