New Cast

Ugh. SOON this nightmare will be over, but not soon enough.  This past Monday was the appointment from hell. It really was the worst thing ever.  You can read about it in the previous post. The next day, Addy was on her way down our grass to our car when she tripped and slammed her arm and face onto the sidewalk.  She immediately started crying and holding her arm. Not to mention her face was all scraped up.  So, the next morning, Wednesday, we went back to the doctor for more x-rays.  As soon as the doctor walked in the room, she freaked and started crying and crawling up Nate, grabbed my neck and had us both in a grip that I didn't even know she was capable of.  After reviewing the x-rays, the doctor reassured us that they were fine. THANK GOODNESS!  We left the office in the BEST mood that day. We took the girls to the zoo where we knew she could just ride in a stroller and chill for the rest of the day.

Then, today rolled around.  Today was the appointment for her new cast.  We take some x-rays and the doctor reviews them.  All the while Addy is a mess. Her anxieties really have had the best of her through this whole process and I don't blame her one bit.  The x-rays aren't perfect, but it's not enough for the doctor to feel the need to re-set them.  YAY!!!

So, the nurse comes in to take off the splint and put on her cast. The splint was stuck. It came off with a bit of a jolt and Addy started screaming.  CRAP!  So, back to the x-ray room we go. I'm watching her poor little arm the whole time and it is just bruised ALL OVER. It's so sad.  She's still a mess.  I'm trying really hard to keep it together since i'm the only one with her today.  But let's be honest, I can't stand it anymore. I can't stand to see her in so much pain ALL. THE. TIME.   The doctor looks at the x-rays and i'm just praying the entire time... 

With the jolt of the splint, it was enough to actually re-set her arm to an almost perfect position.  As happy as I was to hear that, I still felt bad for little Addy who was in so much pain.  So, next came the cast and they were extremely careful. It took 3 people to cast her arm because of how fragile the bones are.  As you can imagine, a tiny little 4 year old full of fear, pain and anxiety, surrounded by 3 adult doctors trying to cast her arm. Um... a little much for her to handle. The doctor had to mold the cast to her arm again, but this time, not as bad. Still painful, but not a minute and a half painful, more like 30 seconds painful.  So, another accidental re-set and a little molding. UGH!!!!

However, they drew a heart on her cast with glitter glue and that made her a little content.  She is now casted up for the second time, and ordered to wear a sling for the next three weeks till we go in for more x-rays and another new cast.

Here's to hoping we can stay away from the doctor for the next three weeks. I've been feeling really sick to my stomach all week and I couldn't figure out why till I literally could NOT get out of bed this morning because I was so tired and I realized that my own stress and anxiety and emotions have gotten the better of me as well this week.  Now that it's over, i'm feeling much better. I hate watching her go through this. That horrible look in her eyes is enough to send me through the roof.  I'm glad she gets a break for a little while... we hope, anyways.

Losing it... Nope, it's LOST.

This past Saturday evening, I drew a bath for the girls. While the bath was filling, I went in our office to talk to Nate.  Upon returning to the bathroom, I found the girls were already in the bath. So was Addy's cast. It was completely submerged in bathwater and she was just playing away as if nothing was wrong. I screamed, realizing what was happening and pulled Addy out of the water immediately.

We took the measures that the physician over the phone told us to take. Blow dry it as much as possible and keep it in a sling till Monday.  We did just that. After I got off the phone with him, I bawled, knowing there was a possibility that her bones moved again.

This morning, Monday, I called the specialist right away and they scheduled us to come in this afternoon.  They looked at the cast, realized it had expanded way too much and was way too loose on her arm. It needed to be re-casted.  First, they took x-rays to make sure the bones stayed in place this time. 

They hadn't. They moved even more than last time, so this wasn't just a 'molding' problem, this was a 're-set' problem. It had to be snapped back in place.  Her doctor gave us two options.

 1. Pop it back with no medication and just do it quickly. 

 2. inject her bone with a numbing medication 

Both traumatizing, so Nate told them to just do it quickly. The doctor looked at me for a second confirmation on that decision and I just started bawling.  The nurse left to go get some tissues.

She grabbed her tiny little arm and I've never heard anyone scream like that in my entire life. I was laying next to her on the bed trying to keep her still.  Nate picked her up after it was over and while the doctor was holding her arm, took her to the x-ray room where they could make sure it worked.

