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
