Back in one piece

I am now back home after spending 2 weeks in Greece. It's been an emotional trip in relation to my mothering skills as Fini was bitten by something, an insect or spider. I initially thought it was a mosquito bite and for the first 24 hours that's what it looked like but she knocked the top of the blister and this then reformed into a bigger blister covering a large area of her arm. We managed to clear the poison using a chamomile poultice but the blister was very sore for most of the time we were away until
I discovered plasters that allow the skin to breathe with these oxegenated pads, designed for blisters and scalds.

A few days later I trapped her finger in a door. At first this wasn't a problem. She cried for a few minutes and I put some Arnica cream on it and she seemed fine. That night she was really rewstless and kept waking up crying. By the morning she had a blister covering her right index finger that was 3 times the size of her finger.

We took her to a clinic - clinics in Greece are free 24 hour services but are staffed by trainee doctors, qualified doctors are privately run and expensive - they seemed reluctant to diagnose or prescribe anything for her but advised us to take her to the hospital an hours drive away. It all seems like a bit of an adventure now but at the time it was so nerve wracking. Waiting in a strange corridor with other injured people for someone to come from behind the quintessential swinging hospital doors. When we were finally seen they wouldn't let my husband or Greek speaking friend in with Fini, only me. By this time she had developed a red mark across her hand which was obviously from the pressure the blister was creating under her skin and would cry painfully and squeak 'No' if anyone so much as looked at the offending finger. I was besides myself trying to appear calm and confident and reassuring for her sake.

The nurse sent us straight to a doctor who sent us straight to the Xray Department. They immediately dressed me in a protective metal gown and instructed to hold Fini's hand down. This was upsetting for both of us but it was done quickly. Back then to the doctor who confirmed it wasn't broken and then burst the blister with a scalpel, sprayed some antiseptic ice spray on the finger and sent us on our way. The relief for both Fini and me was elevating.

However the finger got infected some how and then she seemed to develop impetigo around her nose. The blistering returned to her finger and this time spread across three fingers and down both sides of he hand. Back to the clinic to demand antibiotics - I never thought I would hear myself say that but I now realise the truthfullness of the phrase 'needs must' and my daughter needed to start getting better. I was so worried that I'd not caught it in time, had dithered too much, that she would have to have a hand removed due to septicemia........not to mention the guilt of being the one that trapped the finger in the first place.

Needless to say the antibiotics did their job and other than a few blemishes on arm and hand she is well and happy....besides her new cravings for chips, chocolate and red wine!!!!They didn't mention that in the baby led weaning book.

Oh holidays will never be the same again.