The Casts

July 9th, 2008

Our first visit with the local ortho doc was today. We learned several things.
1. The bones have separated a smidge (technical term). Still doing ok though
2. He will be re-casted weekly to check his pins
3. His shoulder now needs to be immobilized to minimize movement until the bones heal

Cast color #1- Deep blue

cast #1

July 18th, 2008

Cast #2

Today turned out to be a bit of a challenge for Samuel. Cast off, pins inspected, covered and off to xray. Joe (our tech) was quick and thoughtful regarding Samuel's pain. In fact he stayed with Samuel while I stood behind the shield and took the xrays. His films look good with evidence of new bone formation.

So next we pick our cast color- blue again (after 5 mins of discussion). Samuel gets his arm in position and Evelyn puts his stocking on, then the cotton wrap and suddenly Samuel keeps mentioning he is thirsty. Not a great time to get a drink but sweet Evelyn goes and gets him a cup of water. As she is getting the water I notice Samuel getting rather pale and I'm thinking he is going to throw up. Well, quickly he gets ghost white, sweaty, and then mentions he can't see anymore- yup- the boy was seconds from passing out cold!!!! We get him on his back, a cold cloth on his forehead and some sugar in his body and he recovers. They cast him while he is on his back and off we go!


Plan:
1. Continue in cast with shoulder immobilization
2. Follow-up in 1 week- more films (yes he is shielded)
3. The rest is up in the air-
4. Questions I asked that you may be interested in

-- Total casting time- ? 4-6+ weeks, distal humerus can be slow to heal
-- Pin time- Again? need evidence of good supportive new bone formation
--PT after casting- depends on elbow mobility
-- NO elective procedures- I learned this includes teeth cleaning :)
-- Fall baseball- sign up and see what happens

Do you see the trend? Time will tell us- patience (this I lack) uncertainty- (not good with this either)


July 25th

Cast #3

Back to the doctor today. Cast off, more xrays, cast back on. Blue again :)

What we learned.

1. The pins continue to look great
2. New bone formation is slow
3. Stay the course

cast #3

August 1st, 2008

Cast #4

We saw the doc again today.

Samuel did great. His bone is not "healed" but continues to make new bone. The doc decided it was time to remove the pins- there was mild redness around the pins, nothing concerning, just don't want to push it. Samuel did very very well while the 3 pins were pulled out. He is such a tough kid.

Then time to recast again. Once again samuel nearly passed out. They casted him quickly- and off we went. Back again next week -more xrays. Cast will likely stay on 2 more weeks- but who knows.

Samuel is mentally struggling today. We had made tentative plans to go to a resort in san antonio after the cast was off in 2 weeks, but a big no by the doc for the pool- he is adjusting to life without pins- fear of making his bones worse, he is sore today and not used to hurting- that worries him.


Tonight he just sat in my lap and cried- "i don't know why mommy, i just felt i needed to cry".

A tale of a broken arm

Wednesday- July 2nd

The day it all began. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the kids were playing, we were having FUN! Then the moment that will be burned into our minds forever. A little red go-kart sideways, smoke, tiny screams. Time slows from here, but we knew instantly that his left arm, trapped under the roll bar, was broken. With the help of my brother, we got him out and up front while we waited for the ambulance. He was so brave. After being splinted by EMS, placed in a c-collar and put on a back board we headed to the local hospital. A little morphine and our boy was happy as a clam in the ambulance. "Daddy, this is really comfortable." X-rays confirmed a fractured humerus that would require surgery. This meant one more ambulance ride to Rainbow Babies and Children's hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. This would be a high-tech ride for Samuel. Comfortably sedated and splinted he watched a Scooby Doo DVD on daddy's
I-Pod.
Once at Rainbow Babies- he was greeted by Chris's 2 brothers and Pop Pop Mast. A welcome distraction. More X-rays, a new splint, more Morphine and finally, exhausted, he is allowed to sleep around 1am.

july 2nd

Thursday, July 3rd

This would prove to be a long day for all. The day was spent waiting for surgery to occur. He did not want to move a single inch of his body. However, we had a very nice set up in our room that included TV,VCR, DVD player, mini-fridge, bathroom with shower and decent guest sleeping area. Samuel spent the day soaking in the cartoon network! After a billion hours of cartoons he tired of TV and we played some Sorry and Connect four and started a game of Battleship. Child care specialists walked him through the surgery and a wonderful nurse bought him a doggy that had broken his paw too. He was lovingly named, "Sammy". The worse part was the waiting, never knowing when he would be called to surgery and the fact that Samuel had not had a single bite of food since 2 pm the day before. At 5pm the residents came charging in stating an OR had opened up and off we went. Samuel really had no fear, he was such a trooper. Just prior to surgery they informed us he had a small fracture of his right wrist also. One hour, 2 splints and 3 pins later he was out of surgery. We stayed the night to get his pain under control and make sure he could tolerate the oral pain meds and some food. Chris did some laundry in the free washer and dryer on our floor and we all fell asleep to the Discovery channel's, "how is that made?"

July 3rd

Friday, July 4th

Time to go home!! Chris and I were more than ready. Samuel was nervous to leave the safety and comfort of the hospital and none too pleased to get on his wobbly legs after being on his back for so long. He got dressed, ate some french toast and went for his first walk. Then off to the Mast's for the remainder of our trip. My mom and dad brought Benjamin to us while his Shirley cousins enjoyed a brief visit. That evening was filled with more wonderful company as several more Mast relatives made the trip to visit with all of us. The distractions were good, but the night would prove difficult. Pain was an issue this first day with a long and restless night that included a 2am showing of Scooby Doo on the ipod to calm him down until meds kicked in.

July 4th

The road to recovery...

Since that first day home, he enjoyed a day outside playing in sand, watching us play on wave runners, and taking breaks to rest. The plane trip home was uneventful. The car trip was no problem and finally the sleepless nights and stress of the previous days caught up with him as he fell asleep exhausted on our couch at home. The next days would have our Samuel emerging into the kid we know and love. The pain is gone, the smile is back and his activity level is back to normal. He smiles as he tells people what happened and debates what color cast he will pick out when he is finally casted on Wednesday the 9th.

Road to recovery

Benjamin!

This story would not be complete without a few words about Benjamin. He rubbed his brother's head as we waited for the ambulance, he cried as we headed for the hospital, he colored pictures to hang in his brother's room and he behaved better than any mother could ever ask of a 3 year old that didn't fully understand what was happening.

He would not allow my mother to sleep with him that first night, stating that Samuel would be home and need lots of room because he would have a big thing on his arm. And thanks to my parents he really enjoyed the time we were gone. I would call to check in and he would inform me that he was busy playing.

The best part was the reunion of 2 brothers so happy to see one another.

benjamin- Ohio 2008