Our family has officially experienced our first broken bone. I guess with a house full of boys it was bound to happen eventually, but I was hoping for a few more years! Cooper (3!) broke his arm Monday night. Yes, Memorial Day. That's when these things always happen, right? Right before bed on a holiday. The boys were wrestling and Cooper landed on his arm just right. It wasn't any major catastrophe, just a minor fall that ended badly. We didn't take him in until Tuesday morning because we just weren't sure. He seemed ok so we figured going to the pediatrician the next morning was way better than a holiday visit to the ER. Cooper cried and screamed when it happened but if you know Cooper this wouldn't have surprised you. He can be a bit dramatic. He calmed down and his arm didn't swell or bruise so we decided to wait for morning.
In the morning he was no longer cradling his arm, instead he kept it straight down by his side. He was happy and ready to play, but did NOT want us to touch or move his arm. So Jeff took him to the pediatrician. The doctor examined him for about 30 seconds and decided Cooper needed X-rays. Sure enough, he had broken both bones in the middle of his right forearm. No bruising, no swelling, no pain medication, and to the doctors amazement Cooper slept through the whole night with his broken arm.
After the X-rays our pediatrician had some trouble finding us an orthopedic doctor to cast him. Everyone's schedules were full until June! They were considering sending us to Lubbock. We were also under the impression that Cooper's bones were going to need to be set. Jeff has been through that process. He broke his wrist when he was 13. He said setting the bone was the worst pain he has felt in his life. I was scared for Cooper. If my husband said the pain was that bad I didn't know how my little 3 year old was going to stand it.
Thankfully we had friends and family praying for us and God sent us Dr. Younger. This man, we found out later, is semi-retired. He only takes a few patients. We heard second-hand that he does it as a ministry so that when 3 year old little boys have a broken arm and can't find a doctor he's available. We also discovered that he just recently underwent colon surgery and a 2nd surgery to remove a sponge that was left behind. A friend that we talked to said he didn't even know Dr. Younger was back at work yet. But he made time for us and we are so thankful.
Cooper was scared to go. He had already been through a rough day and he was scared about another doctor's visit and I was scared to take him. We gave him some prescription pain meds in anticipation of the pain he would experience then we headed to the doctor. He cried for the whole car trip over. When we got there I explained that he needed to calm down so that we could go in. I gave him permission to scream at the top of his lungs. He did and then we both took a deep breath and went in. It was amazing! I knew that we were feeling the prayers of friends and family. Cooper walked in calm and collected and played with toys while we waited.
His bones didn't need to be set. Cooper just had to sit still while the doctor squeezed his arm and made sure everything was in place. The doctor and the two women who helped him were all so incredibly nice. They kept Cooper calm and even made him smile when they brought in Dr Younger's chihuahua. Cooper picked a bright green cast which we have now dubbed his 'Hulk' arm.
Copper was so brave all day long. We're so proud of our little guy! He seemed instantly better once he had his cast on. And the next day he was back to his usual self, only with a huge green arm! Praise the Lord for great doctors and for my little CooperLoop's health. 4 short weeks and the cast comes off!
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| Waiting to get his cast |
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| Showing off that Hulk Arm! |
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| All tuckered out after a crazy day |
