Just What the Doctor Ordered

I didn't think I'd fill up the "injuries" label on my blog so quickly!

One week and one day after C.'s stitches R. broke his left arm, the radius, at lunch recess on Monday. He fell off the monkey bars and landed on his hand. I almost didn't want to get his arm x-rayed because it's hard to tell if he's just being passionate. Dramatic reactions to injuries are R.'s forte. Do I take him in? Is he just being dramatic about the whole thing? Hard to tell. The school nurse told me he was crying for 30 minutes solid and didn't even notice that his elbow was bloody. So I decided to buy into the idea that maybe the drama was justified. And sure enough it was. So the fracture is called a green stick or slight taurus fracture because the bone bent, but did not crack. Wouldn't a gory picture go nicely here!?!

Ooh, the image of Dr. Pratt's leg with someone else's bone sticking out of it just came to mind. That was so unnecessary, ER writers!

The doctor said if he fell the same way at age 13, the bone would have definitely broken. Apparently young growing bones are harder to break or something. Either way, R.'s arm didn't need to be set so he has a fiberglass splint + ACE bandage instead of a cast with a sling. After the splint went on and the pain meds kicked in, R. was so excited about it all. He kept warning us that he'd bonk us on the head with his arm if he had to. His funny bone is intact for sure. He was the most popular kid in school today. (Does anyone else have memories of being totally jealous of the kid with the cast in elementary school? No jealousy from Dave, I'm sure.)

A big thanks to the lovely Mollie for being my emergency contact! I owe you one.