I stayed back with Hailey because she was crying.  After I calmed Hailey down, I started pacing the floor. The nurse returns to talk to me and it was obvious that even she was crying.  I'm telling you people, this was UNEXPLAINABLE.  The nurse then tells me that the re-set didn't work and the bones are still popping out of place and that they need to try again.  Just then, I can hear all the way on the other side of the building, my little angel screaming her little heart out.  Again, I can't handle this, so I buckle and cry even more.  The nurse takes Hailey out to another part of the building and gives her some things to play with.  

They bring Addy back into the room and lay her down on the bed. They tell me it still didn't work after the second try.  The specialist explains to us that she thinks her bones already started healing and therefor keeping them from setting properly because there is tissue or bone in the way.

So, my eyes are huge as she explains that they have to do it AGAIN! A THIRD TIME!  This time, Nate told them to numb her first. We sat there with our poor baby trying to explain to her that they now have to give her a shot. Yeah, that didn't go over well.  They give her the shot while we are holding her still and she is crying the entire time. They had to shoot medicine right into the bone and it took a good long time for this to happen. After the doctor was finished, she left the room to let the medicine set in for a bit.  

Addy started feeling super cold and shaky so we asked them for a blanket and they brought her a warm one. Within minutes, the blanket had become cold on the outside.  She was in shock. We tried to keep her comfortable and she ended up falling asleep from being so traumatized.  

Once the doctor came back in, Addy woke up, freaked out and basically was trying to escape anyone's grasp and climb up me.  In this process, we are all afraid she is going to hurt her arm worse because it's numb and she's moving it all over the place trying to escape.  After we finally calm her down, a bit, Nate grabs her and has to just hold her in a body lock while the doctor, for the third time, sets her arm. This time, there was cracking involved.  (go ahead and throw up.. I almost did)

I was so nervous walking slowly back to the x-ray room.  This time, the x-rays looked much better, but not perfect. The doctor explains to me that there was bone growth in the way and when she reset it this time, she basically had to break the new growth out of the way in order for the bones to set properly.  Yep. It was awful.

Now, Addy is a complete mess. Completely traumatized.  She is back in a splint and soft cast because it will swell pretty good from the amount of trauma today. Friday we go in for more x-rays. This time, she can't do anything. She can't go to school at all this week and she even has to sleep with her sling ON. She is back on Lortab and just miserable. It's been two weeks since the initial break and i'm about to have a breakdown over watching her endure such a horrible situation.  I cannot even imagine going through something like this myself and to watch my sweet little girl have to endure such a hellish event is about to send me to the loony bin. So, at this point in parenting, i'm pretty sure I've lost it. If you see me walking down the street twitching, you may want to call authorities. 

Until then, please pray for little Addy that she doesn't have to end up in surgery. 

Addy's Cast and Torture Session

Addy was extremely excited to go to her casting appointment today.  She's been thinking all weekend about what color she wants to get.  We get there, and they took a few x-rays.  The doctor came in to view the pictures of her arm and found that the bones had shifted and needed to be re-set.  My stomach at this point just started freaking out. Meanwhile Hailey and Addy are laughing at eachother in the background and i'm thinking to myself, "Addy has no idea what's about to happen to her."

So, the caster/person comes in to the room and begins the process of putting the hard cast on her arm. It's wet and she runs out yelling for the doctor because nobody knows where the doctor went and she needs her NOW.  The doctor comes running in (apparently, they have to set the bones while the cast is on so that the cast can mold the arm into position and they have to do it before it dries) and begins gripping Addy's arm. She still has no idea what's about to happen. Apparently, neither did I because at the hospital, it was a very quick set of the bones.  This time, she had to slowly form and mold her arm and cast at the same time. The process took about a minute and a half of them squeezing her arm and moving the bones back into place.  Poor Addy was SCREAMING her little head off. The crazy thing.. she didn't move an inch. She just sat there while they tortured her. I couldn't hold back the tears on this one. I had watched her be in so much pain the last week and then this???  This was definitely hell on earth for a mother.  

waiting on the doctor...

with no clue about what's next.

This is just before the doctor starts squeezing and shifting her little bones.

This picture makes me cry.  This is Post-Torture.

