Editor’s Note: Winston was hurt by SUPER hot water in his own home. To read his story click here.
If you have advice for treating burns and scars please share it below or click here.
Here’s how his summer is going:
The unknown is the worst.
No one wants to hear “it’s unpredictable.” Then again false hope isn’t exactly what I was searching for either. “You won’t even be able to notice it in a couple of months” said one, “the redness will fade within a few more months” said another. “No, I don’t think it’s Keloid scarring, he just needs more time.”
More time? Yes, easy for them to say. They don’t have a frustrated husband begging for more research every day and a baby with burn scars. More time has now gone from a few months to a year or a year and a half. A burn victim isn’t just the patient themselves, the caretakers are victims as well. Winston was burned by extremely hot water on December 18, 2013; it is now 8 months later and we are still working hard at treating the scarring, treating the symptoms, and healing our hearts and our minds.
We have had monthly visits to the doctor – always asking the same questions. We’re hoping that the answer will be different. We joked at our last appointment about how we must be “that dreaded family.” “Oh no it’s the Cline’s again. They are going to be late for their appointment, they will ask a million questions, and their son will be screaming and bawling the entire time.” This is how our appointments have gone so far. An early morning for Winston to make the three hour drive to Lincoln leaves him a complete bear for our 10:00 a.m. appointment.
Our reality is that the medical staff has been very patient with us. They spend more time than necessary reassuring us. Winston has been in a compression vest and glove for five months now. After several fittings and garments (and doctor bills) they really are helping. We recently had another appointment (our first three month check) where they verified that the garments are doing some good. He is a toddler. He does like to pull the glove off, but we’re talking about ways to distract him. After trying three different types of silicone we finally found one that his skin was less sensitive to. We are able to use silicone on his face, which has visibly reduced the raised areas. The same silicone is difficult to keep on his arms, however we are working on a new design of compression to help keep the silicone in place. My worry now is that we are running out of time to make the compression work. They say the scarring should be healed 12- 18 months from the accident; which means we may only have a four month window to compress the scarring.
We struggle every day with the irritation and redness on his face, arm, and leg, but continue to use moisturizers several times daily and Benadryl cream as needed. According to the Specialist, the irritation and dry skin may never be relieved completely.
Winston has been strong through this all. Stronger than John or me. Any kind of tragedy can put a huge toll on a marriage. I feel as if writing about Winston and sharing with so many people has helped me to heal in so many ways. Although it may have put a huge stress on our marriage. I also believe the whole last year has brought our family closer together. You have to appreciate every single day and the people that make your every day complete.
Being a mother is the most amazing experience and I absolutely adore my three children, but there is a roller coaster of events that happen when you decide to take on the job of parenting. Winston is a rowdy boy. He’s my only boy, but I would guess he is more trouble than most. We have gone through several incidents with him since his burn accident. You can’t watch this child close enough. Since the burn accident I feel as if I can’t let him out of my sight, but he still manages to get into trouble. On the 4th of July he managed to scrape the skin off on his cheek, right where the burn scar was. I thought we were starting with square one again. All I could think of was, “all of that hard work for nothing!” I’m sure there will be many more ER visits and red flags as we go along, but I just have to say that he is making me really work at being a mom!
I truly appreciate all the shares and comments on Winston’s Story. I know that his story and Her View From Home has helped to make thousands of caregivers of young ones and elderly more aware of their water temperatures.
To protect your family from water temperature dangers, please read this.
Sara’s story also encouraged another mother to share her story of playground burns. To read her story, click here.
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