What you may not know about stitches

(These pics are two months post-op)
I think I have mentioned my middle son has had stitches not once, but twice in the last couple months. I hope you never have to go through what I did, but just in case, I think I should share what I learned about stitches.

The first time we went to one of those mini-clinics that can do simple stitches. It did not go well. My son jerked and screamed during the procedure and the stitches were so loose, he pulled them out within two days.



The second time I called my husband and he took our son to the Emergency Room. He saw a physician's assistant who said he could do the stitches. I was on the phone saying, "No, No, No! We are going to a plastic surgeon this time." The cut is across his forehead and I wanted it to look the best it could. So, the ER put a big cotton ball on my son's head with numbing cream on it. My husband was told his head would be numb by the time we got to the plastic surgeon's office.
This is where the problem comes in.
The plastic surgeon took one look at my son and said, "Why does the ER keep putting these huge cotton balls on with numbing cream? Cotton balls soak up the cream and the skin underneath doesn't get numb." A light bulb went off in my head. I realized the first time my son got stitches only the top layer of skin got numb! No wonder he was jerking around so much. The Plastic Surgeon put a tiny steri-strip on my son's head and actually poured the numbing medicine on his wound. When my son got the stitches, he didn't move at all. He couldn't feel it this time. It was such a HUGE RELIEF. So, if your child has to get stitches, make sure no one uses a cotton ball to put the numbing cream on. It was a big lesson learned for me!

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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