wow i did not think i'd have to deal with this so soon. my almost-5 year old (meaning - HE'S ONLY FOUR!!) fell off the top of a swingset (the ones with the little clubhouse platform) and landed face-and-arm-first and snapped his arm cleanly in two. thankfully for a break it's as good as it gets really.
but that's the only good news of course. we have been up all night, after spending all evening in the ER...today we go for a real cast, right now he has it in a splint. he isn't sleeping because the hydrocodone tastes terrible and he is having a hard time taking it. we had to take a shower last night because he was covered in dirt (from playing outside all afternoon, it was literally 5 minutes before i would have called him in for dinner) :( luckily we have a removable shower head, so showers won't be so bad. but i am wondering is there anything else i am not prepared for? (besides the guilt and fear and killing myself over "i shoulda's") you see kids with broken bones all the time - NO ONE tells you what torture it is on the mom and dad too. we are stressed and worried and of course feel terrible. i guess no trip to the ER is fun. but hearing him moaning and crying in such pain like that was a nightmare.
anyway....i am still shell shocked and sleep deprived so i hope this makes sense. what i'm asking is, what should i prepare myself for? he is almost 5 so not a baby, but also not big enough to make this too easy, i'm thinking. poor kid. just want to make it as easy on him as possible. although i don't think i can really do that too much. just one of those things, right? thanks mamas. just feeling frazzled this morning...
They have waterproof casts these days that make it much easier for kids. Relax, he'll be ok! Baby him today after he gets it put on - them move on. By tomorrow he'll be used to it and it shouldn't slow him down one bit.
I was barely 5 when I broke my arm (snapped the humerus falling off the monkey bars)... I had a full arm cast and couldn't lay my arm across my chest, like in a sling... it was summer and I had to prop it up with pillows at night. MISERABLE. AND I'm right handed, so I needed help going to the bathroom.
Otherwise, I loved having a cool story to tell at school ;)
Poor little dude!! You'll BOTH be okay, I promise :) I'd make sure you have some favorite movies on hand, and puzzles and games. You really don't want him running around too much the first 2 weeks or so... one, if he knocks it into something, it's going to hurt like hell and he could re-injure himself, and two, if he's anything like me, he's going to damage that cast (I literally whittled holes in the side to scratch my arm when it itched... and it does itch like crazy!)
Keep him cool to avoid itching, and don't let him put ANYTHING up his cast!! (My favorite was crayons, small GI Joes, and a coat hanger to scratch with, LOL)... he'll probably get a cast that can't get wet, so he'll have to take baths. You CAN buy a cast cover, but save your money; use trash bags and rubber bands to cover it tightly while he bathes.
Other than that, just chalk it up to a life experience and realize that this probably isn't the last!! You'll laugh about this in years ahead :) I hope the little man feels better soon!! :)
first off, no horseplay, if he rebreaks his arm, it will not heal right. PERIOD
my left arm was broken the first time in a car accident at ten, then it was rebroken , thirty odd years later it is reformed to the point where i have a tough time doing every day things with it. dont let this happen to your kid. insist that the doctors do regular bone scans to make sure it is healing correctly, do not rebreak it, have the child take in as much calcium rich foods as you can, open up a dairy if you have to. dont beat yourself up about it.
K. h.
You are a great mom! I know it is hard to see your kids hurt. Once they get him in a regular cast you wont even know anything happened. If you think about it though, ask for a waterproof cast. They are a little more expensive but worth their weight in gold if he will be in a cast more than 2 weeks.
We have had 4 broken bones in this house--and only two children. Accidents happen. Dont be hard on yourself. There is nothing you could have done to prevent it.
My son broke his arm last summer right after he turned 4. After the first day or so, you'll be surprised - he'll be running around like normal and won't feel a bit of pain. My son took the medicine for pain for about 24 hours and then didn't need it. He had a broken elbow. You'll all be fine!
have him wear a buttoned shirt....those tshirts are really difficult to manuever. Elastic waist shorts & pants, too! & beware: his aim may not be the greatest in the bathroom....
If you're lucky, he'll be given a waterproof cast....they're the greatest, but not applicable in all cases.
Just treat the whole event....matter of fact....a few special treats & that's it...& all will go well. Don't cater to him, don't spoil him rotten....or you'll pay the price later on. & by taking this all in stride, you will teach him very important life skills.....how to cope with an emergency or medical need without drama! Peace.....
Just take it day by day. They come through it fine and I do think it's harder on the parents in some ways. I went through it just once and I too dealt with guilt. It was the first time we ever let the kids outside without us and she had only been out there for 10 minutes. I thought they were ready. They were 10, 8, and 5 and we had a fully fenced in backyard and we didn't even have equipment. She tried to climb a tree which was clearly against my rules. I was so upset and took it as a strong warning about the things that can happen when I'm not present. So it was 2 MORE years before we let them try it again.
