It started with this hammock. It's pretty innocuous really. Actually it's quite comfortable and something we all enjoy. However, it happened to be badly placed on Davin's path between playing on the tramp and coming into dinner. I've seen him hop over it dozens of times with his long legs (and maybe I should have thought to move it sooner) but this time he didn't quite clear it and instead it caught his foot unexpectedly, pulling him fast to the cement below. His left elbow took the brunt of the fall and as he came into the family room holding the sagging limb, Chris knew right away that Davin's arm was broken. I was in the garage, sanding a table when Chris poked his head out the door and let me know the news. Only taking a minute to change my clothes, Davin and I headed for the nearest urgent care.
Davin has had a couple of minor breaks. When he was one he rolled off of Oma Nissen's bed in his sleep and broke his clavical. When he was five, he stood on top of a soccer ball at a summer sports camp and landed hard on his arm, causing a buckle fracture. Both were relatively small breaks and only required a sling or a cast. I thought for sure that we would be in and out of the urgent care within an hour or so. However, after taking one look at his arm, the doctor sent us to the San Ramon ER.
At the San Ramon ER, the friendly staff did x-rays and helped Davin to feel comfortable with a shot of morphine. They gave him a new bracelet to add to his collection.
After reviewing the x-rays, they determined that he likely needed surgery and that would require a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, a specialty that they didn't have on staff. Instead they required us to take an ambulance ride to Oakland Children's Hospital. Davin wasn't excited about the fancy ride but he did his best to stay tough and keep calm.
When we got to Oakland Children's, it was nearly 10 PM. We remained in the ER for a couple of hours while they reviewed the x-rays and then determined that Davin needed surgery. They couldn't do the surgery that night so we needed to stay the night and do the surgery in the morning. It was a long night for both of us as we hadn't planned on staying the night anywhere (remember how I had been sanding a table only a few hours earlier?). In addition, they wouldn't let Davin eat anything because he was supposed to have surgery at any moment. They moved us to a room in the surgery wing and out of the ER; while grateful for the move, we were bummed to see that we had roommates so it was a bit cozy. We managed to get some sleep but it was less than ideal.
Despite all of the crazy, Davin was really calm and patient. I was so proud of the way that he handled himself throughout the whole ordeal. There were a lot of unknowns but he handled it without becoming upset or worried. Of course we were both excited when Chris met us the next morning and I could change into some fresh clothes and Davin could play on his phone.
We waited until mid afternoon to finally talk to the orthopedic surgeons. The news was disappointing. The fracture was worse than expected and they decided to wait on surgery so that they could have more time to prepare and to let the arm reduce its swelling. The pediatric surgeon wanted an adult trauma surgeon to do the surgery as Davin's elbow is past the "pediatric" stage. We are apprehensive to say the least but hopeful that the upcoming surgery will yield the desired result and restore Davin to full functionality.
Because we didn't have surgery for another week, they let us leave the hospital and go home. We were all excited about that news! Davin and I were STARVING as we hadn't eaten since the previous day. Chris treated us to a stop at A+ Burgers and they were pretty incredible. Not "break your arm for this" incredible, but still incredible.
Davin is on doctor's orders to keep his arm elevated, iced, and medicated. He needs to keep his hand active as well. Basically he needs to sit on the couch until Wednesday and play Xbox. He's doing a pretty good job enjoying this part of the injury but admittedly one cannot play Xbox all day without getting a little tired of it. However, he has managed to keep up his spirits and we are doing our best to keep him entertained.
It would have helped if BYU could have won their game against Utah but we still had fun watching it outside and having Chicago-style hot dogs.
Comments