Advice from Doctor Mommy

The temperatures here are finally getting warmer, and Reagan is loving being able to play outside all day long. Of course, hot sunny days make me think back to that dreadful day two summers ago when Reagan burned the bottom of her feet while playing outside. So, I decided that as DOCTOR MOMMY, I needed to give you some advice and WARNING!

This is a copy of the post I made on July 11, 2007...

This blog has become not only a place for me to keep everyone up to date on everything Reagan, it has also become my "memory" book for her. That means that I must post both the good and the bad, and this particular post is pretty bad. This past Wednesday was the hottest day in history ever for this area. It was between 39 and 41C degrees throughout the lower mainland, which equals 102-105F. So it was hot... South Carolina hot! Reagan and I went to a friend's house for a play date, and naturally the girls wanted to play outside. Reagan was barefooted, but I didn't think anything about it. She plays outside barefooted all the time. She was standing on a sun deck that is made of wood with a vinyl gray painted coating. Very very very common here. I was about 15 feet away from her when I heard her start screaming. I could tell by the way she was standing that her feet hurt, so I ran to pick her up. I knew that her feet must be hot, but I had no idea what I was getting ready to see. In the possible 15-20 seconds that passed before I picked her up, Reagan suffered severe second and third degree burns on the bottom of both of her feet and all of her toes. The skin had instantly blistered and started to peel away. She was in horrible pain, and actually went in and out of shock on the way to the hospital. The ER in Langley was fantastic in that we were in the back and with a doctor in less than a minute. The nurses gave Reagan a shot of morphine, and once it had kicked in they bandaged up her feet. We were back at the hospital this afternoon to have the bandages removed, the burns checked and cleaned, and then new bandages were put in place. This will happen every three days for the next little while (we think for the next 12-15 days). The hardest part now is trying to keep her off her feet because she is so active. It's funny watching her crawl around like a little baby again after we had become so accustomed to her running around like a toddler lately. She is such a tough little girl... she is really handling it all very well.

The picture of her feet that I have attached to this post is pretty gross. But I wanted you to see just how much damage could be done is such a very short period of time.I had never heard of this happening to a child before, but I have since found out that it is a common accident. And from all that I have heard, it doesn't have to be anywhere near as hot outside as it was the other day for this to happen. So be careful with your kids at the park, playgrounds, or even at home when they are barefooted! Check surfaces to make sure that they are safe. I certainly will be doing so from now on!

Reagan ended up being in bandages for nearly a month. She has now healed completely, however she still remembers that day and is very sensitive and aware of her feet!