Usually, I do not avoid things. I like to deal with them head on, rather quickly. Get it out there. Over. Done. Move on. I don't have time for the drama. Rip the band-aid off as they say. I like to consider myself proactive. In fact, as I age, I've had to teach myself not to always act so quickly. My sense of urgency is one of my biggest character flaws.
So, the fact that I have not blogged about BBZ's accident is interesting to me. Maybe I think if I don't blog about it, it didn't happen. But yesterday, I realized that it really is not that big of a deal and best of all, it's over. I want this blog to be an honest and accurate journal that will tell BBZ about his life.
Of course, I'm also a full-time working mom, so I'm going to cheat a little...er, a lot. This entire entry will be directly copied from emails sent to family. In fact, I don't think this story will be news to any readers of this blog. There is no new info here. I just wanted the whole story in one place.
Sunday, October 3, 2010: I wanted to let you know that BBZ had a bit of an accident Saturday morning. He fell while playing on Campus. He wasn't running too fast or doing anything dangerous, he simply tripped - as all preschoolers do - and fell. Unfortunately he landed on his mouth and it was a brick step that caught his fall. He chipped his two front teeth and displaced the upper right incisor significantly. In other words, his front teeth are broken and the right front tooth is now shoved up into his gums. That displaced tooth was also rotated pretty badly, but the dentist turned it and it actually looks much better than it did. He also cut the inside of his upper lip quite badly when he fell. We don't know if it was the bricks or his teeth that made that cut. I'm going to find out today if that cut needs stitches. He bled a lot yesterday, but it has nearly stopped now. He is pretty swollen - more today than yesterday actually, but that should go away. We are waiting for the swelling to go down and then will be able to see if there is any nerve damage that will adversely affect his baby teeth or his future adult teeth. He can't have any crunchy food or bite into any foods for at least two weeks. This is because it could hurt him, but also because the biting action could increase the possibility of nerve damage. We will watch for certain things that could develop and try to make sure he doesn't fall again so the teeth have time to heal. His teeth could turn grey for awhile. Motrin is helping with the pain and should also help with the swelling. BBZ isn't really keen on ice packs, so we'll just have to wait for the swelling to go down on its own. As for his teeth, we are hopeful that the displaced tooth will come down a little on its own over time. But there is no way to "fix" his teeth. They will be broken until they fall out in a few years. We hope his adult teeth will be unharmed.
The "no crunchy food" rule is a hard one. It's especially difficult for us because he had just started eating really well in recent weeks. For the last year, we've been trying to get him to eat. He finally started and now we have to tell him he can't have his favorite foods (anything crunchy, especially raw veggies). Yesterday he was crying for a carrot; that was hard for us. He can have things like fruit, bread, and cheese as long as its served to him in bite size pieces. He can't bite INTO anything. We are hoping to use this time to teach him to like soft things like yogurt, applesauce, grits, pasta and cooked veggies. But we aren't certain he'll eat them because usually he won't. In the meantime, I am taking out stock in Kroger-brand Pediasure and in the very least, he'll drink 3 or 4 of those each day. We will talk to his daycare director and teachers tomorrow morning because they need to know how to feed him. I'll be supplying his food for school (which typically they do not allow.) The good news is that he can defiantly have cake on his birthday in two weeks!
I am so proud of what a strong, brave boy he is. This child doesn't complain! He was starting to perk up about 90 minutes after the accident and was really back to acting like his usual self by lunchtime yesterday. He has always responded extremely well to ibuprofen and I am so thankful for that! As long as we stay ahead of the pain, he seems to be in great spirits. He slept great last night and is happy as can be watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse this morning.
I am also proud of my husband. He had the unfortunate experience of witnessing the accident. He acted calmly and swiftly and I totally believe his actions helped both BBZ's injury and spirit. I expected BBZ to be much more afraid than he was when I saw him. His daddy made everything better for him.
We KNOW that an injury to the mouth and teeth is by no means a tragedy. Worse things could have happened to him. Worse things happen to kids every day. We are beyond grateful that his injury is not worse. Having said that, this is still the worst thing that's ever happened to HIM, so we are a little shook up, sad, disappointed, worried, upset, regretful, fearful. Our son, of course, is just fine. And that brings me joy. Mommy and Daddy will catch up to his good mood. I know as the days go by we won't dwell on what happened and what's to come.
