Labor Day 2011: A different kind of break

Yesterday's break from work turned into a different sort. 


Rowan was trying to dismount his bike yesterday morning and took a spill. I thought he had probably scraped his knees or elbow. Then I saw his left arm and the strange bend just above his wrist. My adrenaline took over and I hustled Rowan and my dad into the car so we could get to Children's Healthcare asap. 


He cried when it first happened but was easily soothed. He said his arm did not hurt. He was quiet for the whole ride to the emergency room.


By the time we had checked in at front desk Jeremy had arrived. Rowan was still cool and collected. He talked with the triage nurse and didn't seem too upset by anything until she suggested that he ride in a wheelchair to our room. He started to get a little nervous at that point so Jeremy carried him. The nurse said it was okay; she thought he would think the wheelchair was fun.


We got to Room 24 and within minutes were headed to x-ray. Still no crying from Mr. Brave. He keeps telling us that his arm is okay and that it's not broken. They check his vital signs and everything is great.


The orthopaedist said that there was a hairline fracture in the radius and his ulna was just sort of bent. Kids' bones are rubbery (thank goodness!) so the injury was not as bad as it would have been for an older kid or an adult. The angle of the break was just at the upper limit of normal so the ortho decided to set the bones. He said that they would probably heal just fine on their own but he wanted to be on the safe side.


They had to sedate him for the reduction. Which means they had to insert an IV, hook him up to heart and lung monitors, and have oxygen ready. Rowan was awesome during the prep process. He was fine with the IV and the "robot buttons" (electrodes). The whole time he was talking with us and the medical staff. They were very impressed with his attitude and humor. Several of them remarked how brave he was. 


When they injected the sedative into his IV it burned and he started to cry for the first time since he first fell. After about 5 seconds he was out. The ortho worked fast to set his bones and wrap his arm in a splint. The whole process took maybe 15 minutes.


He woke up shortly after that after some foot tickling and head rubbing. The first thing he said was "Why did that man put that milk in my hand? It was hot." (Propofol, the sedative they used, is white.) We were on our way home about 30 minutes later. 


We will go to see another ortho next week for Rowan's hard cast. He'll have to wear it 2 or 3 weeks.  He may end up with a removable hard cast or the traditional sort. I hope it's the removable kind. I can't begin to imagine how we are going to be able to keep his left hand clean for the next month.


This Labor Day weekend will definitely be one to remember!