And the Worst Mom of the Year award goes to…

Imagine 70 degree weather, perfect blue skies, a slight breeze in the air, and the sound of children laughing and squealing with excitement to be outside – it looked like spring came early this past Wednesday. We neighborhood moms were enjoying some small talk while watching our little cherubs play with toys, ride bikes, and create sidewalk chalk master pieces. Mason joined the bikers while Morgan continued to flip-flop between her Barbie-cycle and having a tea party.

It did not take long for the contents from most of our garages to spill out all over the walkways. A medium sized toy truck managed to position it’s self right in the middle of the sidewalk. My boy immediately saw the obstacle, and had the option to ride around it or run over it. Evel Knievel goes straight down the middle for a spectacular stunt. As the front wheel collides into the truck, the bike abruptly stops causing boy and vehicle to slam hard on the left side of the pavement. High pitched wailing ensued soon after gravity took over. Past experience reminded me to stay calm, slowly approach embarrassed son, and look around to see what friends were watching before asking if he needed my help. My heart sunk as he shook his head no. I can’t begin to tell you the agony I felt as I witnessed him in pain, nor the restraint it took to stay right where I stood. Thankfully Isabella, an adorable spunky two and a half year old, runs over to my dare devil to give him a hug and kiss! Once he has calmed down, Mason stands up and walks directly over to Isabella’s Oma (That’s grandmother in German.) for more comfort. (And yes, it’ killed me that my boy still wouldn’t let me console him.) At this point we were able to assess his injury. All looked good.

It wasn’t until I tucked Mason into bed that night when I realized his left hand was swollen. Playing basketball in middle school gave me an abundant knowledge of jammed fingers and sprains. Since he could move his fingers, I felt confident an ace bandage and Motrin would do the trick. On Thursday afternoon while waiting to pick up my seven year old at school, one of my friends, Michelle, asked what had happened to Mason. Her daughter is in my son’s class, and she was a chaperone for their field trip that day. When I explained the situation, she strongly advised to have it checked out. Michelle mentioned the possibility of a hair-line fracture, and I couldn’t get home fast enough to make a call to the pediatrics’ office. We were able to get an appointment in thirty minutes. Once our doctor checked it out, she gave the option of going to After Hours Pediatrics for an x-ray that evening or to wait another day to see if the swelling goes down. After discussing the options with Scott via cell phone, we decided to wait.

This morning the swelling had stopped, but now bruising had appeared. Scott and I just had to find out. Since we wanted Mason’s x-ray experience to be kid-friendly, we decided to use the After Hours Pediatrics which was also suggested for us. We arrived promptly at 5 PM, filled out three pages of paper work, and waited for our turn. The staff was so friendly and helpful. The doctor, well, he’s another story. Apparently he left his bed-side manners at home. But aside from grilling Scott and I over how the accident happened, if he wore a helmet (Doh!), why we were here and not at the hospital, and being condescending towards our son, we wasn’t that bad. Actually, we had just met the pediatric version of House. Mason could not contain his excitement over the x-ray machine! About twenty minutes later we had the verdict. Knievel had a hair-line fracture on the 5th metacarpal bone in his left hand. They placed his left arm in a splint, wrapped it carefully in an ace bandage, and placed it in a sling. Mason couldn’t have been prouder of his injury. Though I’m wondering how long it will take before he realizes he can’t ride his bike or play video games. Before leaving the office, they handed us his x-ray photos and a list of orthopedic doctors. Yes, that’s right – Doctor #3! I’m hoping to find one ASAP since we leave for New York City a week from today. Once we find a doctor on the list who takes our insurance, they will properly set Mason’s hand for it to heal. So we won’t know until then if it’s a cast or a brace. We gave Evel the honor to choose our dinner destination, and what a fine choice he made – Mellow Mushroom.

Thankfully Mason is OK even with our two day wait, but now I know if this happens again to have it checked out immediately. It was not until I read the discharge instructions regarding a fracture did I realize the severity of my decision to wait. “By the time six or more hours have passed after a fracture, there is an outpouring of blood and body fluids, and many of the tissues have lost their elasticity” which can translate to improper healing and/or blood poisoning. So please, let this blog be a reminder to all who are not familiar with broken bones to always have any questionable injuries checked out. Believe me, I have learned my lesson and am so grateful that is was not at the expense of my son’s health.