A Broken Collarbone and A Nursemaid Elbow

So, I've mentioned before, but this is not the summer vacation that we all had planned. Our travel plans changed with the preparation for surgery and then everything else that had been planned also changed when we realized that I was taking the slow route to recovery. We've stayed in most days and the kids have had fun in a little pool out back. This summer has been hot and I am thankful that we've been able to spend some of that time indoors.

A few weeks ago, I had finally "rounded the corner" and was feeling great! We had a Marriage Matters Conference at church and I was looking forward to getting out for the first time since my surgery. The kids all took their naps and I put on makeup for the first time in weeks. For some reason during nap time, I turned on Jackson's baby monitor. His monitor had been off for months, but I flipped the switch on and heard his sounds of sleep. I stayed in my room that day and curled up with a good book to read. The house was quite, I was feeling good, I was looking forward to getting out of the house and things were looking up. I then heard a big thud on the floor followed by a cry. I took off to Jackson's room and when I opened his door I found him sitting up in his bed crying. He immediately laid back down when I came over to him and I started rubbing his back. He didn't have a hard cry, but his cry was pretty pitiful (like something was wrong). I thought that he had been disturbed in his sleep and was having a hard time going back. I kept asking if he was okay, but he didn't really say much. It ended up that he got up from his nap and kind of took it easy. I could tell that something wasn't right, but I couldn't figure it out.

Jason came home that afternoon and just like he always does, went in to pick up Jackson and greet him with a big hug and kiss. Jackson immediately cried as soon as Jason touched him. I recounted the event during nap time to Jason and we looked all around his arm/shoulder area for any signs of something being wrong. He seemed fine and so we went on and got ready to leave for church. Jason took us to Cracker Barrel for dinner and I noticed that Jackson was much more quiet and reserved while eating. I still couldn't figure it all out. We made it to church and Jackson went on to be with the kids. As soon as we finished I was told that Jackson hadn't been acting like his normal self and that he had cried anytime someone tried to pick him up. Someone else tried to pick him up and he cried. At this point, I was beginning to try and piece it all together but didn't really know what could be wrong with him. We went out for frostys with some friends and he seemed just fine. He did not want to be touched at all when trying to get into the truck or into his car seat.

Of course, Jason and I talked about it all the way home. As soon as we got the twins to bed, we took a good look at Jackson with his shirt off before putting on his pajamas. Jason was feeling all over his arm/shoulder area and that is when Jackson cried out in pain like I have never heard! It was horrible. We did a quick google search on collarbones and thought that his symptoms sounded identical. We made the decision to take Jackson to the ER because of the possibility of a vein being punctured, which was listed as a reason to have it checked out. I couldn't stand staying home and not going with Jackson to the hospital, but who are you supposed to call that late at night.

Turns out, Jackson had a very small hairline fracture to his right collarbone. He was such a brave little guy at the hospital and did great. They gave him some pain medicine and braced his arm in a sling and wrap. They ordered that his arm be immobilized and told Jason that it was a very common thing in children and that they are so resilient and heal very quickly. We met with an orthopaedic doctor a few days following and he said that he was doing great. We go back to see the doctor in a few weeks now and he'll do more x-rays to make sure his collarbone is healed.

17 days later, and we have another injury in our house. This time, Joshua was trying to help Jackson up onto the couch. I think that it must have been the angle at which he was pulling, but Jackson screamed out in pain and came running to me. I asked him if everything was okay and he seemed to be fine. It was only a few short minutes after that he immediately stopped using his left arm. I called Jason and once again thought that something was wrong, but if he had broken something that we would know, but it didn't seem like something could be wrong with a pull. I finally convinced myself to put in a call to the doctor's office and ask if we should come see them or go to the ER. He didn't complain about pain, like something that would need immediate help at the ER. However, we had just been down the road with the broken collarbone and we hadn't even realize that he had done something that serious. They scheduled for us to come in that afternoon and we met with the doctor and he wanted us to go back and see his orthopaedic doctor the next day. All throughout that day, Jackson refused to use his left arm. We got up the next morning and made our way back to the doctor's office. As soon as I got Jackson out of the van, he reached up to hold my hand (with the arm he had refused to use the previous day). I asked if his arm felt better and he said that it did. I felt really happy about it, but at the same time felt a little weird about going into the doctor's office with no injury. Our doctor confirmed that Jackson had a nursemaid elbow, that his elbow had been dislocated when it was pulled. He said that it was also a common injury in children and that if it happened again to just come in to see them. Jackson had somehow manipulated his arm back into place, healing his own nursemaid elbow.

We have had our fair share of medical problems this summer. Jackson is such a tough little guy and we've come to find out that he has a very high tolerance for pain. He is strong, just as we prayed for him to be. Hopefully this will be the end of all these little injuries. Someone gave the kids the game Operation for their birthday. Given all that we've been through this summer, I can't imagine a more perfect game for our family.