That is the arm Gunnar broke, falling off the monkey bars.Three. Days. Ago.
Yes, a conscientious mom would've been "on" it. But "Zena, Queen of the Testosterzone", said, "Oh, honey, it'll feel better in a little while."
To be fair, we were a bit distracted by the blood pouring from his nose... which was ultimately easier to treat. And there was no visible swelling or bruising. (Maybe I'm not a completely negligent mom.)
So, here we are, after x-rays and a doctor visit, on our way to soccer practice. (Yes, our Doc approved.) Gunnar loves his brace. He calls it a cast. It probably feels a lot better to have the wrist immobilized.
If you're a medical-type person, you may have figured out the somewhat obscure title to this post. That is Gunnar's somewhat mangled description of a "Distal Radial Buckle Fracture". Fortunately, a very minor break.When our Doc popped out with "Distal Radial Buckle Fracture" I had a brief moment of suspicion that this was an invented term doctors use to A) Sound impressive and wise, and B) Placate the Mom before sending everyone home with a lollipop and a pat on the head. But, on Googling it, I read this:
* This x-ray shows a "buckle" or "Torus" fracture of the radius (forearm).
* This fracture is most common in children between the ages of 5 and 11.
* Typically, the child reports having fallen onto his or her outstretched hand.
* The main
clue to diagnosis is pain that persists longer than a couple hours, especially if the child does not want to use the arm.Yep. We were four for four. (And I thought he just didn't want to do his schoolwork.)
Thank God for modern medicine, bodies that heal, and an injury that didn't involve a growth plate!
9 comments:
We had a moment like this a couple of weeks ago. A friend was over and her son injured his ankle on our stairs. She thought he was hamming it up for attention (due to no swelling or bruising) and instead he ended up in a cast! Poor dears.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read my appeal letter and for the kind words in response. I sincerely hope that someone "out there" who is going through a similar process will find this and be able to put it to use. I spent hours on it after all!
Best!
So sorry to hear about Gunnar's bucket fraction. The girl's say hi and they hope his arm doesn;t hurt. We are all thinking of him and hope he heels quickly. If it makes you feel any better our friend (boy age 7) just did the same thing falling down his stairs. I am glad Gunnar got a brace so he can scratch his itches and he can still take a bath. Also, as I work in a place where there are many children with potential for injury, radial distal fracture are one of the most common we see. Childrens bones will bend as far as they can before they actually break. Speedy healing to you Gunnar, I know how you feel, but it gets better...my broken ankle is better than ever now.
Hope you feel better soon Gunnar, the girls say HI and they hope your arm doesn't hurt anymore. We have a friend (boy age 7) who just did the same thing falling down his stairs. We see these at the gym, kids bones are amazing, they bend as far as they can before they break. Glad you don't have a cast and glad you can still play soccer. You must be one crazy monkey on those monkey bars.
Oh Julie, this story of the broken bone cracked me up. When I was 8, I broke my hand sledding, but my dad INSISTED that "a good night's sleep will make it all better" and refused to listen to my complaints. It 2 days of my non-stop complaining, and then a full fledged tantrum in the public library that was a block from the local ER to finally get my mom to concede that I could be checked by a doctor. Sure enough, broken hand.
Ahhh the things we do to our kids will leave them laughing and in therapy for years! :)
Ryan,
Sorry I didn't explain about 'comment moderation'. I deleted one of your comments... because I know you didn't mean to leave three :0)
Ambulance Mommy,
Great story! Maybe that's why you do what you do :0) I have often told Gunnar that I think he would be good in the medical field. He notices details and he's very compassionate.
He's really doing quite well... in spite of me.
Hi Sweet Gunnar, I hope your arm gets to feeling better real soon. I was so happy to see you in your soccer uniform! Way to Go! :)
Hugs, Ann Marie
I love your sense of humor through these things- mothers of boys definitely need a sense of humor!
My brother-in-law broke his arm when he was four (his humerus) and they didn't know it for four or five days! My mother in law felt really bad about it, but there wasn't much evidence other than a little complaining that his arm was aching!
Moms do these types of things because we know our kids! I had a student last year fall on the playground, didn't think much of it, then a week later came to school with a cast! I felt horrible, but her mom felt worse because she continued to make her go to gymnastics! I'm sure Gunnar appreciates the attention he's getting with his "cast"! ; ) BTW - what a great name!
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