Broken Arm Story

First of all, thanks to all of you for caring and for doing what you could to help Daniel and I out this week. Even though there wasn't too much everyone could do, your calls and prayers were very much appreciated! what a week :)

So for those of you who don't know the exact story. On Halloween night towards the end of our trick or treating experience we were leaving a house and I picked up Teagan because he was getting fussy. As we were walking down their sidewalk I forgot I had to take a small step up (it was a random little change in the pavement) and I tripped over it. Instead of dropping Teagan or letting my hands catch me, I held on to him and let my knees and left elbow hit the cement first. Teagan and my belly hit the ground but after the other parts of me did! I instantly picked him up because he was crying and made sure he was okay then realized "wow my arm is really hurting". Daniel turned around and came right over freaking out because his back was to us when it happened and all he saw and heard was Teagan screaming and his pregnant wife on the face down on the ground. Yes as some of you know...he used a choice word or two during this time. :) Don't worry I scolded him in the van afterwards.. haha

I got up and walked to the van holding my arm and we went home. I instantly sat on the couch and started poking around on my belly to see if the baby would move for me. I drank some juice and waited a few more minutes. Nothing..so we decided if for anything else we needed to head to the ER to get the baby checked out. I then took off my sweatshirt to take a look at my arm and my elbow area was starting to swell quite a bit already. It has become hard to bend my arm because of the swelling and it was starting to throb. From past experiences...I knew this wasn't the best sign!

We called Shannon and asked him to come over and stay with our boys and get them to bed and we headed off to the ER. They checked out the baby's heartbeat and it all sounded great. He also started to move around a bit as well and by the end of our ER stay was pushing and moving more back to normal. So I felt much better!

My arm continued to swell. They took xrays and we got checked into a room in the ER. They started an IV on me and gave me two doses of morphine. Boy was that an experience. We were told at first they thought I had broken my arm in 3 spots. The radius, humerus, and the olecranon (the tip of my elbow). They said the good news it wasn't displaced but they were having an orthopedic surgeon take a look at my scans from home. they came back later and said after having 3 doctors look at it in the ER they think the two bone fractures were old breaks. But they continued to tell us at least twice throughout the night I would need some type of procedure (meaning surgery) to fix the olecranon. Of course I cried some just knowing what that might entail. I had broke that same bone in 5th grade and had surgery and wires put in my arm so I was just relating it back to that experience. And of course I had broken this arm again after that just due to my OI and having brittle bones. So this was the 3rd time.

They put on a splint/cast, wrapped it and sent me home with codeine and a HUGE cast type thing that they said not to take off until I see the surgeon this week. So that is what I did. No bending or my arm or use of my hand for 2 1/2 days which was definitely frustrating and overwhelming at times. Tears definitely came on Wednesday and Thursdya morning the more I realized the things I couldn't do on my own or how long they took me to do with only one hand. Daniel stayed home with us and helped with the boys and to just to keep our house running. I did what I could one handed for sure because we all know I am not one to just sit around. I would go crazy :) Daniel learned how to curl my hair and put it in a pony tail! what a great guy :)




Yesterday (thursday) we went to see the Dr. Summers and ortho doctor in Cary. He had looked at my scans from home the night I was in the ER and the more he looked at them yesterday he said he does not think I need surgery at least right now. He did say there are two pieces of bone in my arm that really shouldn't be there and not sure exactly where they came from. They could have formed from a previous injury or what not but it is hard to tell since they don't have xrays of my arm pre-falling this week. And my arm bones don't look exactly normal anyway since I have broken it 2 times already and fallen on it once (not breaking it) but injured it badly as a kid. He said those two bones could come out but it is nothing he would do right now especially being pregnant. But it may be good to do later on to try and give my arm more mobility and less sensitivity. So it is more of an "elective surgery". Check out the xrays.. you can see the bones :)

see those two extra pieces of bone by my elbow..interesting!!

So we were definitely thinking surgery when we walked into the office and thought it was just a matter of "when" but were elated to find out that may not be the case. I am in a smaller cast/splint that I can take off to shower now YAY but must wear the rest of the day. I still can't bend my arm but have use of my fingers and hand. My hand and wrist are swollen but usable but I do need to watch how much I use it, but it was definitely sore and more swollen last night after doing more with it yesterday. My arm is continuing to get more dark purple by the hour but hoping that means it is at least healing.

We are going for a 2nd opinion on Monday to Triangle Orthopedics to see their hand, wrist, and elbow specialist. I have gone there before and really enjoyed that practice. I just want to make sure waiting on the elective surgery will not cause any future problems for me and that this doctor also agrees with the prognosis and treatment this doctor has me doing right now. I really would like to get at least the mobility that I had before back to be able to use my arm as "normally" as I can..well what has been normal for me for almost 20 years.

I would have to say 2011 has given us some emotional moments.. finding out we were pregnant (not super stressful but more like whoa that was quick!), tornado hitting our house, moving out, some other family stuff that has been going on, and now a broken arm. I am confident it ending with a new precious baby boy in our lives will be great but MAN am I ready for 2012 to start and hopefully be less crazy :) I may have set a new record this year with how many days I have cried total!!!

You could continue to pray that my arm heals well and that the doctor on Monday agrees with the treatment plan. I do think if he agrees on the elective surgery we will probably do that next year sometime. So just pray for wisdom and discernment on that for us and the doctors. And did I mention I am 35 weeks pregnant and we will have a baby in about a month! So crazy...