We haven’t gone for a family walk in years, it used to be something we did all the time – but not so much anymore. A few weeks ago, we decided to go for one. We headed out, on foot and sans technology to a local park, about a mile from home. The kids were having a blast, running ahead and back, laughing, not fighting with each other! My husband and I were taking our time, it really was a beautiful night!
The kids get to the park a minute before us, and run straight to the monkey bars (the favorite). As Mike and I are walking down the path, we see Alex jump up to grab the first bar, miss and falls. When he stands up, he has tears in his eyes and he comes walking towards us. Before the words were out of his mouth, I already knew what he was going to say. “Mom, I broke my arm again,” he cried as he collapsed into my lap. I wasn’t quite sure what to do, at first, we were over a mile from home with no phones. “RUN,” I turned to my husband and yelled, and he did!
It was a bit of an adventure getting Alex from the playground to the street, and to keep him awake. Promises of new video games and special treats were made. His brothers were fantastically well behaved while we waited for daddy to get back with the car. He made great time, about 20 minutes later, he pulled up, dropped the brothers and mom off at home and headed to the ER with Alex. It was a slightly different break than last time (My Broken Boy) and required IV’s and his oxygen level was a little low, I think from the hyperventilating he was doing. But, 6 hours later the bone was set and home he came.
Later that next week we met with the Orthopedic doctor and got a cast, but because he broke it before (and, not that long ago), a full cast wasn’t an option for the whole time this time. So, about 2 weeks later we went in and Alex got a special brace made just for him. The cool part about the brace is that he can swim in it! Which makes it easier better to have a broken arm in the summer time!
He’s about half way through the healing process now, and he is a champ! If he keeps following the rules until early September, he will be able to only wear his brace part time after school starts (he will have to wear it during any sort of rough play or activity, but not around the classroom)! He’s pretty excited about that!
The fact that he broke his same arm, in the same place 1 1/2 years apart doing the same thing is a total fluke. His arm isn’t weaker or more susceptible because it broke before, it’s all about the way he fell. We’re hoping this is the last one…but he keeps talking about getting back on the monkey bars….
When you break your arm, and have to wait 20 minutes at the park for a ride, you get Ice Cream the next day!
A new blue cast, because blue makes him feel happy!
The brace! Yes, his arm is still a little wiggly looking, it will straighten over time.
It was only 62*F this day, but he didn’t care, after 3 weeks of a cast – he was finally able to swim!
So sorry to read Alex broke the same arm doing the same thing. Praying it will heal quickly and be even stronger than before. One of my son’s also broke same arm twice (he’s in his 50’s now), once when we were stationed in Asmara Ethiopia with the military, Johnny tried jumping from a tall tree to the roof of the church. When he got up, just about where Alex has the curve in his arm, Johnny’s was broken and the curve just hanging down. I grabbed my purse and slid it under his arm. At the military hospital the doctor did something unusual. Kids used to play with the little oblong tubes that you put yours and someone else’s finger in and pull, which tightens it. Dr used same things, putting one on each finger (not thumb) and hooking them to a U-shaped hook which he attached to the place where thy hang the i.v. bag. He had already hung a pail on Johnny’s arm right at the elbow. Then he started pouring water in the pail until the arm was stretched out. My husband turned white and had to quickly leave the room before he fainted. Believe it or not that method worked and as they used a portable x-ray device, the bones lined up perfectly.
A couple of years later, back in the States he wad doing hanging over the top rail on some steps, did a somersault and broke it again, this time as the wrist. And a few years later, a third break. Recovered fine from those, but like Alex, was determined to go swimming in the hotel pool. I used numerous plastic trash bags to wrap the cast taped it at the top so no water could go in and let him go swimming. I learned that when I had broken my elbow and had a fingertip to armpit curved cast, that the same trash bags method worked very well so I could take showers. Hope you never have to resort to that though.
God bless you and your family, and keep them healthy and happy.
with prayers, Dotty
Thanks for sharing your story Dotty! I had a friend tell me a similar story about how they straightened his arm with weights when he broke it many years ago, he’s also in his 50’s – so that must have been the way! Sounded like torture to me when it was being described! We used bread bags and Glad press and seal wrap (it sticks to the cast!) for the couple of weeks he had one on, but I didn’t let him swim with it! Have a great day!