Delayed start for my sons boating season

RWilson2526 · #1 05-10-2010, 12:59 PM

Got a call Friday afternoon from my sons after care at his school. "Mr Wilson, Jake just fell off the monkey bars and I think he broke his leg" The kid that made the call sounded scared out of his wits. All of this of course is happening on his birtday no less (7 years old)

The details are sketchy but the long and short of is that he fell from the top of playground equipment and in a straight down movement landed on his right leg. His femur fractured completely in two and resulted with what they call "severe angulation and displacement" The two pieces were about 90 degrees to each other with one end about 2" up from where it was supposed to be....

Got to the school in time to see 2 ambulances, police, fire , the whole damn towns emercency services it seemed. Took the ride in the ambulance. I knew it wasnt good when they immediately gave him and IV and morphine for the pain...that and the grotesque bulging of his thigh....did not break through the skin fortunately.

The fix apparently for 6 to about 11 year olds is fortunately the best of all procedures....5 years old or less they put you in a full body cast for about 2 months....older than 12 they go with solid rods and screws and such as most of the growing is done already....for his age they use what they call stabilizing flexible nails where after aligning the bones again, they drill into the rounded part at the bottom of the femur above the knee and drive in long flexible titanium nails, one on each side, and push them up all the way to the top of the femur....they are kind of bowed and the outward pressure of the bowed metal keeps everything in place....2 tiny incisions above the knee and and ace bandage, no cast at all and was home by 4:00 pm on Saturday....as the surgeon called it "really a marvel of modern medicine" Will be in a wheel chair apparently for 6 weeks or so as he wont be able to put any weight on it. If this had happened just a few years ago he would have been hospitalized for about 3 weeks in traction and a full body cast for 8 weeks, would have to repeat the 1st grade due to not being able to finish and lord knows what else.

Thought about Spareparts and his daughter a few times while at the hospital thinking man this aint nothing compared to what some families go through but it really put a perspective on some things.

here's a link showing the procedure...pretty cool stuffhttp://www.jbjs.org.uk/cgi/reprint/86-B/7/954.pdf

Blue_Runner · #2 05-10-2010, 01:52 PM

RW wow that is a harrowing experience. When something happens to our little ones it is a very scary situation....I'm so glad he is going to be alright.

Remarkably a very similar experience just happened to my nephew within the last 2 weeks. He was at school horseplaying with a friend. Hit the friend with a football, so his friend pushed him while he wasn't looking. The end result being my 12 year old nephew fell backwards and broke his humerus (big arm bone b/t elbow and shoulder) extremely close to his shoulder trying to brace for the fall. His too was broken completely in two. To complicate matters they could not get it set without surgery because the bones had separated such that the flesh (muscle, and whatnot) had gotten between the break and the gap couldn't be closed.

He's got 3 of the temporary nails you described - you did a good job describing it too I might add! Also has a very large incision from armpit to the top of the shoulder where they had to lay him open. He's doing great now but in for a long recovery.

Here's to a speedy recovery for your son....and my nephew.

charlie_the_tuna · #3 05-10-2010, 01:54 PM

holy sh!t! hope the little guy heals quick. i'd be on the floor crying like a little girl if that was me.

tnltracy · #4 05-10-2010, 04:11 PM

Wow! Hoping for a speedy recovery for your son. I don't know if I could handle this and share the way you have.

willy · #5 05-10-2010, 04:23 PM

good luck to him, hope he heals soon.

bradford · #6 05-10-2010, 04:31 PM

Best of luck to them!

spareparts · #7 05-10-2010, 05:14 PM

best wishes for a a speedy recovery. I've spent way to much time sitting in a hospital, and my wife has probably spent 5 times more time in than i have(I think she likes it there). there was a time that I allways kept $5 in change for the vending machine and a good magazine nearby, just in case we ended up there(happens a lot in this family). They allways have more than enough womens magazines, but never enough guy magazines. I get strange looks reading "Guns and Ammo" sitting in the waiting room, keeps the weirdos away. Sounds like the docs have everything taken care of, good luck.

Destroyer · #8 05-10-2010, 05:22 PM

Damn Rob.. Hope he has a speedy recovery with no complications!!!. My son had a very serious motorcycle accident in Dec of last year (broke his back) and he's just getting the turtle cast off his back and ribcage this week, so I know only too well about the nervous times sitting in the hospital.
Your son has my prayers for a quick heal.

macojoe · #9 05-10-2010, 06:18 PM

Hope all goes well!!

Quote:

charlie_the_tuna holy sh!t! hope the little guy heals quick. i'd be on the floor crying like a little girl if that was me.

I just knew it!!

charlie_the_tuna · #10 05-11-2010, 12:54 AM

I just knew it!![/QUOTE]

yeah, you'd be on the floor right next to me, tough guy.