Tuesday the kids were bouncing on the trampoline and Jack-Jack began to cry. Not an unusual occurrence, except he wouldn’t stop. He was holding his right leg and couldn’t walk. It didn’t take long to realize that there was something seriously wrong. I set up a doctor appointment and Annette took him in. After trips to the doctor’s office, the radiology lab and the emergency room, it was determined that he had broken his femur.
Once Mr. Tickle and Wiz-Kid were put to bed I drove to the hospital to hear the final instructions and then helped strap Jack-Jack in to the back seat of our Caravan—lying down. No use for the car-seat for the next while. Before meeting them there I did some research on the internet. I found that breaking a thighbone is not uncommon in 2-3-year-olds because at this age the bones are still hardening. My guess is he was coming down just after Mr. Tickle bounced up and so caught up-spring of the mat. I also found out that an estimated 80% of these breaks are a result of abuse, and so we could expect a visit from Child Welfare (they stopped by yesterday—no problems). Most 2-year-olds get spica casts—a body cast from the lower chest to the ankle—and keep it for 2-3 months. No fun for Jack-Jack and no fun for his Mom (and Dad).
Our experience so far has been a little different. Jack-Jack was given a splint instead. It covers the same length as the spica cast but is held in place with Ace bandages and so is much lighter. It also appears that he may only need this for as little as a month, although I’m planning on it lasting longer. Two days later he’s starting to sleep better (he didn’t react well to the Tylenol/Codeine mix) and he’s being a real trooper about not being able to get around. He’s watching a fair amount of TV but we also take him downstairs to the playroom and play with him. This morning we built Legos together and yesterday he played cars and other games with us and his brothers and sisters.
Naturally everyone has been concerned about him, especially Wiz-Kid. Each child has been very helpful and attentive, which really helps. Meanwhile Annette is “sleeping” in the same room with him. The first night he maybe slept 40 minutes—he was prone to muscle spasms that would jerk him awake (apparently normal according to the doctor) and he would cry. Needless to say, yesterday was hard for her. She ended up finding a sub for both work and Pack Meeting (she’s the Cubmaster). Last night was better for both of them and hopefully in the next few days he’ll be sleeping normally.
Yes, it’s a trial and a challenge, but at the same time there are some definite blessings. If we had to choose a time for Jack-Jack to break a leg, this is about as good as we could have planned. I’m off until next Tuesday, so I’m around to help. Next week, of course, is Thanksgiving, so Annette will only need to work one day with me gone, if that. Hopefully my parents or someone else will be able to help the days that I’m flying. And as for Jack-Jack, being two he’s still pretty light and much easier to carry around than, say, Mr. Tickle, let alone Wiz-Kid. So when we’re not feeling the effects of sleep deprivation we’re counting our blessings. This could have been so much harder.
Once Mr. Tickle and Wiz-Kid were put to bed I drove to the hospital to hear the final instructions and then helped strap Jack-Jack in to the back seat of our Caravan—lying down. No use for the car-seat for the next while. Before meeting them there I did some research on the internet. I found that breaking a thighbone is not uncommon in 2-3-year-olds because at this age the bones are still hardening. My guess is he was coming down just after Mr. Tickle bounced up and so caught up-spring of the mat. I also found out that an estimated 80% of these breaks are a result of abuse, and so we could expect a visit from Child Welfare (they stopped by yesterday—no problems). Most 2-year-olds get spica casts—a body cast from the lower chest to the ankle—and keep it for 2-3 months. No fun for Jack-Jack and no fun for his Mom (and Dad).
Our experience so far has been a little different. Jack-Jack was given a splint instead. It covers the same length as the spica cast but is held in place with Ace bandages and so is much lighter. It also appears that he may only need this for as little as a month, although I’m planning on it lasting longer. Two days later he’s starting to sleep better (he didn’t react well to the Tylenol/Codeine mix) and he’s being a real trooper about not being able to get around. He’s watching a fair amount of TV but we also take him downstairs to the playroom and play with him. This morning we built Legos together and yesterday he played cars and other games with us and his brothers and sisters.
Naturally everyone has been concerned about him, especially Wiz-Kid. Each child has been very helpful and attentive, which really helps. Meanwhile Annette is “sleeping” in the same room with him. The first night he maybe slept 40 minutes—he was prone to muscle spasms that would jerk him awake (apparently normal according to the doctor) and he would cry. Needless to say, yesterday was hard for her. She ended up finding a sub for both work and Pack Meeting (she’s the Cubmaster). Last night was better for both of them and hopefully in the next few days he’ll be sleeping normally.
Yes, it’s a trial and a challenge, but at the same time there are some definite blessings. If we had to choose a time for Jack-Jack to break a leg, this is about as good as we could have planned. I’m off until next Tuesday, so I’m around to help. Next week, of course, is Thanksgiving, so Annette will only need to work one day with me gone, if that. Hopefully my parents or someone else will be able to help the days that I’m flying. And as for Jack-Jack, being two he’s still pretty light and much easier to carry around than, say, Mr. Tickle, let alone Wiz-Kid. So when we’re not feeling the effects of sleep deprivation we’re counting our blessings. This could have been so much harder.
Oh—and no more 2-year-olds on the trampoline.
