Finding Ninee » Sharing our parenting and special needs stories with heart and humor.

Two Days Of School, Two Broken Bones, And Two Wishes

The first day back to school means a fresh start, sharp pencils, and the promise of leaves crunching underfoot in current 80 degree weather. It’s saying goodbye to last year and to babies who are no longer babies. It’s happiness, and grief for moments gone by. It’s  wondering whether summer vacation was memorable enough.

The first day of school means posing on the front porch and having your mom share your photos on Facebook, asking which expression is more closely matched to inside feelings.

Two Days Of School

With only two days of school under his belt, Tucker broke both bones in his lower arm in a bicycle accident. It wasn’t even an epic crash involving wolves, Vikings, or steep mountains.

It was a slow-motion, “need to scratch my head and adjust my helmet” fall. He’s fairly new to cycling, and still finding his way with adjusting gears and feet, and adjusting to too-quickly growing limbs and life, and he simply turned too far one way to correct himself.

The minute he landed, he said “I broke my arm!” and then thought he was going to vomit. “It’s probably okay,” I said, not thinking it was broken. It wasn’t swollen. I gave him an ice pack, and at about 1:00am, I was pretty sure he was right and I was wrong.

Two Broken Bones

He couldn’t sleep, and I wrapped his arm and hand with an Ace bandage, and tickled his back until he went back to sleep. At the E.R. the next morning, the doctor said “He broke two bones in his arm.” I was shocked, but not shocked.

You know that feeling in your gut that tells yourself what a dumb-dumb you are? I owned that. I own it still, but hope to forget, just enough to not go down the rabbit hole at 3:00 a.m. Again, anyway.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry!” I said.
“I told you,” Tucker replied.
“Don’t worry – you don’t win the worst mom award for this one,” the doctor said. “My mom did the same thing when I was a kid.”
“It wasn’t even swollen!”
“I told you,” Tucker said. “Can you believe it?”
“I’m sorry,” I replied.

I felt terrible about it. I still do.

He’s now in a heavy, can’t-bend-his-elbow temporary splint cast thing with a sling, because, heavy. Last night, I ended up taking him to see Fast and Furious even though I thought I’d wait another year or two to introduce him to those movies (I haven’t seen one before, but figured the violence can’t be worse than Avengers violence – it wasn’t).

We were told to see a Pediatric Orthopedic specialist right away, and given one to call first thing today. I had him get ready for school “just in case” but should’ve known, from when I broke my hand before Black Friday (and had to learn one-handed skills with a cast) that “first thing” is never first thing when it comes to doctors, insurance, approvals, and referrals.

I spent much of today calling back and forth, worried his bone (partially “offset”) is healing crooked. Not knowing is so much worry, isn’t it? Well, being a mom is worry. Being a special needs mom, is more worry, even when you feel like you’re past most of the issues that used to keep you up at night.

He ended up going to school, although late, and will miss some or all of his fourth day, tomorrow, for the ortho appointment.

Two Wishes

Moments in which we think “oh-please-oh-please help me to hold this memory” are often later blurry. I want to remember these wishes later, while tonight, they’re so prevalent.

I wish Tucker won’t need surgery for broken bones.

I wish he gets a lighter-weight cast that’ll be more easily manipulated during his healing.

I wish love and light on all of the children being held without their parents because I know having a broken arm and mom taking them to the ER is so much better than what they’re going through. I also know it’s unfair to dismiss our own issues because “others have it worse.” Both exist. Both, and.

Okay, that was three wishes, and I have 1,002 more, but these three suffice for tonight, while my kiddo is manipulating life with a crappy, heavy cast. It can be so much worse, always.

***
This has been a Finish the Sentence Friday (er… Monday???) post, with the prompt of “Back to School.” If it weren’t for the amazingly lovely Tamara, who had already written, I’m not sure I’d have posted this week at all. Thanks, my friend. Thanks, to all of you, always. You matter, in whatever existence you’re experiencing tonight.

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  • Kenya G. Johnson - Aww is surgery a definite or the ortho appointment will determine that? I feel your mommy pain and at the same time I’m telling you not to beat yourself up that you didn’t know. When Christopher was 2 months old I had a new red robe from Victoria Secret. Not long after having it, Christopher got a bad rash over his entire face that the doctor called contact dermatitis. The rash went on not his head and eventually complete baldness on the sides. So he had a not on purpose Mohawk and it wasn’t cute. People told me that would have happened anyway with his hair because they rub their hair out. But I blame it on the rob and still to this day wish for a do over.August 20, 2019 – 6:24 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - We found out yesterday that no surgery’s needed! He’ll have an x-ray again on Tuesday to be sure the bones aren’t moving in his new huge cast but it was good news! Poor buddy Christopher with his rash! I wonder what the heck was going on with the robe. Yikes.August 21, 2019 – 12:25 pmReplyCancel

      • Kenya - Yay no surgery! As for the robe – the “red” dye 🙁August 22, 2019 – 5:40 pmReplyCancel

  • Emily - Ohhh Kristi, so sorry that Tucker broke his arm, but PLEASE try not to beat yourself up about not rushing him to the doctor– we have ALL done that, like the time my son insisted he was sick but I made him go to school anyway and of course he threw up when he got there. And then there’s the time my brother broke his collarbone, but my dad who was a RADIOLOGIST!!! made him wait until the morning so he could bring him to be x-rayed at the hospital where my dad worked (which was a 45 min drive away), rather than rushing him to the local ER that night. Anyway, it sounds like Tucker was brave during the ordeal…I hope he heals very quickly and this becomes one of those blurry moments that you can even maybe someday laugh about, just like my brother does when he tells the collarbone story. xoxoAugust 20, 2019 – 11:42 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Ok the story about your dad cracks me up and makes me feel better! Thank you! And sending them sick to school – I think we’ve done that too. You always have to hope they’ll be fine, and sometimes, there’s vomit to prove us wrong. 😉August 21, 2019 – 12:26 pmReplyCancel

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