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EmailAdventures at the ER: the broken clavicle edition
08 Dec 2012 1 Comment
in Hank the Tank Tags: broken clavicle, ER, fall out of bed, hospital
So. We had a somewhat exciting night on Wednesday. I was sitting in bed around 11:40, painting nail strengthener on my sad, sad finger nails, when a resounding thump came from the kids’ room. It was soon followed with wailing and crying and an uninterrupted stream of “OW OW OW OW OW!” Dave and I ran in and found Henry in a heap on the floor, stuffed into his sleeping bag (a beloved gift from his uncle and aunt that he rarely sleeps without). We got him back in bed, asked him where it hurt. He pointed to his right shoulder. The whole thing was odd. He would calm completely down, then let loose another stream of “OW”‘s, after which he would calm down again. We couldn’t tell if he was hurt or if it was just the shock of falling on the floor while asleep. We tucked him into bed and left the room. All was quiet for about five minutes, but then he became hysterical.
And thus another adventure at the ER was born. Henry and I got there at midnight. There was no one in the waiting room, so we were taken straight back. The doctor looked at Henry and said he thought his clavicle (collarbone) was broken. Initially I had wondered if his shoulder had dislocated, but that was not the case. Henry got some painkillers and a toasty warm blanket, both of which helped immensely. He was wheeled in his bed to the xray room, which he thought was very interesting. He’s anxious to try riding in a wheelchair so he can determine which is more fun.
The xray’s confirmed that he has a broken clavicle. The doctor said since the bones hadn’t completely separated from each other they would heal nicely without the necessity of surgery, a possibility which hadn’t even crossed my mind. They gave us a little bottle of painkiller, fit Henry up with a sling, and sent us on our way, two hours after arriving. On the ride home Henry waxed rhapsodic about how much he absolutely loves that ER, the nurses and doctors are so nice, and it’s such a great place. As soon as we came home he sat himself in the rocking chair, informed us quite sincerely that he wasn’t tired at all, and that he was perfectly happy not going to bed.
He went to bed anyway.
This morning we had a followup appointment with our pediatrician. Everything looks well. Henry gets to rock a sling for three weeks, can’t participate in gym, and has to be certain that his arm is at a 90 degree angle in his sling at all times. This is fortuitous because he is very into angles right now (I wish I was kidding) and is taking great care to ensure that his arm is as it should be.
So far this year, I’m the only member of the family that hasn’t had to go the ER. Only a few more weeks to go until 2013. Knock on wood.
K, J, and E
Dec 10, 2012 @ 20:12:48
Yowza! Poor Henry! (Or, is it lucky Henry who gets to rock a 90 degree angle for the next three weeks?!) I know what you mean, though. E gets obsessed with injuries too: blowing her nose has always been a fascination, but she’s also obsessed with coughing. Miss you guys!