Addy was quick to pick out the COLORFUL cast and was pretty excited about it.  The doctor informed me she would need pain medication as soon as we got home.. and that's just what we did.  Now, the verdict is that she has to come back in two weeks where they will take more x-rays to make sure the bones didn't move again.  They will re-cast her and then it will be another 4-6 weeks after that of wearing a cast.  They had to give her a full arm cast because of the fact that her bones moved so much. They don't want that happening again.. obviously.

 ALL DONE!!!

After the pain meds set in...

Poor girl. Such a nightmare.

Labor Day 2012

We had originally planned to just hang around home on Labor Day since Nate had some work stuff to take care of and I was fully prepared to do a bunch of yard work. However, plans changed when my brother called and asked if we wanted to meet him and his family at Bridal Veil Falls.

It was a GORGEOUS day up the canyon.  We put a plastic bag over Addy's arm and off we went.  Hailey decided she wanted to climb up the face of the waterfall... she's an animal. Luckily, my brother was happy to follow her as far as they went. Nate and I stayed close to Addy. Broken arm + slippery rocks = bad news.

Hailey and Lincoln

Yep.. the specs at the top of the rocky area.. that's Hailey, Damon and Lincoln

My Super Hot Nate.

Addy sitting in the FREEZING cold water.

We ended up hiking up the trail to the middle (well, sort of) of the waterfall and it was breathtaking. Addy did fall a couple times and it made me cringe.  

I'm glad we could get out and do something in this beautiful place we live. We definitely don't take advantage of it as much as we should.

Recovering

Since Addy's accident, things have changed quite drastically around here.  Addy is finally starting to feel better and her arm isn't hurting her AS much.  

The first day after the hospital, she was on some pain meds so she just laid around all day. She didn't like that very much, but that's what she had to do.  She spent a little time with her friend Sophie, watching a movie, so that cheered her up.

I finally was able to convince her to take a nap that afternoon because she was just so tired. She fell asleep faster than I've ever seen.  While she was napping, I decided to make some adjustments to her sling.  Seriously? Can they make these things ANY more uncomfortable?  The strap that goes behind the neck was rubbing against her neck so bad that she just did NOT want to wear it anymore, but that just was not an option, so I decided to become the coolest mom ever and BLING it out a little for her, complete with rhinestones because we all know that Addy is all about bling. Needless to say, when she woke up, she LOVED it and now it's padded around the neck so it doesn't bother her anymore.  We took her to Nate's softball game because she just needed to get out. I walked in the kitchen at one point to find her trying to get a snack for herself.  She was sitting on the floor with a ziplock baggie, trying to open it with her toes and left hand. It was so sad seeing her struggle so hard to get that darn baggie open.  Not wanting to AID her too much, I helped her open the bag, but then left her to get her own snacks to put IN the bag. 

The next night, she woke up in the middle of the night crying that her arm really hurt. Bring on the pain management.  That morning, she was able to sleep in a bit due to Daddy being home from work.  I took Hailey to school while she slept in.   The reason she woke up is because Nate went in to check on her and found her arm shoved under her back and she was on top of it.  Due to the pain meds, the doctor said to watch for things like this because at the time, she wouldn't feel it, but would definitely feel it later. Nate tried to move her off her arm and she woke up.  

She needed a little pick-me-up that day because she was just so down and sad about her arm.  So, she decided while Hailey was at school, she wanted me to do her hair all curly. :-) Such a diva. But I love it, so that's just what we did. It did make her feel better and it did give her something to smile about.  When Hailey got home from school and after homework and lunch were over, the girls asked for some ice cream and I totally gave in.  Thinking they are almost done, since Hailey's was just about gone, I glance up and see that Addy hadn't even had ONE bite and was struggling to scoop it with her left hand. She had this look on her face of pure disappointment and frustration. Again, so sad. I helped her eat her ice cream and then we went outside to watch Hailey ride her bike.  

The hardest thing for her has been to not be able to go outside and run around riding bikes and scooters with all the other kids in the neighborhood.  However, she did get to spend a good part of the afternoon at her friend Sophie's house, which again, was 'like, the coolest thing ever!'  It made her day. 

Now, we are on to recovery as we await her appointment next week for a hard cast. The real question is.... Drum roll please.... which color will she choose??