Carmela had her first big accident recently, and it was definitely all Mama's fault. Mama shut Carmela's finger in the back door, and nearly cut off the tip of the ring finger on her right hand. It was horrible for all involved! Mama raced Carmela to the emergency room while Carmela screamed in the back seat, but the doctors took good care of her once they were there and sent her home with a big bandage and a popsicle. Carmela went to a pediatric hand specialist a few days later who recommended hand surgery to repair the bone and, just as importantly, to make sure the wound was cleaned out so Carmela wouldn't get a bad infection. The very next morning, Mama, Daddy, and Carmela were back at the hospital for surgery.
Because she's so little, and little kids are so hard to work on because they won't sit still, Carmela had to go under general anesthesia. She was very brave about the whole thing and surgery went great, but she had a hard time coming out of the anesthesia. She cried hysterically for awhile, drifted in and out of sleep, threw up a lot, screamed some more, and finally fell into a deep sleep after the nurse gave her an anti-nausea medication. When she woke up a couple of hours later, she was much, much more herself, and Mama and Daddy were so happy to finally be able to leave the hospital.
Mama and Daddy were a little anxious about life with a toddler in a full arm cast, but Carmela was amazing. She didn't waste a single minute feeling sorry for herself. If her finger hurt a little bit, she told Mama, and Mama gave her some Children's Tylenol. Carmela went right back to playing, visiting with her friends, and exploring ... but with a little help from Mama and Daddy with things like climbing, and holding onto things. Mama and Daddy took Carmela to see the doctor again last week; he decided to take the cast off on November 9. Carmela thinks she'll save it, in part because her friends signed it, and in part to remind Mama of how important it is to be careful!
Carmela at home with her big owie, after her trip to the emergency room.
Riding to the hospital on the morning of surgery.
Prepped and waiting for the paperwork to be finished and the operating room to be available.
Carmela got to pick out a Chapstick flavor to make her gas mask smell nice.
Getting familiar with the gas mask.
Not liking the hair net. Or someone else holding the camera.
Coming out of anesthesia. Carmela had settled down a little bit, but would later throw up all over Mama and cry some more before some anti-nausea medication made her feel much better.
Back at home. What a trooper!
