Not for the squeamish

I thought these pictures were gone forever,
but I found them today.

Sunday, my son Logan, said he feels he has turned into me since becoming a parent.  Not his exact words, but close enough.  He says when he enters a room he looks around now and tries to think of every possible scenario that could hurt his babies.  He tries, in other words, to stay on top of the game. 

This made me think of my friend Carol who works at Children's Hospital.  She was telling me about a 3 year old who will never be the same again because a flat screen TV fell on her head.  Of course we didn't have flat screen TVs when my sons were growing up, but I hadn't even thought now of those as being a danger.

Logan says, no problem, he has his flat screen TVs bolted down. 

So today as I was looking for something in the garage, I ran across these pictures from 1986. As hard as I tried back then to think of any possible dangers, this one I hadn't thought of until it happened.

It was a cold October evening and we had just all sat down to eat dinner.  I had just unplugged the crockpot with a very hot roast inside and placed it in the center of the table.  Tyler who was 10 months old, and just beginning to walk on his own, was toddling around the table while we ate.  Suddenly I saw the crockpot move quickly across the table. I knew in an instant what was happening and I flew out of my chair but I was too late.

Tyler had pulled the dangling cord, the roast landing on his back.  His Dad and I both leaped to pull the scalding roast off of our baby and he wanted to take him right to ER.  I remembered a First Aid class my Mom had recently taught in Relief Society...she had practiced the lesson on me, and I knew we had to get him under cold water.

I took him right over to the sink and put him in there with the dirty dishes, and turned on the faucet.  Then I got the doctor on the phone (no cordless phones back then but the phone was right by the sink).  His pediatrician said to keep him there in the sink with the water running, that I was doing the right thing.

I remember that night, Tyler's Daddy holding him all night long while he slept.

Next day I brought Tyler in to see the Dr and he said the 2nd degree burns would have turned into 3rd degree had we brought him to the hospital rather than kept him in the water.  I have since learned that some burns are best kept away from water, but not so in this case.

So here are the pictures.
They were taken a few days after the accident,
when Tyler was happy again.

If it helps anyone think about dangling cords, and even flat TV screens, then it was worth it.  

 Look how concerned McKay is.

Right after I called the doctor that evening, and with Tyler still in the sink, I called my Mom and told her what happened.  Then I remember tearfully asking her,  "Will he be okay?"  She said he would be fine.  Her voice reassured me.

Later I laughed, thinking...'what could she know?'
She wasn't even there.
But my Mom had that magical way of making me feel better.

25 comments:

James and Kresta said...

Oh my gosh. Those pictures are so sad! I'm glad he was ok. I will have to remember that one.

threelittlebackseatdrivers.blogspot.com said...

Oh my gosh, Jill, this is horrible. I didn't think I would be as careful and paranoid as I am had I not had Whit first. I walk into any room, any where and immediately look at all the stuff she can get into and what will happen. This just looks so painful! And such a good idea to have that little cap on his head, Michael needs one of those, I'm sure this prevented many bumps, he hits his head all the time learning to walk and copy Whit in all she's doing. Wow, such an eye opener...so sad. How long did it take for the burns to go away and did you put anything on them? Whit just learned to open doors, we are off to the store to find door covers. :)

Natalie said...

Oh, so sad=( When my cousin was a baby he sucked on the end of an extension cord that was plugged in,which resulted in serious burns on his face. Sometimes, no matter how vigilant you try to be, they manage to get hurt.

I can imagine how horrible that must have been for you, your little baby in so much pain. Your mom sounds like my mom, always reassuring me that things will turn out right. Like you said, how can she know? But it is always comforting to hear.

Brock said...

I remember this incident very, very well. It was incredibly scary. Can still see the skin bubbling in my mind.

Long term, I think this had a great effect on the way I parent. I try to be incredibly careful about everything. Good thing, too. With Cami, it's an essential mindset.

Karen Mortensen said...

Ouch! That did look awful. Does he have any scars from it now? I never would think that a roast could cause so much damage. Good for you on the water. I burnt my arm on the edge of a popcorn popper in college and I put it in water for a while. It looked nasty for several days but to this day you can't tell it happened.

darlene said...

Does he still have a scar on his back? Did you put aloe or vit.E or anything on it to heal it? Just curious.

Mar~ said...

This is awful! It made me cry!
Thank heaven the burns weren't worse but they look horribly painful nonetheless.
How does Tyler feel about roast today?

Grandma Honey said...

Last time I checked, which has probably been a few years, he did still have a faint scar. And yes, we did treat it with Aloe vera. Surprisingly the pain was only bad that first night for several hours.

I kept that hat on him for warmth the first several days because he couldn't wear clothes.

I hope Tyler reads this, or better yet Karen, so she can tell us if there is still a scar. I doubt Tyler would be able to see it since it's on his back.

Mary said...

