Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Two-toned cast
Just a quick update to show you Benjamin’s cast. I was frustrated yesterday afternoon when I tried to call and schedule an appointment to get his arm casted -- the ortho clinic wanted to wait eight days before changing him from a splint to a cast! Their reason: “to let the swelling go down.” Hmmm. The ER doc initially didn’t think it was broken in part because there was no swelling. Plus, Benjamin is a rather active 6-year-old. Simply telling him to be careful and not do things (like run, climb, etc) wouldn’t be sufficient for another week. Add to that the hustle and bustle of starting school next week, with recess, classroom activities, lunchroom lines, etc, and there was certainly no guarantee of his arm being adequately protected in just a splint.
Fortunately, one of the parents in Zachary’s Boy Scout troop is an orthopedic surgeon, and Zachary had a scout meeting last night. Tracy and I talked, and she offered to take care of getting Benjamin’s arm casted today. I was very grateful that she squeezed us into her schedule. While he’s still supposed to take it easy (no sports, running, etc), I feel much better about his arm being protected so it can heal.
If you notice, his cast is two-toned. Yup, he couldn’t decide what color to have, and the technician who casted it offered to use two different colors. Benjamin was very pleased with his red and blue cast! Hopefully it doesn’t bother him terribly much during the next three weeks.
On a side note, he’s proudly wearing his Tiger Cub cap. We’re heading to the Cub Scout Carnival on Friday and plan on signing him up for Cub Scouts. Wow!
Fortunately, one of the parents in Zachary’s Boy Scout troop is an orthopedic surgeon, and Zachary had a scout meeting last night. Tracy and I talked, and she offered to take care of getting Benjamin’s arm casted today. I was very grateful that she squeezed us into her schedule. While he’s still supposed to take it easy (no sports, running, etc), I feel much better about his arm being protected so it can heal.If you notice, his cast is two-toned. Yup, he couldn’t decide what color to have, and the technician who casted it offered to use two different colors. Benjamin was very pleased with his red and blue cast! Hopefully it doesn’t bother him terribly much during the next three weeks.
On a side note, he’s proudly wearing his Tiger Cub cap. We’re heading to the Cub Scout Carnival on Friday and plan on signing him up for Cub Scouts. Wow!
Labels: Benjamin
Monday, August 24, 2009
Another First
When I went to pick up Benjamin this evening, he was asleep on the couch in the lobby. He had been feeling fine all weekend, so I was surprised to see him there. Today was “crazy hair” day, so we spiked his hair (as best we could since it’s short again) and sprayed it with orange hairspray (leftover from Halloween). He works up a sweat pretty easily, so when I saw the orange streak that had traveled down his forehead onto his nose, I figured he must have simply worn himself out playing today.
If only.
Apparently, he fell off the step stool in front of the water fountain. At first I was worried about his side -- it looked dark and felt hard. Fortunately, it wasn’t well-lit in the lobby and it didn’t look so bad when I looked at it in the light. However, he was really favoring his left wrist. Usually he’ll bounce back after a tumble, but even after a quick bath (to wash the orange out of his hair) he was treating it rather gingerly. Soooo, we had our “fast” supper (option of leftovers or cereal), grabbed a few books and some water bottles, and headed to the ER at 6:30 p.m.
The doc gave his abdomen a clean bill of health, then examined his wrist. He didn’t think it was broken, but ordered x-rays just to be sure. Benjamin loved riding in the wheelchair back to radiology, and asked several times if he could keep the wheelchair! Oh what fun he would have with a wheelchair at home (at least in his mind)!
A short while later, the doc came back and told us that, indeed, Benjamin had fractured his arm. It’s a “buckle” or “incomplete” fracture of his radius (visible at the red arrows, more clearly on the left side than the right), so it should heal relatively quickly (approx three weeks). So, Benjamin came home with a splint and some strong pain meds ... and will be heading to ortho to have a more permanent cast put on in the next day or two. It wasn’t terribly crowded in the ER, and I don’t feel like we waited terribly long at any point. However, time spent in the ER is always relative: we didn’t head home until just after 11 p.m.!
What a way to start of his last week of summer vacation!! At least he’ll definitely get noticed on his first day of school on Monday. Fortunately, he’s right-handed, so this shouldn’t slow down his writing, drawing, coloring, etc.
Oh yeah, he’s the first Cook kid to have a broken bone. I always figured he’d break something with his daredevil ways, but no, he breaks his arm trying to quench his thirst! There’s always something new and unique with this kid!
If only.
Apparently, he fell off the step stool in front of the water fountain. At first I was worried about his side -- it looked dark and felt hard. Fortunately, it wasn’t well-lit in the lobby and it didn’t look so bad when I looked at it in the light. However, he was really favoring his left wrist. Usually he’ll bounce back after a tumble, but even after a quick bath (to wash the orange out of his hair) he was treating it rather gingerly. Soooo, we had our “fast” supper (option of leftovers or cereal), grabbed a few books and some water bottles, and headed to the ER at 6:30 p.m.
The doc gave his abdomen a clean bill of health, then examined his wrist. He didn’t think it was broken, but ordered x-rays just to be sure. Benjamin loved riding in the wheelchair back to radiology, and asked several times if he could keep the wheelchair! Oh what fun he would have with a wheelchair at home (at least in his mind)!A short while later, the doc came back and told us that, indeed, Benjamin had fractured his arm. It’s a “buckle” or “incomplete” fracture of his radius (visible at the red arrows, more clearly on the left side than the right), so it should heal relatively quickly (approx three weeks). So, Benjamin came home with a splint and some strong pain meds ... and will be heading to ortho to have a more permanent cast put on in the next day or two. It wasn’t terribly crowded in the ER, and I don’t feel like we waited terribly long at any point. However, time spent in the ER is always relative: we didn’t head home until just after 11 p.m.!
What a way to start of his last week of summer vacation!! At least he’ll definitely get noticed on his first day of school on Monday. Fortunately, he’s right-handed, so this shouldn’t slow down his writing, drawing, coloring, etc.Oh yeah, he’s the first Cook kid to have a broken bone. I always figured he’d break something with his daredevil ways, but no, he breaks his arm trying to quench his thirst! There’s always something new and unique with this kid!
Labels: Benjamin
Sunday, August 23, 2009
A Month = A Year
Today’s Benjamin quote:
Benjamin: Mommy, it took me a whole month to turn 6 years old.
Me: I think it took you a year.
Benjamin: No, it took a month. Really.
{{Pause}}
Benjamin: It took Zachary and MacKenzie two months!
Hmmm, I think I still need to work on the concept of time with him.
Benjamin: Mommy, it took me a whole month to turn 6 years old.
Me: I think it took you a year.
Benjamin: No, it took a month. Really.
{{Pause}}
Benjamin: It took Zachary and MacKenzie two months!
Hmmm, I think I still need to work on the concept of time with him.
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Thinking
Benjamin regularly cracks me up with the things he comes up with. Tonight, he really had me laughing.He has a bug bite that was bothering him, so I told him not to think about it. His reply?
“I don’t think. My brain thinks, but I can’t control it.”
Guess he couldn’t tell his brain to not think about the bothersome bug bite! Too funny!
{Please excuse Zachary’s clean-but-not-folded laundry in this photo. Benjamin also cracks me up when he opts for a unique place to read.}
Labels: Benjamin, Kid Quotes
