our 10 year old broke his arm :: how to parent this scene :: waterproof cast cover

I wish I could say this was our first broken bone for our crew, but if we are keeping track it’s #3…and #4. Jack fell off his Penny Board and broke two bones in his arm. It’s so hard to see your child in pain. You would trade places with them if you could.

We had just finished dinner as a family and the kids were in the backyard with my husband. I could hear the basketball being dribbled, giggles from Charlie running around, and then a very worried voice gasping “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!” I knew it wasn’t good. I ran outside and I didn’t need an x-ray machine to tell me Jack’s arm was broken.

Be a Team

Since this wasn’t our first broken bone rodeo, we kind of went into auto pilot. Worried glances were exchanged, but we knew we needed to get him to the ER and didn’t want to alarm Jack. We grabbed ice first and gave him pain medication as soon as possible. There’s always an element of shock that the kids go through. I saw his face go pale and we sat him down, drank some water, and re-grouped before we made our way to the emergency room. Jack was so tough! He wasn’t crying, but I think he was in too much pain to cry.

In past experiences we divided and conquered. One stays home with the other kids and one does the ER run. This time was different. Jack was going into shock quickly because it was a bad break. So we all piled in the car and I sat with Jack in the back seat. I was ready with a barf bag, I held the ice on his arm, and propped some blankets the best I could to keep him comfortable. I had enough sense to grab my purse and a phone charger. You never know how long these things can take. It was 7:30 pm….I’ll reveal our discharge time later.

I try to keep a check on reality. This wasn’t a life threatening situation. It was a giant bummer, but we were all going to live to tell about it. I’m a firm believer that your kids will follow your lead. We were calm and so was Jack despite his pain. The other two kids were a great help too. They followed every instruction we gave them and their prompt obedience was much appreciated so we could focus on Jack.

Don’t Get Entitled

This is a hard one at the ER. You are there because it’s an EMERGENCY and nothing seems like it moves very urgently. We always do our very best to be polite, firm if we need to be, and appreciative of those helping us. Don’t side eye everyone else in the waiting room judging if their condition should be checked after yours. Even the grumpiest of nurses will respond to your good attitude. Thankfully we didn’t have any issues this visit. Our turn to be called back was a very long 30 minutes, but once the x-ray was done and the severity of the bone break was discovered, we felt like we were properly prioritized.

Stay Calm

I sometimes overthink compliments. A few hospital workers told us we were the calmest parents they had ever seen. I then worry that I’m not advocating enough for my child. Do I need to get demanding? I’m not a doctor and I really just want to stand back and let them do their job. I’m crying on the inside and pained by each tear from my child, but I want to let the people that can help him get on with what needs to be done. Use your discernment, but stay calm.

Setting the Bone

Jack’s arm needed to be set. I actually was spared from this scene. I ran the younger kids home so grandma could watch them. They tried numbing his arm and setting it when he was awake. It sounds so cruel, but they told us that the sedation had it’s own side effects. Sadly, the setting was not successful. When I returned to the ER I was met by a weary faced husband. I can’t really speak because I wasn’t there, but my husband said that even though it was so awful, he understood why they tried.

Jack was sedated and they got his arm set the best they could. Then it really got interesting. The sedation side effects are no joke. I brought a nice kid to the hospital and I when I returned he was screaming in a scary voice, “help me, get me out of here!” He was kicking nurses. He even tried to jump out of his bed during the mobile x-ray. The techs had to leave the room to click the picture. Our sweet doctors and nurses dove on Jack to keep him safe from himself when he suddenly woke up and tried to bolt.

It was hard not to be next to him, but they assured me he didn’t know what was going on and wouldn’t know me. They had to have us leave his room and shut the sliding glass doors because he was scaring other patients. After the Incredible Hulk settled down, there was a very funny Jack spouting out random trivia. We got to rejoin him and he was cracking us up. “And that’s why you don’t do drugs!” he said. There was also double vision from the medication, nausea, hot flashes, and the list goes on. We were not cleared to leave til nearly 2 am. Of course I appreciate their caution and expertise, but I do get why they avoid sedation due to side effects.

Count Your Blessings

It was a horrible ordeal and I hope you can be one of those lucky parents that never has to deal with a broken bone. We were so thankful for the great staff at our hospital. We have a few friends that work in the ER who encouraged us. Jack’s last nurse was a parent from our school and he was amazing. While we are bummed we will start the first 8 weeks of our summer and a trip to Disneyland working around a large cast, we are making the most of it.

I’m obnoxiously efficient sometimes. I ordered THIS shower cover from Amazon (pictured above) from the ER. It worked great 5 years ago and our Memorial Day pool party was rescued when it arrived just in time. I prefer he doesn’t’ fully submerge his arm, but so far it has kept his cast dry the last 2 times we went swimming.

We had a follow up appointment a week after the skate board fall. When the x-ray was pulled up on the screen I said, “oh, is that the x-ray from the night he broke it?” The assistant gave me a hesitant look and said it was the current x-ray we just had done. I was instantly worried it was going to need surgery or they would try to reset it. However, after an opinion from the orthopedic doctor and the surgeon they agreed it will model itself and straighten on it’s own. His age is a saving factor. If he was older it would be a trip to the operating room. So we are thankful yet again that it’s going to heal. Of course we have multiple follow up appointments, but things are looking good.

HERE is a vlog Jack made about his experience. I hope you don’t need to buy anyone the Broken Bone Story shirt, but if you do… HERE is the link. 🙂 It’s good to have a sense of humor about these things. Jack’s spirits have been great.

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