Nursemaid Elbow

Today was a very long day. Last night, Orion didn't sleep well because of this nasty cold he has. Poor boy keeps waking himself up coughing. I'm really annoyed that they don't make a cough syrup for kids under the age of six! Actually, that isn't true, I did find one for ages two to six, but it doesn't work great. Anyway, because he didn't sleep well, we ended up sleeping in until 8:00!! Personally, I think that if your up for three hours in the middle of the night, you should then sleep in three hours, but Orion disagrees. He only slept in two extra hours.

Well, after we all got up, I dragged Phil and Orion out to go grocery shopping with me. We hadn't been in forever, and I just made up the menu for the next month, so it was a huge endeavor. Well, after we finished at Costco, we stopped to have a bite to eat. On our way out, Orion decided he didn't want to leave, and pulled down to floor while Phil was holding his hand. Phil pulled him back up, but then Orion was just crying. At first we thought he was just throwing a fit, but he didn't stop crying. The whole way home he was whinny and would start to cry without any provocation. I thought maybe he was just tired. It was after all, almost an hour past nap time, and he hadn't slept well.

We got home at 1:30, and were bringing in groceries when Phil noticed that Orion wasn't using his right arm, at all. My first thought was that maybe had a dislocated shoulder. I remember my mom telling me once that if you re-dress a child, lots of times that act will pop the shoulder back in. I tried this, and he screamed, and still didn't want to use his arm. So I called the doctor, and we had an appointment for 1: 45. We all piled back into the car (Orion screaming when I had to move his arm to buckle him in the car seat) and headed to the doctor. After a quick examination, he determined that Orion had Nursemaid Elbow. Basically, a tendon on his elbow tore, and then wasn't in the proper place. The doctor had to try four times to get it back in place. He was concerned even then that he hadn't gotten it and that we would have to go to the ER.

We got home about 3:00, with instructions to call if he didn't start to use his arm within a couple of hours. He started using it almost as soon as we walked in the door, so no more worries. We do have to be a little careful with it for the next week, but he is happy to use his arm again, and doesn't scream in pain when you touch it. It was so hard as a mom, to sit there and try and hold him still while the doctor is causing him such pain. Phil felt awful, like it was his fault. I think he still feels really bad, even though Orion really is back to normal. If only all injuries were so easily fixed.

We are so blessed that it wasn't more serious. Also, can I just say how glad I am that Orions doctors office is right here in Mount Horeb, and I can be to it in just a matter of minutes. A lot of my friends here in Mount Horeb still have to take their kiddos all the way into Madison. How blessed we are to have wonderful doctors so close!