Trevor and I have five kids (the oldest being 13) and have never had a kid with a broken arm.
Until now.
A week ago if I had to guess which kid would break an arm first Cole would have been the last on my list. He is quiet and careful, and not a dare-devil. AT ALL.
Sunday morning this was Cole's arm.
Right above the elbow. He fell off the top bunk of the bunk bed. He does not sleep there (someone at the hospital asked me that) he was just playing up there.
We rushed out the door with him to go to the ER at the new Riverton hospital that is right down the street. We told Miquelle to call the primary president and let her know that we might not be there for church. (I'm in the primary presidency and Trevor is the music leader.) I really thought that his elbow was just out of socket and they would just need to *pop* it back in. Turns out the reason that his elbow was a couple of inches from where it should be was because his humerus was fractured right above his elbow. They said we needed to go up to Primary Children's and have it looked at by an orthopedic surgeon.
I called Miquelle and told her to please call the primary president again and tell her we weren't going to make it. I found out today that she did not get either message until after church.
A word (or a few) about the people that work at Primary Children's. I have heard sensational stories about the people that work there. I *knew* that they were amazing but I didn't really KNOW.
Until now.
Every person that we interacted with at Primary Children's was amazing. He surgeon and other doctors, the nurses and techs. They all made us feel comfortable (as much as possible) and were so SO good with Cole. He did not want to be touched at all! They were so sweet and careful and gentle with him. I cannot praise them enough.
Handing my sleeping (drugged) child over to a surgeon and watching her carry him into the OR ranks way up there on the list of hard things I have had to do as a parent. They were anxious to get him into surgery quickly because they had not been able to find a pulse on that hand. Two and a half hours and three pins and numerous stitches later he was out of surgery.
This was Cole's arm sunday night.
Enjoying his post surgery popsicle.
They wanted to keep him overnight so they could doppler his pulse every hour and have him wiggle his fingers every hour. Every. hour. all. night. long.
The first couple of days home were rough. He was in a lot of pain but hated the taste of the oxycodone that they gave him. I had to bribe him with cookies to even take it. C'mon kid, don't you know people knock off pharmacies everyday to get this stuff?? Yesterday and today have been so much better. He has only needed Motrin and has been moving around and playing so much more. He is such a trooper.
He will be in a splint and sling until next tuesday and then in a cast for three weeks after that.
Before I go....
A word (or a few) about parent's who spend countless hours at Primary Children's or take care of sick children on a daily basis.
They are the strongest people in the world.
