Last week we had the opportunity to learn all about it first hand. It happened in the morning, when Ruth suddenly went from happy gurgles to frantic crying and I realized that the fourth toe on her right foot was bright red and looked like a berry about to pop. Luckily Chris hadn't left for work yet, so he could stay and try to calm her four hysterical sisters while I barreled out the door with baby Ruth. It was also lucky that we have a wonderful pediatrician who did not bat an eye when I showed up at his office, in my pajamas and sobbing, half an hour before they opened. He spent the next 45 minutes trying to save Ruth's toe and although he thought he probably got all of the hair, her toe still looked so horrible that he sent us to the ER to have it checked out.
We spent all day in the ER, but in the end it turns out that Dr. Israel had in fact already saved the day. Poor Ruth's toe still looked so very bad that I don't regret the needless day in the ER, because it took the assurances of four (five if you include our pediatrician) doctors to convince me that her toe would be okay.
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| Ruth's toe 12 hours after the hair was removed. |
Even now, over a week later, her toe still looks like there is something wrapped around it. There is a slight improvement every day, though, so I'm finally breathing a little easier.
I'm learning, slowly but surely, that we will never have enough kids to qualify us as experts: life is too full of surprises and it's best to keep on your toes! (ha ha ha!)
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| Ruth's mood was not affected by all the trauma |
2 comments:
Wow! That is so scary. I've read that that could happen, but I never knew anyone it had actually happened to. I will be checking fingers and toes really carefully now!
My pediatrician had heard of it but never seen it, as well. Our family seems to be all about giving our pediatrician new medical experiences, it seems!
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