Just a little 'break'

He is fine...

However SmallBoy decided to give us a bit of a scare on Wednesday night - gosh, that's only yesterday! He was ambling across the beams of the fernery which connects to the roof, as 11yo indestructible boys are known to do and, navigating the edge beam, lost his balance and fell. Like a cat, he landed on his feet. 

Unlike a cat, humans should not land on their feet from distances, especially those higher than the 2+ metres he did. So, after many many hours in hospital - from 6pm to midnight - it's good to know he has no compression spinal or neck injuries. He does, however, have a broken talus - a type 1 fracture so it is a clean, straight break - but not the typical childhood fracture and one bone which may require wiring or pins as it is still growing. 

We won't know if surgery is definite until Monday as the swelling is too severe at this stage to confirm whether it is aligned by good fortune or the swelling is what is holding the bone in place. He is not allowed to weightbare at all - he must lie with his ankle raised above his heart for the next four days. 

Please don't think we are making light of his accident ~ but that is what we see it as - an accident. Surprisingly for us, one doctor did make us all feel 'this big' with his opinion of having a little boy playing on the roof. Roof - tree - trampoline ~ for us it was wonderful to see SmallBoy trying to do something adventurous outside, away from 'screens' and with a confidence he does not often display. Kids are so wrapped up in a proverbial cotton-wool, when they do act 'naturally' condemning them is not appreciated. Especially when the act didn't pan-out as planned! 

Poor boy was a mess of distress. 'Scuse the 'French' but shit happens - kids fall, scrape and break things - then they mend, get up and carry on! Do you rush them inside when it rains so they can't get wet? $10 someone said yes - but the correct answer is NO. Let them play - rain wets, it doesn't kill! Mud gets them dirty, it doesn't kill. Falling doesn't hurt ~ its the sudden stop on a hard surface which hurts, breaks even - so does coming off a horse, scooters or roller-skates.  

Ironically I did the first part of my cert 2 first aid Wednesday afternoon, breaks and sprains and bandaging and less than an hour later there is need for practical application of the theory. The instructor said one would know if there was a break - and I did know it was broken. Even better, I knew what to do - and that was ignore Husband's opinion it was ok, maybe a strain and wait until tomorrow. Did the 'support and immobilise the limb', using a magazine and bandage. More frightening for me was when SmallBoy went into shock, but I also knew what to do and that helped keep the calm. Oi vie!!

So - Fingers crossed it all stays in place and he escapes with no surgery - I'm not confident this is going to be the case but we'll know more Monday if he doesn't end up back in before then. We've got some specific signs to look for - if any arise we need to be straight back. Already he is complaining of some additional neck pain but I am not going to panic unless when I check again in the morning the same area is hurting. Part of me says it is nothing, the other says its a strained muscle. I do not feel there is a greater issue than that but - if it is still painful in the morning, straight into the car - we'll head up to get it checked further. 

Less than 24hrs post accident, he is tired of laying on his back doing very little. He is 'sending me to school' tomorrow to pick up his NetBook, homework and some library books. Bored, sore and a little vague due to pain killers - only paracetamol and ibuprofen but he's never really had anything like that before, aside from as a baby with a high temperature. As everything here was out of date (and usually is the next time we have to use it for a second time), we've had to buy them - again... 

Because there was the chance SmallBoy was going to theatre - no food was given while he lay in Bay13 *irony* and 'everything' in Ballarat selling decent food closes by 830pm on a weeknight. Chemists here stay open later than restaurants mid-week! What's more, only TWO take-away outlets are open past 11pm - both displaying the same golden arches - and only the two in the centre of town. The 'account' went:

Hospital care - free 

Paracetamol - $3.90

Ibuprofen - $5.35

McDonalds - $35.80

Able to bring SmallBoy home - priceless

I am rambling now ~ so very very tired. The care SmallBoy received was brilliant - the nursing staff were caring, the orthopaedic surgeon had a brilliant bedside manner and ensured SmallBoy did not become any more anxious about the likely need for an operation. He decided it was better to send him home rather than stay in overnight, as was going to happen. We didn't get home and settled into bed until after 2am, SmallBoy woke me moaning a few times, needed water at 5am (thank you Husband) and I had to get to the second day of First Aid by 930am - it was a struggle on such little sleep. OK - must go, sleep - tired - rambling - yawning uncontrollably and making silly typos  - thank goodness for spell check! 

Yes - he was posing for a picture to send to school...

Night all - chat over the weekend - catch up then :D