Our Brave Little Girl

This week has been absolutely crazy!!! I knew it was going to be a stressful week, but I thought I was going to be stressed with school, not at home taking care of Ellie. Monday morning I got a phone call at work to inform me that Ellie got her finger caught in a door at daycare. The director said they think it is broken so I need to come and get her. I cried the whole way there thinking of her poor little finger...I'm so glad the director did not tell me exactly what to expect over the phone. Upon arriving at daycare I could here her screaming from outside, I came in to the building and was immediately approached by the director of daycare crying with Ellie screaming in her arms and blood everywhere. Her finger was not broken...but the tip from the top knuckle up was hanging...I thought I was going to pass out. Jeremy met me at daycare and we rushed Ellie to the emergency room. The ER doctor continually called the injury an amputation which freaked me out even more. After x-rays, shots, etc, we were told that the general surgeon would not operate on her and we were directed to a hand surgeon. The hand surgeon could not do the operation until Wednesday, so the ER doctor stitched what he could and sent us home with a antibiotic for infection and pain medication. Her finger could not be stitched up all the way, so it continued to bleed and soak through the bandages over and over. The pain meds made her incredibly goofy, falling over, laughing for no reason, and not acting like herself.

In Emergency Room with Daddy (after she finally received a shot for pain)When the day of surgery finally came I was a complete wreck, I could not stop the tears, so every person I spoke with I cried the entire time...I blamed it on the pregnancy, but to be honest I don't think I could have controlled it either way.

After SurgeryThe Hand Surgeon was excellent!!!! He was able to save the tip of her finger. He thinks that it may be disfigured, and he is not sure if she will ever have a nail, or if it will grow properly but he feels that her finger will function normally. Through surgery he reattached the tendons that were severed, repaired the nail bed, joint and growth plate. He also put a pin through her finger vertically with the tip sticking out of her skin, it will be removed in 4 weeks. She is in a full cast up to her shoulders. The cast really stresses me out...it is heavy and cumbersome.
Finally Home Ellie on the other hand is getting around fine with it on. Today I tried only giving her Tylenol for pain and she is tolerating it very well. I was sick of watching her be so out of it on the Lortab. Her surgeon said she wouldn't need to be on the Lortab more then 2-3 days and he was right on! Ellie is one brave little girl one day after surgery and she is already playing, eating and sleeping just like normal...crazy how resilient kids are.