Christmas night at Papa & Nana's house, he fell down the stairs. He cried and acted like it hurt, but obviously we didn't think it was bad enough to get checked out. That night he woke at midnight with pain again, but went back to sleep fine. The next day we noticed he babied it some, but played, ran, acted fine.
Then, on Saturday, the kids were having an absolute blast sledding behind the 4-wheeler. Charlie came to the house with crocodile tears that his same arm got "stuck" under Maleah's boots when he fell off. Again, he was so tough and after a few minutes was playing. This time, though, he wasn't using his arm much at all. I knew something was wrong when he wanted to go back out in the snow but couldn't push his fingers into his glove.
We had Christmas that night and he was a trooper! He played, didn't whine at all, bounced around, but babied his left arm. We kept asking if he hurt and he said, "No." But, we knew it did.
Sunday after church Dallas brought him to Convenient Care and yes, it was broken. Charlie has great anxiety with new places and things, so is very afraid of going to the doctor. He started bawling, "That's why I didn't want to come!" He knew his arm was bad, and when the doctor was checking him, he was shaking as a natural response to the pain (and nerves, of course). The doctor said he is one tough cookie! Charlie has reminded us that those were the doctors words many times.
They put a hard splint on in the office. The splint hardens by a chemical reaction of heat. Poor boy did not like this one.bit. He was HOT and it felt very eery to him. We tried to give him ice cream, even MT. DEW!, and he would not eat or drink. He was so upset.
Doctors talked and looked at the x-ray and had us go to the orthopedic surgeon Monday. Though the arm has some deformity right now, the orthopedic doctor is confident over time it will heal and work its way out. They put him in a long arm cast (which again, he did not like the idea of!), and we will x-ray again in two weeks, re-cast, and go from there.
Overall, I can't brag enough about his incredible attitude. Truly, he has hard complained. It is an inconvenience and a lot more work for me; dressing, bathing, putting shoes on, buckling in the car, and the list goes on. You don't realize how much you use both arms until you only have one! And at times, he is frustrated. It itches some and just the heaviness and immobility is obviously a pain sometimes. But, he has been such a trooper and I tell him every day how proud I am of him.
The biggest hurdle is probably the attention it grabs. He does NOT like to be noticed or people to look at him. He feels embarassed easily. BUT, we are trying to make it "cool." I let him pick out the pack Sharpies he wanted for people to sign. So, we are having fun with that!
The other bummer is not being outside much and just "laying low." The cast will protect his arm super well! However, it's just not a great idea to be rolling out in the snow. So, we got a few new paints and coloring books to do in the house. His best friend, Blakely, came over and played with him yesterday. And, we are so thankful it isn't summer!
This is obviously a disappointment and not ideal. Charlie and I both cried in the office because we were just bummed. Yet! We know a broken arm is no big deal. It's par for the course, and part of being a kid! These things happen. We are healthy and grateful!
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