The Little Guy Broke His Arm

[M.D. Holloway]

I got the call today - wife said 'OK - it finally happened'. I knew just what she was taking about. Our 6yr old got his first broken bone. We have a saying around the house, it isn't if Max breaks a bone but when. He is 100% boy (just ask Mark Wilson or Ed Hughes). This actually helped us prepare for this day. I asked her which bone, she said is arm or wrist. I guess he was playing a sort of tag game during recess, he jumped off a ledge (he told me he was a parachute man) and landed forward. He cried which was the first sign something was very wrong. The teached apolgized for not bringing him to the nurse. The kid has the pain tolerence of a pro fighter.

On the phone I asked her if he could move it like he was waving, he could, I then asked her if he could turn it like he was opening a door knob. I could hear him cry out - busted Radius I thought.

Met them at the hospital, he didn't look any worse for the wear but didn't use the left arm at all. He kept on telling me he was fine and just wanted to go home and ride his bike. I gently touched it and he flinched like I stuck him like a hot poker. Momma said he refused any Motrin. He liked the X-ray, liked the nurse even better (always the boy!). Doc confirmed it was a greenstick fracture of the Radius. Could have been much worse. It was an obvious break. By this time it was pretty swollen. We were going to have to wait another 2 hours to get a cast. Then we get a call that our 2yr old (who was being watched by our neighbers who have 3 girls, 6, 8 & 10, a lab and a cat) just got bit by the neighbors cat. Doc said we could get the cast in the AM provided Max iced and raised the wing. So we made it back to rescue our little girl. Interesting thing, the Lab attacked the cat after the cat bit Emmy. (Puts the lab as a very good candidate for a dog!)

So, Max gets his wing mended, and no jumping out of planes for at least 4 weeks. Tis life...

I bet it doesn't slow that little energizer bunny down much! Just have a little harder time pumping that rocket up.......

[M.D. Holloway]

Best you explain that one...

That did sound a bit odd....

[DonDavis]

Give the tough little "tank" my best! I've got a 5 yr old boy that is probably not much different than yours. We're just waitin' for that first break as well.

[rcecale]

Hah! THAT brings back memories, Mike!

When my daughter was 7, she was playing on the monkeybars at school, kinda doing the same thing, only, she was trying to do a front flip/swing thing around the bar. Well, she falls forward and catches her fall on the ground with both hands.

To make a long story short, the broke BOTH arms! Poor little thing. She spent the next 4 weeks with one cast up to her elbow and the other cast up to her bicep. It was sad to watch her try to do the simplest thing, the first couple of days...she couldn't even feed herself.

But, by the end of the first week or so, she was back at it, charging head long into her life! I guess this is just another part of growing up...it happens to the best of them.

Hope your little man is feeling better.

Randy

[Oh Haha]

Mike,
Sorry to hear about Max. It's kind of ironic, though.
I ran to the autoparts store last night, gone maybe half hour. I return home to Jacob with a quickly blackening eye. He was climbing into his rocking chair, slipped, and banged his noodle on the way down.
Jeez, people are going to think we beat the kid!
I just keep thinking back to what I did as a little monster. YOW!! I must have drove my parents crazy with scrapes, cuts, and bruises.
It's all part of growing up, though. Sounds like Max will wear that as a badge of honor.

[Superman]

Cool, Mike. Sounds like your pride in the boy is well founded.

I think we all recall aspects of our childhood. I'm 47 now, and still get bruises and cuts, and still don't recall how they happened, usually.

[rcecale]

Supe, I believe they call that SENILITY!

Randy

[Tim Walsh]

Randy,
I did that as a kid, flipped over the handbars of my bike and broke both my arms in the same place in 8th grade. It was kind of a pain more than anything. showering etc. but then I couldn't take write in any of my classes so I thought it was so cool, well that and I thought the miror image x-rays were cool too. (broke the arms in the same place on both arms)

[mattdavis11]

I might have been 6 or 7, I can't remember, did a similar thing, except I was Superman! I hated the cast, I'd beat it against the pine tree in the back yard, got it wet (they were plaster then), I even shoved a quarter inside it. All resulted in new casts, the quarter incident was the worst though, that coin got cold! 3 casts total for the healing period. Max sounds like I used to be. He'll be fine. I have 4 older brothers and don't think I didn't use that cast as a weapon.

[cstreit]

So Esther reads this thread and sez...

"Is THIS what we have to look forward to?"

[vash]

i broke my first bone(S) tib/fib in my twenties. the doctor told me, "if you were a horse, i would have to shoot you". at that instant, a five year old girl walked by holding her forearm. he said she was healing right before his eyes. youth! no better medicine. sounds like you have a great kid.

[djmcmath]

Glad to hear he's ok, Mike. That sort of thing is always stressful on parents. But then, I figure if you aren't breaking something, you're not trying hard enough.

[M.D. Holloway]

He got fitted for his cast today - all was great until he asked the nurse how she was going to take it off? She told him they were going to use a saw...that didn't go over very well at all. His only concept of a saw is a circular or table saws that I have and he has the upmost respect if not fear of them. He wanted no part of it. Bribes were made, threats were made, pleading and begging. The little guy wanted none of it. Finally I told him we could take some oil and squirt it down there when the time was right and the cast would slide right off. BINGO! He liked that idea. the LubeMaster strikes again!

He picked a lime green cast - I have no idea why cuz his fav color is blue but maybe lime green is "in" with 6 yr olds. Now Emmy wants a pink one. Sorry lil girl, no casts for you...

[mattdavis11]

Knowing about the saw part is not fun! This is why I whacked it on the tree, got it wet, etc.. When it finally got to getting the cast off and the saw came out, I was ready to hoof it outta there pronto. Tell Max the saw isn't that bad, they only gouge out a little flesh.

[911S Targa]

Wow, my 7yr old just broke his arm on Friday, in two places right above his wrist. He blinked while jumping for the fire poll on the playground jungle gym.

[M.D. Holloway]

911S Targa - I asked the nurse who did the cast how many kids she sees and she said no more than anuone else but she did say that of the kids she sees, the jungle gym / monkey bars is the culprit. Hope your lil man is doing well.