Ouch! It seems no matter how hard we try to protect our children, we can't see every potential danger. I know I've suffered horrible guilt every time I felt I failed to keep my kids safe, but looking back I also see how some of those trials helped them grow. Maybe the Lord sneaks some of those experiences past our watchful eyes. Thank goodness for the Spirit to prompt us as parents!

Kris said...

Oh my goodness! That just makes tears well up in my eyes! I can't even imagine how that would be. That must have been terribly scary. It's like seeing something happen in a dream, but everything is in slow motion and you can't get there soon enough. Does he still have scars from that?

Heidi Garvin said...

Every mom worth her salt has a voice that instantly soothes. (I may have just gotten off the phone with my own mother. I'm in day two of a fever and she immediately offered to drive to Los Angeles tomorrow morning. She is the sweetest.)

I managed to scar my head falling on a speaker once, I gave myself two black eyes in the split second my mother's back was turned one time, and am still banging myself up on a regular basis. Some kids are just trouble, I guess. :-)

Grandma Honey said...

Heidi, I'm sorry you're sick. It is so hard to be sick when away from home! It is also hard on a Mom not being there, so I totally understand Dee wanting to get there tomorrow morning.

Susan Rozier said...

Jill, Viewing these pictures was difficult. I'm sure for you they brought back very strong emotions. You seemed to have handled it properly. Good for you. It's also amazing how resiliant children are. Love, Susan

grandmapeg said...

Those burns look so bad. He must have had a high tolerance level for pain. We mothers try all that we can to prevent stuff like that but things still happen. I'm sure you felt worse than Tyler.

Grandma Honey said...

I know the pictures are hard to look at and I'm sorry about that. But I wanted to keep this for family history. Den thought I should throw these pictures away. It could have been so much worse. The roast could have landed on his face. :(

Robin said...

First.... I am so glad you put a hat on that baby on that cold October day while you took the pictures. I get cold just lookin at him.
Second.... We have had children knock TVs over on three different occassions. All of them were very heavy and none of them were flat screens. No one was hurt. Only one TV broke. Simply a miracle times three.

Grandma Honey said...

Well they didn't have things like leggings back then. And he couldn't wear any pants because they would bump up against his scars. So the best I could do was put a hat on his head and socks on his feet. I probably put the heat up too. But he's fine now!

Rebecca said...

ohhhhhhhh that is so sad. I am glad all turned out well. I think as a grandma I am a basket case always wondering if they are watching like they should....

darlene said...

Isn't it amazing how well he healed from that?
To just have a small scar left now is a miracle!

Grandma Honey said...

Looking back I wonder if it was the aloe vera. My Mom brought it right over and we put it all over the burns. She had a fresh plant growing in her front yard and she just cut it and squeezed out the gel, but I know you can buy it in a bottle because I now have that kind.

I talked to Tyler last night. He said the only time he notices the scar at all is in the summer when he tans because the burn part will not tan. But he says it is very faint and you can hardly tell....and smaller now being his back grew with him but the scar didn't.

Susan Anderson said...

Boy, he was lucky to have a mom who reacted so quickly and correctly. Those burns still looked pretty gruesome!

I had third degree burns on my arms and second degree burns on my face from an old-style vaporizer that was in my room near my bed to help with my asthma. I was about 4 years old, and I knocked it over on myself.

In those days, my mom didn't know about water. She put butter on it, which probably fried it worse.
Fortunately, all I was left with was a scar on my left hand.

=)

Heather said...

Ohhhh, this made me cry. Poor little guy. Yesterday Nathan was hanging from our big heavy bookshelf. Even though it is bolted to the wall, I am still so afraid it will fall on him! When I told him to get down, he must have heard the seriousness in my voice because he immediately swatted himself on the butt (a punishment I reserve for when he is doing something that could injure himself or his sister) and said "Naughty!!!" LOL.

I am always afraid of the kids pulling the iron down on themselves similar to your story!

Lisa said...

WOW. I wonder if my son David's arm would have been better off had we not rushed him to the docs. Gerry had made himself a cup of herbal tea and put it by the side of his bed & went to go shut off all the lights inthe house. Yup. Dave crawled out of his crib and reached for the cup. 3rd degree burns on his whole upper arm that got bigger & uglier with age & growht. It's a constant reminder.

Burns are a horrible thing. I never thought to take pictures!

kelly said...

Poor baby, and mommy. I hate when I'm doing my best and they still manage to get hurt. At least he had a smile on his face a few days later.

Valerie said...

I am cringing just looking at those photos! I got a burn on my hand yesterday when I grabbed a handle of a skillet which had been in the oven. The hot pad didn't quite cover all of the handle. It really hurt bad and it still does, but I cannot even begin to imagine the pain of a burn like that! I'm glad he was okay. It makes you feel so bad as a mommy when your little one is hurting so bad.

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