Broken bones but no Spinal injury

Timothy, smiling because I asked him to, through the pain as they clean up the three pins

Well our week here has been rather eventful...

Sunday was Mother's Day and my day started out lovely with the two boys and Russell giving me presents. Russell had turned a fountain pen for me out of olive wood from Bethlehem, which I just love. The boys also made lovely cards for me.

We then went to a nursery in Toowoomba and bought lots of lovely plants. Some grasses as well as I love them. We had a lovely lunch, that didn't agree with me but that is another whole story, and visited Picnic Point parks on what was to be our way home.

At the third and last park Timothy decided that he wanted to climb a rocket ship and got up on one of the wings. Well about 2.5 - 3.0 metres up he fell and landed on his right shoulder. Ambulance was called and they were rather concerned for his spine as shoulder pain can mask spine pain. He was put on morphine while they stabilised him at the park and then transferred him to Toowoomba Base Emergency Department.

Once there within two hours he had had X-rays that confirmed he had broken his humus at the top just under the ball that goes into your shoulder. It was broken all the way through. He had made a real mess of it. The X-rays also confirmed that there were no spinal injuries.

The surgeon also came and told us that he needed to go under anaesthetic for them to pull on the arm and put it back into place. At the worst if that didn't work they would have to put in a pin to keep the bones together while they mend.

He went into surgery and they tried to pull the arm and put the bones back into alignment but the arm just kept flopping around. He had really done a good number on it. They ended up having to put in three pins, which stick out of the skin under a bandage and the ends are bent at 90 degrees to be close to his skin. The operation that should have taken an hour ended up taking two hours but finally he was in recovery. He then went to the Children's Ward after having trouble getting his temperature up. Heaters and hot towels did the trick!

He came home the next night, Monday night, and he has been improving slowly since then. He is going for more X-rays on Friday to ensure that the bones have started knitting together and that the pins have not come loose. If they do they have to rebrake the bone and reinsert the pins. Don't want that if at all possible. His arm will be in a sling for at least six weeks they say so will be a lllloooonnnngggg six weeks at this end. :)

So he is rather bored really, has read alot, playing his DS, lying down alot and not moving his arm. After Friday we should be able to start with some exercises. Hopefully he can get back to school next week as he is actually wanting to go... Nice change :)

Cheers Damaris