On 25 March 2011, Josiah knocked his head on the window grill. Josiah was on the bed and Koong koong had just stepped out of the study room for a few seconds to answer the phone, and when he came back Josiah was holding his forehead in his hands.
Since no one saw what actually happened, our best guess is that he either bounced on the bed and fell onto the grill, or sat up too near the grill and banged his head.
The wound was quite long and deep and bleeding (looked like a drain in his flesh), so koong koong and poh poh quickly patched it up and took him to see a doctor.
Mummy came home just as they were leaving, and hopped into the car to the doctor. The doctor took a look and recommended that Josiah go to a plastic surgeon. On the way to Pantai Specialist, he fell asleep. The doctor recommended stitches, with general anesthetic to do it while Josiah was asleep.
(Before waking up at the hospital.)
At Pantai Specialist, Josiah woke up and looked scared and cried and needed mummy to hold him. But afterwards he played happily at the playland as if nothing was different. Yeh yeh and Hakka poh poh were there too, and everybody was scared he would get hurt further as he ran down the slide and launched himself onto the bean bag.
When it was time, mummy held him and sang to him while the mask was placed on his face, and he struggled a bit before drifting into sleep.
The operation was short, just five minutes. Thirteen stiches including the two knots at the ends. Non-dissolving stitches were used as the doctor said they would heal better. Then Josiah was left to slowly wake up.
Daddy reached the hospital from a taxi straight from LCCT just before koong koong returning did. Both went into the lift, and a just woken up Josiah was just being wheeled into it on a big hospital bed!
Josiah was pretty much back to normal almost right after – getting daddy to carry him here and there (especially to use the lift), running around on the ground floor.
At home, he didn’t really like the medicine, but after a few times, cooperated to swallow quickly. He still struggled when the head bandage had to be changed, but even that towards the end got a bit better.
The stitches came off on 1 April. The doctor wasn’t ready till way past the 3.30 appointment time, it took till 4.30 when he saw Josiah and recommended he be given oral medicine to make him sleepy – too risky to take out the stitches if he struggles.
But even after the medicine and lying on a bed and lullaby, he wouldn’t sleep by 5.30. So in the end, he was wrapped in a blanket while several people held him still – daddy holding his head tight and reassuring him – while the doctor removed the stitches. Josiah fought and cried and screamed, but towards the end didn’t struggle too fiercely.
After that, he fell asleep all the way till night, woke up a bit when taken upstairs, drank milk, and slept till morning again.
We had to put antiseptic on his wound, which had closed really nicely. He struggled at first, but after a few times just scrunched his face up and let us quickly apply it.
Just after the operation. The little bandage strips are from the hospital and didn’t last long before coming off.
You can see the extra lentgh of string at the top and slightly at the bottom.
After removing the stiches. The stitching was very well done as you can see from how well the wound closed.
2 May 2011 – Scar almost fully faded.
