The long and short of it

For a while now, I have been lamenting that I need to get a hair cut. After growing it so long for a bet with David, he and I had joked that it was four inches longer than ridiculous and that I would need to start spending my free time at Renaissance faires or as an extra in The Hobbit. Last weekend, my Lady of Shalott-esque looks took the turn from obnoxious to dangerous, as evidenced by Will's first trip to the emergency room.

On Friday evening around dinner time, David took off Will's socks and noticed that one of his toes was dark red and swollen, with a bleeding crevice in the middle. A few strands of my hair had been round so tightly that they created what is called a toe tourniquet. We removed what visible hair we could and called our family doctor. His advice was to keep the foot elevated and then the swelling and discoloration would dissipate.

Five hours later, Will's toe didn't look any better. Though we decided that "Four-toed Willie" was an excellent nickname for a bluegrass musician (and much better than the possibility of being a "One-eyed Pete), it would be for the best to take him to the hospital.


In the emergency room, he was all smiles and grins while having his initial intake. He did not care for when the doctor examined his foot and certainly didn't like her trying to remove the remaining hair. The hair was too tight and fine to remove with tweezers, so he unfortunately had to have his toe numbed for an incision to be made down its length. This was a nerve-wracking experience for all involved. Shortly after the procedure, Will was thankfully back to smiling at the nurses before falling asleep.


We were very happy to see his toe start to go back to normal the next day, as we were told he might need to see a pediatric plastic surgeon at the children's hospital if the symptoms persisted. A week later, his toe looks much better.

Will's ordeal definitely sealed the deal that it was time for Mommy's hair to go. The next morning, I promptly went to the salon and had seventeen inches cut off, fourteen of which were suitable to donate.

Before

After