11/22/2007 Olivia Broke her Leg!!! UGHHH!!!

As you all know Olivia started Kindergarten a few weeks back, which she loves.

Well today they call me and tell me that there was an accident, and Olivia got her leg stuck in her stroller. She has a personal aid, and this is the person that was pushing the stroller. They said that she has been screaming for over 15 minutes. So they put her on the phone so that I can talk to her and try to calm her down. She says "mommy my leg hurt... please come". They tell me they don't think she is REALLY hurt. I said my daughter is very tough and didn't scream like that after her surgery. So SOMETHING is wrong… So I said I was going to come pick her up.

So I drive to get her, and she is still screaming… clearly in pain. Her eyes are big and puffy, like she has been screaming awhile. The aid again tells me that she doesn't think she is REALLY hurt... I didn't say anything to her, because I was a little in shock that she would say that. My daughter NEVER screams like that, even when she does get hurt, she normally just brushed it off. So I KNOW that something is wrong. The aid did apologize and seemed to have felt bad that she was crying.

I take her to the car… she is still sobbing and she screams when I have to lift her to put her in the car (despite how careful I was being) so I decide to take her to Shriners … I was actually scheduled to go there this morning anyway to get a temporary handicapped parking sticker (parents are rude when I leave my car at the curb to take my daughter in and pick her up from school, and I didn't want to ILLEGALLY park in the handicapped space, I don’t have time to explain her situation to every parent at that school) She was also in pain since her cast removal last Thursday, so we had used her left over codeine from her surgery for the weekend and now we needed more. However this morning she did fine with no pain meds, she didn’t cry when I got her dressed or put her in the car at all. Which she had the previous days, so it seemed that her stiffness had worn off to some degree.

So I go straight to Shriners, Olivia cries the entire way there (about 30-40 minutes) It took allot longer since I had to drive really slow as every little bump she was screaming. I called my husband and told him that something was really wrong with her.

I finally get there and ask to see her doctor (I didn't want to go to an ER as Shriners is awesome, and is more familiar with her medical condition... which is rare, and I knew they would be faster and they are FREE, which is great since we are still trying to pay for her dental bill this month.

Olivia’s care coordinator comes down, she sees how Olivia is crying and I explain to her what little I know about what happened. They take her to x-ray and take several x-rays of her leg were she said it hurts. And her hip to make sure it is still in socket. Which of course she screamed almost the entire time. The x-ray techs asked what the heck happened to her, as she is always so happy for them (you always see the same techs at Shriners), so I explained the situation. They all felt so bad for her, even Thursday when she was in pain after her cast removal, she was laughing and happy most of the time even at x-ray... just when you moved her she would say "BE CAREFUL MOMMY...OWIE"… pointing to her leg.

So we get the X-rays back, and they tell us that it looks like her leg is BROKEN.... nice!! My first though is they would put another huge cast… her hip is fragile still and I know she can't have a heavy cast on her leg, as it can pull on her hip, which could dislocate it. I was very happy to learn that this type of break (and were it was) heals quickly and they only had to splint her leg, so we can remove it and bath her, and they said it should heal in 2-3 weeks.

I called the school and told the receptionist (who is so sweet by the way) and she couldn't believe it. She said that they would need to fill in an accident report. I told them that they could call Shriners to verify her injury. I am sure that they are worried we will sue. But despite the fact that we would love extra money for Olivia's dental work… LOL I would only sue someone if I felt they intentionally injured my child or were really neglectful. I really believe it was an accident, and Olivia being our 5th child, I know that sometimes things happen even when you are being careful. Olivia bones are more brittle from her condition, and malnutrition and being in a cast so long makes them more brittle. So it wouldn’t take as much pressure to break her bones as a normal healthy child.

Anyway that is the end of my saga for the day. Olivia got pain meds for on the way home from the hospital, so she has been sleeping about two hours now. I feel so bad for her, it is not as if she doesn't have enough things to go through in the next few months, or that she hasn't been through enough.

We meet with hand specialist next month and the surgeon to begin our treatment plan for her two feet. Hopefully her leg is healed in time :( We had hoped to have her in swimming lessons this week, to really help with her hip etc. (we were waiting for her pain level to go down to were she didn’t need pain meds, which it seemed to be there just this morning) So now she can't really do any therapy or move well again. They wanted her to really get some strength during her break between her hip and her feet surgeries but I don't see that happening :(

Se please send your prayers Olivia’s way that she will heal quickly and will return to her happy self. She has just loved school and asks us everyday to go, even on the weekends. Now she is begging me not to go back to school :( So I hope that we can make school a happy place again, I hate the thought of dragging her to school when she is begging not to go.