Sunday morning we all got up. I ran out to pick up a tasty treat for breakfast--a dozen donuts, a large sweet tea, and a mocha coolta--not all of me, of course! But Dunkin Donuts for breakfast--Can't get any better than that. Aw, life is so sweet!
I quickly returned home. But, as I walked in the door, I am greeted by "Peg-Leg Pete," otherwise known as Brandt. He limped toward me at a snail pace. Perpelexed by such unfamiliar behavior, I asked Darrin what on Earth had happened.
Well, as it turns out, Brandt was sitting in his Elmo chair--getting his cartoon on--when he decided to get up. As he was gettting up to walk off, he got a toy caught around his foot. Instantly he let out the most horrific wail and tears quickly flooded his face.
Now, Brandt falling is no phenomenon. It happens every day, usually twenty times a day. He falls. He runs into walls. He gets hurt. That's just how it goes. But, he almost never cries, and he has certainly never limped before. So, where this reaction was coming from was alaraming.
Brandt hobbled over. "u-mama.... hurt....u-doctor....."
I giggled, thinking it was cute. Now, I am not the parent that makes a federal production over every little boo-boo. Kids get hurt. They heal. Life goes on.
So, I figured we would distract him with a little TV. You know, get him off his feet, let it rest, and see how it was after an hour. So, "Thomas the Train" captivated his attention and took the tension off his foot.
An hour later, he was done with sitting--and done with TV. He hobbled his way to the kitchen for a drink. He didn't whimper or make any mention of his foot bothering him. And, yet, he hobbled and wobbled. Darrin and I looked at each other, and we knew this was not our usually bump on the leg, scraped knee, or knot on the head.
We immediately took him to a walk-in clinic. The physican did a series of x-rays, reviewed them, and send us back for more x-rays. His findings were unclear. It did not appear to be a break, though he mentioned that breaks may take longer to appear in young children. The doctor went off into the usual medical jargon that no one really understands, except for the doctor himself. In the end he concluded that Brandt probably sustained a hairline fracture to his ankle. The nurses wrapped him in a knee-to-toe splint, and the attending physician told us to follow-up with our pediatrician in four days.
So, today Darrin took him to the pediatrician to follow-up. After a quick physical exam and review of the previous X-rays, Brandt was referred to an Orthopedist.
Luckily, the Orthopedist was able to squeeze him in today. The orthopedist was very thorough and knowledgable. She also reviewed the X-rays, but found them to be of low-grade quality. She did a physical exam of the foot and immediately found the problem. She felt the top of Brandt's foot and noted an abnormality. She then followed up her hypothesis with her own series of X-rays. These X-rays affirmed her findings, and she concluded that Brandt has a fracture in his forefoot (not his ankle)--specifically a fracture of his most-outer tarsil.
So now Brandt will be booted for at least the next two weeks. Then, he will return for more X-rays to see how or if the injury has healed and if there is any calcium build-up. From there, we will discuss if further treatment is needed. Still, I am so glad that the slippery, hard splint is gone; I was just waiting for him to fall and bust his head with that mess.
So, in the meantime, we are booted.
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