Today...well, technically Tuesday around 6 PM..., our 3rd child broke his ankle in 2 places. Really it's above his ankle, but we'll call it his ankle. We'd gone to my mom's house to celebrate her birthday. Then we stopped by an old childhood friend's house to drop off some piano books. They have 7 kids. Anyway, they have a trampoline that someone gave them in March. As we talked about how our pediatrician hates trampolines their kids begged for ours to get on. My kids, of course, love trampolines. And so, in some terrible lapse in judgement on my part (at least in retrospect), I said yes. That's when it happened. He'd been on the trampoline for less than 2 minutes.
He was a trooper through it all.
He did cry when it happened, and when he didn't shake it off and start playing again after a while I knew he might need to be checked. That involved a phone call to the aforementioned pediatrician who has warned me for years about trampolines, and I heard a lot of "I-told-you-so's" mixed in with a lot of helpful advice!
So today our 4 year old visited the ER, rode in a wheelchair, endured an oxygen tube and an i.v., had about a gazillion x-rays, and got a full leg cast (a bright cheery Christmas red) and his first experience with morphine. He'll keep the big cast for 2-3 weeks, then graduate to a partial cast. Tomorrow... uh, that would be today..., he's supposed to get crutches. How does a 4 year old manage crutches? I still carry his cup, stuffed animal of choice, and whatever other mysterious bits and pieces he needs for car trips just so he can get to the car. He's not supposed to put any weight on the leg. Pop test...what family just got rid of their last stroller?
At the hospital he'd cry, accidentally pass gas, then laugh. It happened several times. It was the craziest thing, and not something I would normally encourage as tasteful humor. At this point, however, it was the only thing that occasionally distracted him from the pain, so I wasn't about to frown at him!
When the Dr. said his leg was broken he cried. You know, toys break sometimes around our house, and sometimes...well, that's it for that toy. I think it kind of sounded too final. I had to explain that broken legs heal and get strong again. That helped him know that he'd get better and it wasn't broken for ever. I made sure after that to make sure that he knew everything that was going on. He was afraid when they said he had to have x-rays until I explained that it was just a big camera that could take a picture of his bones. He was upset about having to get a cast because he thought the kids at church might make fun of him...until I told him that it would be really cool to have them all sign it, and they might even be a little jealous that they didn't have one, too.
After several hours at the hospital, we were sent home with a new cast, instructions on follow-up care, 2 prescriptions, and a sick feeling in my stomach at the thought of the bill to come. We stopped at the only pharmacy we knew for sure was open all night (it was after midnight at this point), and it took forever. And it was a little creepy. After over an hour, we headed home with our meds and some chocolate milk. Cooper fell asleep on the way.
Finally we pulled up in the driveway. Scott was asleep, so I unlocked the door and went back to get Cooper. Sydney had been with us the whole time (she was lots of help distracting Cooper!), and she unloaded the car while I unloaded Cooper and The Cast. Scott woke up and met us at the door to help. I walked in the door with Cooper, who woke up and immediately vomited nasty chocolate milk everywhere. Sydney grabbed paper towels, handed them over, and decided it was past her bedtime. So, that left me and Scott. I dealt with Cooper and Scott cleaned up...sometimes motherhood does have its privileges!
Everyone is finally sleeping...for how long I'm not sure. I am exhausted but a little wired now. I guess I should head to bed - I'll be sleeping with Cooper tonight to make sure he's okay. I hope the three of us (me, Cooper, and The Cast) fit in the bed okay, and nobody (okay, me) gets bonked in the head with a Christmas-red cast. (Cooper is like a little tornado in the bed usually, so unless the cast weighs him down considerably, I see this as a real possibility!) If I survive, I may give an update later.
Until then, wish us luck. I think we'll need it!
2 comments:
So sorry to hear about Cooper's injury. I hope the little guy heals quickly and rests well.
And don't feel bad about the "lapse in judgment." If we didn't let kids do anything pediatricians didn't want them to do, they'd never get to be kids. Whether it's unstructured play or organized sports, there is always the risk of injury. As much as we'd like to wrap them all up in bubble wrap, life just doesn't work that way.
I broke my ankle on a trampoline when I was about 12 or 13. Didn't stop me from buying one for my kids.
He's usually treated like the "King of the world." Now we carry him around so it's all but official. :)
Every day's a risk, but best lived at full speed. So, we're already laughing and planning for the changes.
Post a Comment