30 minutes after we arrived at Black Rock for our weekend vacation, N fell off the monkey bars. He was at a nearby playground with Poppa and came back to the cabin whimpering and whining. I asked him to go wash off and then he went back to his room and just laid on his bed, moaning.
I thought he was being melodramatic. Life with boys involves falls, bruises, and bumps. His arm/s weren't swelling, there was no bruising, etc. We went fishing an hour later and, at first, he wouldn't hold his rod, he just watched (also unusual) but, later, he would hold it (but needed helping casting). He kind of perked up for hot dog roasting and marshmallows but I went back and forth all evening about taking him in.
He was up at 6 a.m. on Saturday and his left arm was swollen and bruised. Handsome was at home getting ready for a tournament and he looked online and found me a local ER. So, at 7:30 in the morning, we headed down the mountain. God really blessed us; the entire time we were there there was NO ONE else in the ER. When the dr came in, he told N, "Show me your hurt hand." N held up his RIGHT hand and I corrected, "No, baby, show him the swollen one." He said, "Well, they BOTH hurt but this one (left) hurts more)."
I was stunned when the dr came in and said he had two green stick breaks on his radius and ulna. We went the following Monday to CHOA to get it casted. Once again, he mentioned his right hand also hurting. The next day, we were at LBC and N got knocked over. He began to scream--so LOUD--so HARD--I went running in thinking it was his broken arm. He was clutching his RIGHT (non-casted) hand. I kept thinking, "It's just jammed"--it wasn't swollen or bruised at all! And he could write/play piano/eat/brush teeth/etc.
This morning, he was playing with his brothers on trampoline and, once again, I hear him shrieking. Once again, he is clutching the RIGHT, non-casted hand. I am literally sick to my stomach. He is in tremendous pain and we get ice and he sits on the couch. I call CHOA's Ortho, Hemophilia Clinic, my pediatrician....my gut says "Something is WRONG!" but my brain was saying "How in the world?"
We ended up at a different location of CHOA Ortho this afternoon. At first, there was some confusion. They thought we were there to have the casted arm x-rayed. :) I kept explaining that we needed the other arm looked at. Within 20 minutes of our x-ray, the Doctor came in and explained that (apparently, all this time!) the right was BROKEN TOO!! A buckle break.
I could not help it. I started laughing. I feel terribly bad for my boy but it just seemed incredible that one small fall from the monkey bars should break both bones with little to no bruising (in my non clotter) and that we would go TEN DAYS without having one looked at. Apparently, that break is one where, unless it is hit or turned the right way, a child can operate normally.
Homeschooling my sweet one just got a lot harder. I am thankful the weather is cooler and N has been such a good sport about it. But this is going to be hard and, lately, lots of things feel hard. One day at a time.
One of the things that I have always worried about is that he would break his arm, bleed excessively and that I would freak out while rushing him to CHOA. As it turned out, he broke BOTH arms and I did not realize it immediately (not even immediately...10 days later!!!)
I remain so thankful that God is with my children. There is no way I can protect them enough.