The biggest blessing is our friends the Hardins that God sent to us in a coffee house right here in Chapel Hill in 2008. Not only are they true and dear friends, they are dentists! And Annelise is our PEDIATRIC Dentist. Daddy Zog called them right away - of course they were at the coffee house - and they met him at their home. Over the next 3 hours they treated BBZ, took care of us, washed blood-stained clothes, fed us, picked me up from the gym, let me use their shower, gave us all clean clothes...the list goes on and on. Their son is our son's best friend, so to have him right by his side was special too. They will never know how grateful we are that we didn't spend the morning in an ER or cold dental office. To be in their house with their friendship (and Thomas the Train on their tv) surrounding us was crucial. I know it was hard for Annelise to see BBZ that way because he is not just another patient. I know it pained her beyond the reach of her professional responsibility to reach into his mouth and turn his crooked tooth, but I'm so glad she did. She is a great doctor. It helps us so much to know they will guide us through the healing process too. I don't even know how to explain how wonderful they are...
Like I said, I know it will get easier and in the long run, it's not a tragedy. Daddy Zog already calls BBZ our "little boxer." We could use some prayers. Mainly prayers for swift healing with no permanent damage, for BBZ to be open to trying new soft foods, for no more falls fo
r awhile and for Mommy and Daddy to perk up and to stop worrying about the future.
Sunday, October 3, 2010: I wanted to let you know that BBZ had a bit of an accident Saturday morning. He fell while playing on Campus. He wasn't running too fast or doing anything dangerous, he simply tripped - as all preschoolers do - and fell. Unfortunately he landed on his mouth and it was a brick step that caught his fall. He chipped his two front teeth and displaced the upper right incisor significantly. In other words, his front teeth are broken and the right front tooth is now shoved up into his gums. That displaced tooth was also rotated pretty badly, but the dentist turned it and it actually looks much better than it did. He also cut the inside of his upper lip quite badly when he fell. We don't know if it was the bricks or his teeth that made that cut. I'm going to find out today if that cut needs stitches. He bled a lot yesterday, but it has nearly stopped now. He is pretty swollen - more today than yesterday actually, but that should go away. We are waiting for the swelling to go down and then will be able to see if there is any nerve damage that will adversely affect his baby teeth or his future adult teeth. He can't have any crunchy food or bite into any foods for at least two weeks. This is because it could hurt him, but also because the biting action could increase the possibility of nerve damage. We will watch for certain things that could develop and try to make sure he doesn't fall again so the teeth have time to heal. His teeth could turn grey for awhile. Motrin is helping with the pain and should also help with the swelling. BBZ isn't really keen on ice packs, so we'll just have to wait for the swelling to go down on its own. As for his teeth, we are hopeful that the displaced tooth will come down a little on its own over time. But there is no way to "fix" his teeth. They will be broken until they fall out in a few years. We hope his adult teeth will be unharmed.
The "no crunchy food" rule is a hard one. It's especially difficult for us because he had just started eating really well in recent weeks. For the last year, we've been trying to get him to eat. He finally started and now we have to tell him he can't have his favorite foods (anything crunchy, especially raw veggies). Yesterday he was crying for a carrot; that was hard for us. He can have things like fruit, bread, and cheese as long as its served to him in bite size pieces. He can't bite INTO anything. We are hoping to use this time to teach him to like soft things like yogurt, applesauce, grits, pasta and cooked veggies. But we aren't certain he'll eat them because usually he won't. In the meantime, I am taking out stock in Kroger-brand Pediasure and in the very least, he'll drink 3 or 4 of those each day. We will talk to his daycare director and teachers tomorrow morning because they need to know how to feed him. I'll be supplying his food for school (which typically they do not allow.) The good news is that he can defiantly have cake on his birthday in two weeks!
I am so proud of what a strong, brave boy he is. This child doesn't complain! He was starting to perk up about 90 minutes after the accident and was really back to acting like his usual self by lunchtime yesterday. He has always responded extremely well to ibuprofen and I am so thankful for that! As long as we stay ahead of the pain, he seems to be in great spirits. He slept great last night and is happy as can be watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse this morning.
I am also proud of my husband. He had the unfortunate experience of witnessing the accident. He acted calmly and swiftly and I totally believe his actions helped both BBZ's injury and spirit. I expected BBZ to be much more afraid than he was when I saw him. His daddy made everything better for him.
We KNOW that an injury to the mouth and teeth is by no means a tragedy. Worse things could have happened to him. Worse things happen to kids every day. We are beyond grateful that his injury is not worse. Having said that, this is still the worst thing that's ever happened to HIM, so we are a little shook up, sad, disappointed, worried, upset, regretful, fearful. Our son, of course, is just fine. And that brings me joy. Mommy and Daddy will catch up to his good mood. I know as the days go by we won't dwell on what happened and what's to come.
