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Jax’s Broken Arm

It was a busy Wednesday morning.  I had just dropped Sadie off at school.  Ethan was at the counter drawing; Charlie and McKay were playing with toys just around the corner from me.  I was chatting with my dad while loading the breakfast dishes. Jax was over by the sofa playing with an exercise ball.  My dad and I finished our conversation and he walked off into his room.  I turned to put a dish into the dishwasher and that’s when I heard the scream.  It was one of those awful screams when you know something is really, really wrong.  As I ran to Jax I was praying, “Please let it only be his arm and not his neck.”  As I scooped his distraught, sobbing little body off the ground he immediately grabbed his lower arm/wrist.  I knew.  I knew, alright.  I  knew I had prayed for the wrong thing!  I should have prayed, “Please don’t have any broken bones or serious injuries.”  Oh well.  You live and learn.  It was terrible timing (week with five kids) and another big bill (paying to get out of our old house; paying to get into a new one) we really didn’t need.  But at least it wasn’t his neck!

My dad came running out of his room and called for my mom who was in the computer room.  Jax’s sobs lessened and he started to turn white like he might pass out.  My mom suggested I lay him on the sofa.  After a long minute his cries picked up again.  He cried on and off for another half hour.  My dad left for a client appointment; my mom left for a doctor’s appointment.  They offered to stay but I pretty well knew the routine since we’d been through it the year before with McKay’s broken leg.  My parents were on the fence as to whether it was broken or not but I felt pretty sure it was.  I called Dr. Beck and they had availability for that afternoon.

My mom was kind enough to keep the other four kids so Ben and I could focus on Jax at the appointment.  They confirmed he had broken both the bones in his lower arm.  They asked him how he hurt himself.  He said, “I jumped from the sofa onto the exercise ball.”  I don’t expect he’ll be repeating that stunt any time soon.

His cast color selection was BYU blue.  He was thrilled with the idea of wearing a cast.  Although, his enthusiasm waxed cold shortly after we left the office.  “Mommy get this thing off me,” he said on the drive home.  “Sorry buddy – you’re stuck with it for three weeks.”  Resigned to his fate a heard a defeated, “Oooh” from the back seat.

The time passed quickly and before we knew it the day had come for the Tickle Machine to cut that cast off.  It’s quite possible I was more excited about the removal than he was.  The cast could get wet but we were strictly forbidden from going near sand or dirt.  Interpretation: beach or park.  That was a pretty big challenge.  Our five minute commute to the beach was a temptation for me the whole three weeks.  Three whole, long weeks I stayed away though.  That’s true love.

Back to the story.

We’d prepped Jax for three weeks about how the loud (but not painful) Tickle Machine would cut his cast off.  So, they called us back and Ben and Jax were ahead of McKay and I and I heard the tech say, “Is it on pretty tight?”  I was about to say, “Oh ya, that thing hasn’t budged an inch.” But before I could, I walked into the room and he had already slid the cast off of Jax’s arm.  That’s all there was to it.  Jax slid it on and off a few times and decided he preferred it on.  Hmmm.  Now why couldn’t I have gone to the beach and just slid it off and cleaned it afterwards and then replaced it?!?!?

We chatted with our dear friend, Dr. Beck, for a few minutes and then we headed out.

Jax kept sliding his cast on and off for a few hours afterwards, but finally by night time he decided he liked to go without.

We really, really like Dr. Beck but we’re hoping to only see him at church from now on!

 

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Day of Removal:

 

Doing his happy dance in the waiting room.

Doing his happy dance in the waiting room.

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  • June 8, 2014 - 6:31 pm

    Shannon - What fun pictures! Jax is such a cutie. Love the picture of him with the guy who took off his cast. What a character. You were troopers for staying away from the beach for 3 weeks. That would be hard, especially since you live so close to the ocean. I hope you are done with broken bones now. You sure have had your fill.ReplyCancel

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