Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Fun, ANNUAL family tradition! (Or, 'New Blue Cast' the Drew event.....)

Almost exactly one year ago, on Thanksgiving day, Will broke his arm..... (See post, here).

Since Drew can't handle that sort of one-upmanship, he decided that not only would he break his arm, he would out-do Will by completely snapping his humerus in two places. He also thought that emergency surgery and staying overnight in the hospital would really show Will and his other brothers how this broken arm thing is done!

Truly, I wish I could figure out how to put a copy of his X-ray on my blog! His arm was literally in 3 pieces with the small middle broken bone turned sideways - his arm bone looked like a 'Z'.

On Sunday afternoon I was in a cooking mood. I had a yummy smelling pot roast in the oven with potatoes and carrots, a fancy salad, and homemade challah bread. I was putting the last touches on dinner and waiting for the roast to finish when I heard Drew start to cry. He and Will had been playing nicely upstairs (or so I thought!) When I went to the stairs I noticed Drew holding his arm funny - it was sort of hanging there and not moving. When I unbuttoned his shirt and saw his arm I just calmly told Nate to 'go get Dad right now'. Drew's arm was very clearly broken. We left the 4 other boys with Diana and went right to the Emergency room.

At first, the only story we got from Drew and Will was that Drew was getting a piggy back ride from Will. The ER doctor really questioned this (making me feel like an awful mom!) He said that breaks this severe don't happen if a child falls off a piggy back ride. Upon further questioning, it seems Drew was getting a piggy back ride ON WILL'S SHOULDERS! Apparently, Will sat on the edge of the bed and told Drew to climb on his shoulders. When Will went to stand up (with Drew) he lost his balance - Drew is only about 10-15 lbs. lighter than Will! Will stumbled forward and Drew toppled off his shoulders, hyper extending his arm on the way down and snapping his arm.

So, the ER doctors had to call in the Orthopedic surgeon who took one look at the X-rays and said Drew needed to be in surgery ASAP to avoid nerve damage. Within the hour, Drew was taken to surgery. Luckily, the doctor didn't have to open up the arm, he was able to set the break with pins. That was the best possible solution for the severity of the break, so we were happy. Drew spent the night in the hospital and we arrived home around noon on Monday.

Yesterday we went back for a follow up. Drew was having some pain in his arm, despite the fact that he was on a maximum dose of pain medication). They took X-rays again to rule out the pins shifting and also checked him closely for infection. The doctor determined that it was most likely nerve pain or his arm had gotten bumped a bit. He decided to go ahead and put Drew in a hard cast, rather than waiting until Monday when it was originally scheduled.

So, here you have "New Blue Cast" version Drew!

12 comments:

Em Russ said...

Ok. as scary and sad as that story is, I have to say that he looks so adorable with his blue cast (and Boston gear). What a sweet little guy! I can't believe how big he is! So sad about the broken arm. Hopefully it's not baby Jake next year!

The Uffens Family said...

What would life be without all this excitement?! Guess this should be in the SAHM job description too?

: )
polly

Anonymous said...

Allie,
You are amazing!! Poor little fellow, hopefully it doesn't hurt for much longer. So I hope your yummy dinner didn't go to waste!
Denise

Katie said...

Yikes! It's clear your boys love each other---playing so nicely and then trying to cover for each other. What stories they have!

Mindy said...

HOLY COW!!! I am so impressed that you were so calm, I would have either fainted or started screaming for help. Very funny story, with a very adorable picture.

Deborah said...

I'm surprised it took this long for either Drew or Nate to break something. I'd say you've been pretty lucky so far.

AP said...

Your poor little Drew, I hope his arm heals quickly! Amy from TS

Rebecca said...

Oh my goodness, how terrible! Poor little guy. I don't know how you stayed so calm. I would have lost it...

Jessie said...

Are you kidding me? Like you need another kid taking trips to the hospital! Ah...boys.

I'm impressed you make Challah. We do too, it's one of our favorites!

You're amazing, my Alli-friend.

Kathleen Gettinger said...

Allison,
I read your post on PBT and thought I'd check out your blog. I love it! Your boys are beautiful! I read your explanation on the difference between benign and malignant brain tumors and was wondering if you would mind if I used it for my daughter's caring bridge site. I've been asked the same question numerous times and your explanation is perfect. Please e-mail me at stinnettg@maxwire.net. Thank you so much! Kathleen m/o Taylor
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/taylorgettinger

Darla said...

so sorry to hear about Drew. The cast look so cute on him though. right hand, huh? How's that working out? I guess he is still young enough not to be affected by loosing his dominant hand. Hang in there. Darla

Anonymous said...

i had a cast