The biggest blessing is our friends the Hardins that God sent to us in a coffee house right here in Chapel Hill in 2008. Not only are they true and dear friends, they are dentists! And Annelise is our PEDIATRIC Dentist. Daddy Zog called them right away - of course they were at the coffee house - and they met him at their home. Over the next 3 hours they treated BBZ, took care of us, washed blood-stained clothes, fed us, picked me up from the gym, let me use their shower, gave us all clean clothes...the list goes on and on. Their son is our son's best friend, so to have him right by his side was special too. They will never know how grateful we are that we didn't spend the morning in an ER or cold dental office. To be in their house with their friendship (and Thomas the Train on their tv) surrounding us was crucial. I know it was hard for Annelise to see BBZ that way because he is not just another patient. I know it pained her beyond the reach of her professional responsibility to reach into his mouth and turn his crooked tooth, but I'm so glad she did. She is a great doctor. It helps us so much to know they will guide us through the healing process too. I don't even know how to explain how wonderful they are...
Like I said, I know it will get easier and in the long run, it's not a tragedy. Daddy Zog already calls BBZ our "little boxer." We could use some prayers. Mainly prayers for swift healing with no permanent damage, for BBZ to be open to trying new soft foods, for no more falls fo
r awhile and for Mommy and Daddy to perk up and to stop worrying about the future. I've attached a couple of photos. The one in the cowboy hat is from yesterday and the one on the sofa is from this morning - he's really swollen today. I actually think his mouth looks better in the photos than in real life. Most of the damage is in the inside of his mouth , up under his lip and up into his gums.
Monday, November, 1, 2010: Just a quick update on BBZ's teeth. We went to the dentist this morning for the x-rays and follow up visit. She wanted us to wait one month for all the swelling to go down. The good news is that is right front tooth (the one that was displaced and rotated in the accident) is healing well and has come back down a lot. So, really it's just a chipped tooth. The bad news is that the left front tooth (the one that we thought was just chipped) has turned grey and has nerve damage and infection. It's still causing him a lot of pain if he accidentally bites down with it. This morning we were told it has to be removed.
So, we are scheduled for an appointment to have that tooth pulled on the 11th. The dentist will use laughing gas and a topical numbing agent, but will not have to put him under for the procedure. There will not be a fake tooth or anything like that in place of the pulled tooth. He'll just have a hole there until his adult tooth comes in. We are glad to go ahead and do this because it will hopefully prevent the nerve damage from causing damage to his future adult teeth. It will also eliminate the pain he's been having. We hope it will also allow his diet to return to normal because the limitations on what he can eat has had a negative effect on his weight. He's lost over a pound in the last month. Really, we are also glad to go ahead and do this and move past the whole ordeal. Just thinking about what they have to do to him makes me sort of dizzy and nauseous. But we are thankful for his overall health and happiness.
I've attached a photo of him on Halloween; you can see the grey tooth that has to come out.
So, we have some more rough times ahead, but we'll be okay. BBZ is definitely aware of the trauma and has his own fears, but I hope that ending the physical pain will help with that.
Thursday, November 11, 2010: Well, we are minus a tooth!
Everything went well this morning - and fast too! Daddy Zog and I actually waited in the waiting room, which was probably best for everyone. The Dentist said when she saw the tooth she was so glad we went ahead and pulled it instead of waiting because it really needed to come out. Said we did the right thing at the right time. She also said the other tooth looks good and although there is a chance that it could have to come out, she is optimistic that won't.
He stopped bleeding very quickly and hasn't shown any signs of pain or discomfort at all since then. We are giving him Motrin and that seems to be working to keep any pain at bay. We came home and played and then watched Toy Story 3 (Thank you uncle E! He was VERY excited to see it!!) Then we had lunch and a nap - everything as usual around here. He should be able to eat with his other front tooth in a few days.
We decided not to do the "tooth fairy" thing this time around and we are very glad because his tooth is pretty disgusting to look at and I think it would scare him to have that thing under his pillow. We won't be showing it to him. We did give him a gift in the car on the way to the Dentist with another that he knew he got to open after we left. Both seemed to be big hits as both were Yo Gabba Gabba products! Now he's busy practicing how he'll ask Santa for things. So cute..
Above is a photo of his new smile. Pretty darn cute if I do say so myself (and I do!) A lot of times I think we won't even notice it's missing.
Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. We are doing much better!
2 comments:
aw, poor lil guy and poor you guys! sometimes my heart lurches into my throat just watching one of my kids negotiating the steep staircase b/c i don't know if i can react fast enough to catch them if they fall. i can't imagine what you guys must have been going through seeing all of that blood and tears and pain but i'm glad he's such a tough guy - makes parenting much easier! get well soon!
Don't you worry about a thing! This morning I actually watched a little 4 year old boy have 10 of his baby teeth pulled. Then they put silver caps on 6 of his 10 remaining teeth. He only got to keep 4 of his real teeth... ALL because his parents let him drink juice every night and didn't brush his teeth afterwards. Now the kid is missing 10 teeth until the permanent ones come in.
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