Broken Leg

A first for our family - a broken bone! Vale was jumping on the trampoline with a family friend when she got hurt - I didn't see it happen, and it doesn't really matter what happened - she was "more hurt" than usual. She can be known to carry on (and on) when she's hurt, especially if she hasn't napped, and that was the case on Sunday, Oct 10th...but something seemed a little "off" to me. Not just toddler drama for drama's sake, but actual real pain. It wasn't bouncing all over from place to place, and no offerings of special food or even candy could change her complaints and crying. She told us to "weve me awone I jus wanna sweep" - the last time she asked to sleep, and especially without dinner was never. This all happened around 5:30pm.

We had had plans to out with friends for dinner, but I canceled with them so I could take her to the kids urgent care before it closed at 8. We got in and waited. While waiting she was sitting perfectly still in the waiting area, and starting playing happily with her toys. I thought "if this thing isn't broken!" haha! But sure enough, moving her even a little and she'd cry out, and only ever say the exact spot it hurt, and say "I broke my weg!"

They had to weigh her, but she wouldn't/couldn't stand. So they had to weigh ME, with her, and without her, LOL. Fun. I had to stay with her at her head during the xrays because she was not tolerant to them moving her around for the different angles they needed. She did a good job being calm (just crying, but not freaking out), and I sang her her fave lullabies and promised her she could see pictures of her "Halloween skeleton pictures" soon. The xray tech complimented my lovely voice, 😂

Sure enough it was broken. A buckle fracture, right in the exact spot she said was hurt. She was sweet, funny and cute with all the nurses. Asking them questions wanting "just get me a bandaid" - when at home and I would prod her to see what was hurt she'd cry "No Mom, I just need a doctor!" so when the doctor was inflicting the pain, I guess the logical step up for a cure was a bandaid😅

The first day was actually fun & fine. She was happy to stay in her bed and have tea parties and receive visitors

Bestie Evangeline brought her lots of goodies!

Day 2 was miserable. The swelling must have been the worst that day. It was literally awful. She was in pain, wouldn't take/kept throwing up her tylenol or motrin, and we were all at our wits end😥 Eventually early afternoon, literally drop by drop we got enough meds in her to take the edge off and she improved a lot. By the evening she was much better.

Wednesday we had to tackle the truly awful rats nest that had grown off the back of her head since Sunday night. We rigged up a coffee table "bath" and got it done. It was the worst I have ever ever ever seen, and I honestly thought we might just have to chop it all off. But with treats, tv (and probably the tylenol helped, haha) we got it done. Whew.

They took off the temporary cast on Thursday, the swelling was gone, and she was not in pain anymore, thankfully.

She chose pink for her real cast, and we made an appointment to have it removed in 3 weeks!

Within a day she was crawling on it, and within a few days, she was walking.

 By the end of three weeks she was full on running, and it sounded hilarious because of the hop skip gait she had.

She had it removed 3 weeks later and all was well. It was disgusting in there though

All her tiny turtle classmates "signed" her cast with a thumbprint made into a turtle. 

She went back to crawling after getting it off, and it took about a week before she'd walk on it without help. The joints are both stiff from being in one position so long, and loose, from not being used. I'll make another post with some videos of the broken leg saga. All in all, she was back to normal within 4 weeks and it didn't slow her down at all.