I hope you can follow this, it is a bit jumbled. This is a brief story of the most scary week of my life.

Around 3:30 Tuesday afternoon my 4 year old fell off the monkey bars at my school and broke her arm and dislocated her elbow. We took her to one hospital which then transferred us to a second hospital. Once at the second hospital they were not able to get a pulse below the break. She was taken straight to surgery (this was around 9 or so that night, it is and was all a blur). We were told it could turn out bad and she might lose her arm from possible artery damage. The surgeon didnt know what he was going to find once in the operating room. They didnt have her back long and the nurse came and told us they had gotten her elbow back in place and got good color and a pulse back right away. She has 2 pins in her elbow. So, thankfully, she still has her whole arm.

We spent 2 days in the hospital (got home around noon today). She is feeling good considering all she has been through. She talks and laughs. She does keep saying, "I wish I didn't break my arm," and "I am too little to have a broken arm." It is so sad to hear her say that. She will go to the doctor next Thursday to have the pins removed and a full cast put on. She is getting tired of lying around and wants to get up and walk around. We are not letting her since she isn't in a hard cast yet. Her fingers are not as swollen today as they have been. Yesterday they were so swollen that you couldn't see any creases on the back of her knuckles and they were smooth and shiny. Today we can see some of the creases and she can wiggle them a lot better.

When we were told at the first hospital that we were going to have to be moved we wanted a specific hospital. A children's hospital that would have a pediatric orthopedist. Well, the orthopedic doctor at the hospital we wanted to go to told us to take her home for the night and bring her to their clinic in the morning. I said no way!! I had no way to help her at home and the injury was terrible. The hospital we ended up at had already said we could come. She was transferred by ambulance to the second hospital. Once there they noticed that her hand was purple colored and she had no pulse below the break. The orthopedic doctor came in and said surgery was needed right away and she might could lose her arm. I keep thinking now, "What if we had gone home?". She would have lost her arm. It is such a scary thought. I just can't picture my little girl with only one arm.

This has been such a scary week. Tuesday (the day she got hurt) was her last day of pre-school. She was supposed to have a cap and gown graduation yesterday morning. It will be a scary week ahead as well. My oldest came in the house and told Skylar that there is new nest in one of the bluebird boxes. She wanted to get up and go see. I offered to take a picture and show her but she said she wanted to see it up close.

Please pray for continued healing.

Jessica
Saline, LA (North central Louisiana)

Jessica,
That does sound scary. I'm glad your daughter is doing better now and hope she recovers soon.

Priya
Zone 7, Maryland

It's amazing how sometimes the people we are counting on can be so inept. My nephew broke both bones in his arm out of place. It was necessary to put him under to set the breaks. When he came to screaming in pain they looked at my sister and asked her if she had anything to give him for pain. The orthopedist had already left before he woke up. The plan was to give him tylenol by mouth.

Joan Garvey - Metairie, LA Zone 9

Jessica,
I have been where you were and can totally relate to what you have gone through. I won't go into details but I was actually sent home by the ER doctor as I was getting a little eradic...enough said on that note. I will definitely keep Skyler and the rest of you in my thoughts and prayers for as speedy recovery as possible. She is a very lucky little girls and one day you will look back on this incident and have quite a story to tell.

Penny
Niagara Falls, NY
USDA zone 6a/6b
Heat zone 4
Sunset zone 39

Jessica,

Happy Mother's Day! You DESERVE the accolades. What's that old saying


MOTHER KNOWS BEST"!!

Pam NJ 6B

I have been where you are more than once. Unfortunately way too many people have. I have come to the conclusion that each of us MUST be our own advocate for health care. Just Tuesday I received what I thought to be a serious cat bite. A nurse at my clinic who did not know me said they were full!! I requested she just ask my doctor if I should start an antibiotic. She was so reluctant to do even that. Just kept telling me to come in the next day. I told her I had "cat bite fever" before and knew what I needed. After much bantering she asked my doctor. His response was "come in now!" Five stitches and antibiotics. Now go figure!! Happy you did the right thing with your daughter. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Kay
Zone 3b
Poynette, Wi.

Jessica,
Prayers and good energy to you and your little girl. Not the Mother's Day you intended, I'm sure. Thank Heaven they heal so fast at that age. Wishing you a calm Mother's day and a speedy recovery for your little one.

Jessica....you did an awesome job as mom! God gave mom's instincts for a darned good reason. Praying she makes a really fast recovery. Can I make a possibly silly sounding suggestion to you? Knowing that little kids think kind of whacked sometimes, you might watch for an opening to make a point of telling the little one something like, "and it will be so nice when it is all healed up again and good as new." A little kid hearing "broke" could picture something like a broken stick or toy that couldn't ever be put back together....that's the "broke" they've seen before after all. It might help to remind her that her body, unlike a stick, heals up. Just a thought.
dell

Thanks to everyone for the prayers and thoughts. She is doing vert good. She was able to get up today with minimal pain in the morning an seemed like none this evening. We got out an old big baby stroller and used it as a wheel chair for her to ride in across the road the her grandparents' house. She has been wanting to go there all day. After leaving there my husband took her on a walk and pushed her around in the stroller. She had a very good evening.

Dell,thanks for the idea. I will have to remember this when I am talking with her about her arm.

Jessica
Saline, LA (North central Louisiana)

Awww the poor little girl. Will keep you both in my prayers.