The First Broken Bone!

Duane and I both knew that the day would come when one of the kids would end up with a broken bone. When we the last appointment with Dr. Albers, our pediatric orthopedist, when Molly had congenital hip dysplasia when she was a baby, we joked that it probably wouldn't be the last time that we'd be in that office. And we were right. Earlier this week Duane and I divided and conquered as we do so many times. I went to an exercise class and he took the girls to Madison's soccer training. They played at the playground while Madison was at training. This past spring Molly was so proud because she finally mastered the monkey bars. She was showing her skills when she lost her grip and fell. She landed on her arm. She cried a little and complained that it hurt. But she could bend it and it didn't look swollen. She woke up that night in tears. So Duane gave her some ice and some Motrin. That seemed to do the trick. So we sent her to school the next morning, still thinking it was probably just bruised. That evening she was really complaining of pain. So I decided to take her to Children's to have it x-rayed after Duane got home from work. In the mean time Madison and I had a blow up because she forgot her homework and her coat at school for the third time in two weeks, Duane had a flat tire on the way home from work and I discovered that the toilet overflowed "again", only this time it damaged the ceiling in laundry room. I was at the end of my rope and was ready to hang myself with what was left of it! Finally Molly and I headed Children's. I was still convinced that it couldn't be broken, but I had to confirm it. It was a two hour wait and the waiting room was packed with every kind of flu and infection you could think of. We came with a sore wrist and I dreaded what we would leave it. But it's these times that you have to really appreciate the kindness of others. After 30 minutes the x-ray tech came out and took us back for x-rays, bumping us way ahead of all the sick cases. She said she couldn't stand the idea of a healthy kids being exposed to all that sickness. I was so grateful! They took the x-rays and sure enough, it that sweet, little wrist was fractured in 2 places. I couldn't believe it. Of course even though I probably handled it like most mothers would have, I felt terribly guilty for not bringing her sooner. The doctor assured me that I did every thing. I just couldn't believe how tough she was! They splinted her wrist and we made an appointment with the orthopedist for a few days later. She rarely complained of being in pain. It was a challenge keeping it dry during showers but we managed with a little creativity. Plastic wrap and a plastic grocery bag worked nicely:) We decided on a hot pink water proof cast. It was a little extra for the water proof cast, but it was well worth it! The doctor said they were minor fracture and she only needs to keep the cast on for 3 weeks. Even though we wish that Molly wouldn't have gotten hurt, we were very lucky. She should be as good as new in a few weeks. It takes a lot to keep our Molly girl down! This was just a bump in the road for her thank goodness!