I felt, I don't know, a little surprised by the way they restrained him, it seemed excessive to me and out of proportion to the way he was behaving. In the end, I think they all felt a little foolish because he didn't even twitch. The MD tried to joke around with DS afterwards, but he got the turned head, refusal to make eye contact treatment.
He was probably a victim of the 1:1000 thing that gets very bright kids in school. They've never seen a kid who'll stay still, so....
I used to work on an ambulance and had to spend time in ERs. If it makes you feel any better about it, you would not believe how much a toddler can thrash around during suturing. They scream, they kick, etc etc.
Docs have to use "papoose boards" to keep everyone safe. The lidocaine injection is a sharp poke and the medicine causes a burning sensation as it's being injected that continues until it takes effect. Next, a total stranger comes along with a needle and thread. If the doctor is suturing near an eye and the child jerks away, he could lose an eye. If he jerks away while the doc is pulling the suture through the wound, he could make his wound even worse. And let's not forget that the doc could get stabbed. Etc. etc.
I understand your point and believe that your son would have been just fine without the papoose board; one of mine (ONE) would probably be the same. But at the same time, I can see their point. The stakes are pretty high, and given how the vast majority of kids react to suturing, they're probably right to err on the side of caution.
The doctor probably just should have been honest with your son and told him "I'm sorry I did that. See, most kids jerk around and so.... If this ever happens again and I'm around, things might be different..."
Val
