Fun Times

For posterity.  And for any other family member that ever goes through something similar.  Maybe this will provide peace of mind?  But mostly posterity.

I was in the office with Lewis talking about something.  The baby was awake and G was asking for something (probably to play video games).  I asked him to go into his sisters room and turn on the light and wait for me.

Within 90seconds I hear caterwauling of the "OMG I'M IN PAIN" variety so I fly up the stairs and J is laying face down in her crib writhing and screaming and G looks horrified and wide eyed.

"She said she wanted out!" he explains.  He goes on to say in so many words that he tried to lift her out by her arm.  I get her out we try to calm her down but "OOOOOOWWWWWWIE" is about all she's saying.  We try her favorite activity (book reading) but she won't use her arm to turn pages or point and she is slightly calmer but still saying owie.

I am confident her shoulder is out of socket.  But it didn't look like it was out of socket.  So then I got worried he'd broke her wrist.  Lew thought it was probably just sore and she'd get over it.  We wait about 10 minutes (probably closer to 8) but with repeated owie at high volume I said I was taking her in.

It should be noted here that the only reason I didn't blow up and lose my mind at my son is because my partner was around to keep me in check.  There are good things that come from two parent households.  I was consumed with worry for J.  Lew was able to see how tore up G was over the whole thing.

I told G to clean the house and it better be clean by the time I got back.

Putting J in the carseat was awful.  Scream scream scream.  Getting her out was awful.  Scream scream scream.  Walking her in to the ER was awful.  By this time she's so out of her mind in pain I'm sobbing with her and I can't hear anything around me except her crying.  We get inside the clinic and the nurses are talking to me and I can't hear anything.  I find the insurance card / ID and she's talking and I can't hear a word.  After about 90 seconds a nurse comes out and ushers us back and get us in a room.  J is only a little calmer and it's because I'm. Not. Moving.  Any movement makes her just scream ---- "OWIE!!!!"

I felt awful.  Awful.  In my children's sheltered existence there have not been many instances of pain. Like other than booboos.  You know?

The doc comes in.  He looks at her and says she's going to be great in ten seconds.  He pulls and aligns her arm and she lets out a shrill cry of pain.  She was not better in ten seconds.  She was indignant and grumpy.

But she was no longer screaming OWIE!

She had what's called nurse maids elbow.  Easy peasy.  A lot of moms would just have popped it back in.  I'm not that mom.  The doc told me I could try at home but if it was something else (shoulder or broken) I could risk damaging it and I said "nope, not for me, I'll pay my copay and have you do it."

She was a diva the rest of the day.  Needy and moody.  But after she had a full meal and some motrin she was right as rain and she went straight to bed till morning.  And today she's herself.

It's super crazy though because yesterday at this time she could not move her arm.  Could not.  Screaming in pain.

Today - nothing different.  Full range of motion.  Easy peasy.

G felt like garbage.  And he's been super solicitous towards her since.  Lew had a big talk with him and helping and protecting his sister but I think in his mind he was doing that.  He thought he was helping.  We went over with him the right way to pick up sister.  We also said ...

Don't.

It was the first use of the new insurance.  And I must have lucked into a preferred clinic (cause I totally didn't check) and it was only my specialist copay, which was nice.  Or maybe it was normal hours for them?  Dunno.  But it was nice.  Not that it mattered.  I was fully prepared to pay the ER copay.  Anything to stop the OWIE! screaming.