Big Z is in football. He loves it and is eagerly awaiting to play his first game and to also compete against his former teammates that attend the rival high school. We expect that we will see our fair share of injuries. I know that injuries are a fact of life in sports. However, what I did not expect is that my son would get hurt during a water break.
To set the stage, at football practice, there is a water station. The stand at the station is probably 5 feet high and a 10 gallon jug sits on top of it. The players get drinks from the spout by tilting their heads underneath the spout. The water was nearly gone and Z was tilting the jug to get more water out of it which caused the stand to become unstable and collide with the nearest object: the bridge of Z's nose. Of course, the bleeding was profuse and extensive. Accusations of a broken nose ensued.
I picked Z up to take him to the ER. The Trainer and the Athletic Director were flooding me with a stream of concerns and reassurances. They must have some pretty hysterical mothers come through their doors. I may have been a disappointment to that precedence. We went to an urgent care and were turned away sending us to the ER. We arrived at the ER and waited long enough to make a couple of calls to including one to bring Dad up to speed.
My big, strong, 6'2" hulk of a son was nervous and scared about the shot of lidocaine he would receive prior to the stitches. No, he didn't go into shock at the loss of blood and blunt force trauma he experienced. He was a big pile of mush worrying about the shot to make the hurt go away. He also had to get a tetanus shot which he threw a fit about as well. He was great entertainment for the hospital staff. I'm sure he brightened a few people's days. The Dr. took pity of him and agreed to give him some topical ointment to numb the skin before the shot of lidocaine. Zack gave the doc a 'high 5' for the concession. I have realized that Zack's way of dealing with pain and anxiety is to laugh and make jokes. It helps to keep things light and it's hilarious to witness. He's a trooper. The coaches thought he for sure would have gone into shock. Apparently, he has a high tolerance for pain (except for shots).
We have pictures. I have to warn anyone that wants to view this that the pictures are kind of gory. The blood is contained, but the gash is horrific. It looked like a 3rd eye, especially when Z would raise his eyebrows. I am not terribly weak stomached but I couldn't look at the live view, first hand. The first time was too much for me. Z found it funny that he could just turn to look at me and I would cringe. We took the first pictures on my phone. I just about lost it while I was trying to email the pics to myself. See how you do:
(by the way, the last picture is to show the fact that his glasses mostly hide the stitches. Z is relieved).
Diagnosis:
8 stitches (including one deep inside), no broken nose, one large headache, and one sore arm (tetanus shot)
2 comments:
I don't faint at the sight of blood, but I have a large aversion to loose teeth in kiddie mouths which is well known and widely abused. Z's Third eye is in that bloody, wiggly teeth class. It isn't the bloody, wiggly I abhor, it's the feeling deep down in the mouth I cringe at and feelings associated with visits to the dentist, no doubt. The third eye is a deep down, blunt force trauma that gives me the willies. Grossly collected for future tale telling material for sure.
I love mom's comments.
Oh. my. stomach turning wow! I am pretty tough about blood, but yeah, this was pretty eww. And yeah, it looks like a third eye. Way to go, Z! But if you want to look more like Dallan, you need the scar on your eyebrow. You missed it by a few inches. Better luck next time.
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