Ugh, been there. My oldest was 4 when he broke his little finger by slamming in the sliding glass door. OUch! The shocker came when we were referred to a pediatric ortho, his break was so bad it required surgery. The middle bone had snapped and turned wrapping up the tendon. Geez. Well, guess what? Three months later? He broke his arm on the same side! Fell on the curb and didn't catch himself with his hand b/c he was still favoring his pinky so fell on his arm instead. No surgery this time just a cute little cast that he pulled off three weeks later himself. Why? Because it smelled bad he said! I can laugh about it now! Kids heal fast and it will be fine before you know it! Ahhh, boys!
My daughter (6) broke her elbow at Disney Magic Kingdom on Dec 13, and had to wear a cast until just after Valentine's Day! The ER only put a splint on, and told us that we had to go to a pediatric ortho....and they kept stressing that we needed to see a PEDIATRIC ortho who would monitor her "growth plates" etc. during the healing process. At Walgreens in the medical supply dept they have bags to slip over , put a Velcro band around, fold down and put another Velcro band around....it helped to keep it dry during bathing, but it wasn't perfect, so I would wrap the top in Glad press and seal wrap before bagging it, and that way any moisture that worked it's way in didn't run down inside the cast. Definitely button down shirts....a little oversized, my daughter's whole arm was in a cast bent at 45* at the elbow......so t shirts only worked if they were really oversized...I would put them over the cast first, push it all the way up, pull it over her head and then she could maneuver the other arm in. Definately elastic waist pants....she wore navy sweats or jumpers to school rather than her side button skirts, and spent a lot of time at home in jammy pants or sweats or leggings. My daughter has a really tall loft bed, and at first we kept her out of it. Once she adapted to life with a cast and seemed to be getting around pretty well, she did start sleeping in it again. One morning, I got her up for school, she came down with no problem, ate breakfast, and while I was putting together her school uniform, she ran back up into the bed looking for a particular stuffed animal. She couldn't find who she was looking for so she settled on a "special" build a bear that has long silky hair, not wanting to mess it up with her cast, she decided to hold it in her good arm, and use the caster arm to hang on as she climbed out and down. Well, she fell, cracked her head on a tv cabinet and split it wide open! At the ER, she ended up with 3 staples in the back of her head. We coudln't wash her hair for a couple of days...yuck! Talk about uncomfortable, they had several people ask her what happened, and wouldn't let me talk! Good luck with your little one! You'll be amazed at how fast they adapt!
So your kiddo has a broken arm. There is nothing you could have done. These are tough lessons for kids to learn, but better a broken arm then something else. This is how we teach them to be careful and watch where they are going. Hopefully he will have learned a lesson from this experience.
Give him a few days and I am sure he will be right back to his normal self.
.
Im sorry to hear about that. My son was 6 years old. Same thing, fell off our jungle jump and landed on ground/mowstrip. He has sensory intergration so I didn't hear the screaming. He went out side for about 5 mintues. I was inside changing a diaper. He said holdign his arm mom I think I hurt my arm. I can since the pain in his face. I said let me look at it. I was the one screaming. Oh my god. You broke your arm. He broke in two places. left arm... But yes they do have water casts. But we normally just rap it in plastic bag. have him place his arm on the side of the bath tub.. they have a air cover for it for baths also you can buy at the drug store. But you should be getting it set today or tomorrow. They like for the swelling to go down before you cast it.
AHHHHH I feeeel your pain. My daughter "hurt" her arm last wednesday at soccer practice (she is 6). Except she was not complaining or anything (until bedtime!) so I was going to wait until thurs morning to take her to our ped. But the next day she was running around playing and was FINE so I was in no hurry to take her in. She colored, drew, and painted all day thurs. Fri was back at soccer, sat went swimming, etc. I kept asking her if her arm was ok and she said it hurt a little but was feeling better. But never ever complaining. Sunday I noticed bruising and swelling and she could not fully extend her arm. Took her to the Ped on Monday morning. He said he was pretty sure it was not broken because if it was she should be screaming but sent us for Xray just in case. Tech said she is probably fine. 2 hours later I got a call that she has a small incomplete fracture!!!! I felt (feel) like the WORST mother of all time. My kid had a break for 5 days! Anyway we found this awesome bag at rite aid for showering. It works wonderful. Now if only I can keep her mellow until we get that cast off. Oh Yeah and she starts 1st grade on Monday! Oh and the doc said to give benedryl if she gets itchy. DO NOT try to scratch with anything. It can get infected and require surgery.
Aww, I feel for you honey. I'm sorry for what happened, but as someone else on here said, better a broken bone than "something else." You're a good parent for being worried and feeling guilty, but it was out of your hands. What were you supposed to do, prohibit your child from having fun? Nope. Your kid is going to go through lots of cuts, bruises, scrapes and such, but just let him have his fun and just make sure to take care of him as best as you can. :)
