Andy's Arm

At the ER, we were told that we should expect Andrew to be in a sling from 6 to 8 weeks. Less than 48 hours later, the orthopedist amended that to 3 to 4 weeks. See, in small children, the bones are not fully formed. They are still mostly cartilage and are more flexible. Instead of an outright break, like with a pencil, young bones bend, like with a healthy tree branch. Andy's bone bent, and then bounced back into shape, but through the miracle of magical and movable x-ray machines, they can tell it was broken.

Andy's arm hurts him. I had high hopes the first two days after it happened. Wednesday all Andy did was watch TV, and on Thursday I worked in my vegetable patch and he felt good enough to play outside with Nate.

I shouldn't have let him. I think he over did it.

Friday morning, Andrew woke up crying. And he fussed and whined and cried for hours. He begged me to let him go to school, but there was no way I could see that happening. I couldn't even get him dressed. See, Andrew is a little opinionated when it comes to his clothing. I suggested a button down shirt. He refused. I couldn't very well force him into it, because Andrew's shoulder is so sore that touching him or moving him the wrong way hurts him a lot. Instead, Andy kept picking out small and tight t-shirts. To wear them, he would have to wriggle into them. I tried to put them on him, but even putting the one sleeve on this arm made him cry, and then he refused to bend his head to get it into the neck of the shirt. For twenty minutes I begged and cried and coaxed and he cried and yelled and screamed, and we were both sobbing and I was wondering if we could just keep him topless and stay indoors until he was healed.

Then I went to take the fastest shower of my life, and while I did, Andy used the toilet. But he always lifts the seat, and so he kind of fell in. Not that he noticed. But when he was done, his shirt was soaking wet, and I had to put a new one on him. AAaagh!