From cast to brace

I am several weeks late posting this update on AC's arm. Sorry! Things have been hectic (as usual). On May 4 the doctor removed the waterproof cast. We were excited because swim lessons started that day and we have vacation coming at the end of the month.

Her arm was a little discolored and had some bruising and blisters.

We were surprised when the doctor came in and told us Anna Catherine would have to wear this brace for a month.

It will take her arm another month to completely heal. He had never mentioned this while discussing his plan of action for her arm. If he had, I would have insisted on keeping the waterproof cast on until we return from vacation. The brace can not get wet. Luckily it is removable so she takes it off when washing her hands, before bath time, and when we go swimming. The doctor said to be careful not to bang it, slip at the pool, limit athletic activities, etc. WHY!?! WHY didn't he leave the waterproof cast on her arm? He knew about the swim lessons and our vacation. It would have been so much easier to have kept the waterproof cast. I am so afraid she is going to hit her arm on the side of a waterslide/waterpark ride, slip at the pool, fall while running/playing, etc. It would have eased my mind to have kept the waterproof cast on for another month. It was hard and indestructible and made me feel safe. Oh well, there's nothing I can do now except hope and pray that she does not have an accident and re-injure herself.

Cast #3

April 17, 2009---Anna Catherine had a great check-up at the ortho today. Her arm is healing nicely so they removed the blue above-the-elbow cast. Anna Catherine said it tickled. When they removed her cast, her arm was a yellow-green hue and smelled terrible. We eagerly washed her arm with soap and water but it still had an odor. She said her arm was itchy and I meant to put lotion on it before Dr. Robbins but cast#3 on but I forgot. Hope the itching isn't too bad :)

It was replaced with a below-the-elbow waterproof cast. Dr. Robbins needed an extra set of hands and AC was happy to help.

This time AC opted for a glow-in-the-dark cast. It appears to be a yellowy white but glows a green color in the dark. Did I mention the cast is waterproof too?!?!?! She can take showers on her own and not worry about it. So awesome!!!!!!

After her doctor's appointment we drove to Pontotoc so the kids could stay at Grandmother's house while Rick and I had a kid-free weekend with friends in Oxford. The kids went to a cousin's birthday party on Saturday and AC was able to have this cast signed by family members.

Hopefully she'll only have to wear this one for two weeks.

arm update

April 10, 2009---Anna Catherine had a follow-up appointment with her ortho doctor today and she got a good report. The bones had not shifted (YAY!!!...no rebreaking of the bones was necessary) and the hot pink cast was removed. I took one last picture of it because her friends at school had signed it.

The hot pink cast was replaced with a blue fiberglass cast that she must wear for one week. On Friday we will go back for another check-up and hopefully get a below the elbow water-proof cast.

"Hey y'all...watch this!"

---the famous last words of a redneck---and so our story begins---

April 5, 2009---We picked up the kids from grandmother's house Sunday afternoon. Anna Catherine was eager to show us how she could climb to the top of the swing set, hold onto the top bar with her hands, pull her feet up to the bar, and flip off landing on her feet. She did this twice for us but had apparently been doing all afternoon. As we were packing up the van she asked to do it one more time. I should have said "NO"!!!!!! But, I said okay and turned to put more things into the van. Immediately I heard shrieking screams and AC was holding her arm. We knew she was hurt but couldn't tell if it was broken, sprained, bruised internally, etc. Rather than going to a doctor there we decided to get on the road and make a decision once we were home. Grandmother made an ice pack for the ride home. It was still swollen and hurting when we got home. I asked if she wanted to go to the hospital but she was tired and just wanted to go to sleep. I gave her motrin and iced it again before going to bed. We went to the doctor Monday morning and the x-ray showed that she had broken her wrist--a clean break all the way across. We were referred to a pediatric orthopedic specialist that afternoon. The bones in her wrist had shifted so Dr. Robbins had to push them back into place to set her arm. Can you say PAINFUL?!?! He put a temporary cast on that allowed for swelling. AC had a rainbow of colors to choose from and she opted for hot pink. She will have three casts over the next several weeks.

Vandy Weekend

September 19-20, 2008---This is the weekend we look forward to every year. Our nearest and dearest college friends come in town for one football game each season. We start planning it at least 7-10 months in advance. Everyone clears their schedules for this one weekend. Well, this year, six weeks before the big event, Rick's company tells him that he has to be out of town that week. Mind you, we ordered tickets for this game in March. All of our friends have hotel rooms and flight arrangements reserved. And Rick is going to miss seeing his fraternity brothers. He was not happy to say the least!!!!

Friday night we ate dinner in Oxford at Tequila's. I took all three kids which wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, Anna Catherine had fallen at recess that day and her arm was hurting all night so she wasn't in the best of moods (we'll talk about the arm more later). Afterwards, everyone went to the Bergeron's house to hang out. During this time Chloe knocked my camera out of my hand and it broke. So, thanks to all the friends who e-mailed their pictures from the weekend to me. I had none of my own.

On Saturday morning I took Jackson and Chloe to Grandmother's house (the daytime babysitter who took them to a cousins' house as the nighttime sitter) and Anna Catherine and I headed to the Grove. We were prepared for possible rain--which did come--with our rain boots. She and I did get caught in the rain after leaving the "Walk Through". You can see that we look a little soggy in the pictures. Anna Catherine's arm continued to hurt throughout the day so we iced it on and off for the entire day. It was also swollen and had limited movement. It just hung by her side all day and she preferred to sit and talk to the adults rather than running around and playing with her friends (more to come later).

It wasn't a very good football game. We lost. But that doesn't matter. Hurt arm and all, we enjoyed seeing friends we only see once or twice a year (if even that). We really appreciate them taking the time and effort to make the trip back to Ole Miss each year.

After the game, Anna Catherine and I went back to the Grove and packed up our things. Scott and Andrea helped haul our belongings to the van and we headed to the BMH-Oxford emergency room. After 4-5 hours of waiting, x-rays, and more waiting, it was determined that Anna Catherine had fractured the growth plate in her elbow. They casted her arm and sent us home with a prescription for Tylenol 3. She and I had been awake for 23 hours when we got home. We were able to sleep for about four hours before going to pick up Jackson and Chloe and my cousins' house around noon (only twelve hours later than planned). We were exhausted!!!!!!!!!! These photos were taken with Rick's camera phone.

Arm update: Having Anna Catherine in a cast was like having another baby. She couldn't feed herself, bathe herself, or dress herself. Did I mention that she is right handed and it was her right elbow that was fractured. We went to an orthopedist several days later who removed the cast. He said her arm would become stiff (and require therapy) if the growth plate were kept in the same position for an extended period of time. Anna Catherine wore a sling during the day but took it off at night and moved her elbow to prevent the stiffness. We saw the orthopedist at two week intervals for the next month. On October 17 Anna Catherine was allowed to remove the sling completely but her arm still had three weeks to heal. That was seven weeks of no gymnastics, running, playing, P.E., or recess which was a hard thing for a five year old to do!! She is much better now and I hope that she (and the others) never have to go through that again. It was not a fun experience for anyone.