On Thursday Grace was cruising along a toy kitchen at daycare and she fell. This was just an average fall, but her leg slightly twisted as she fell to the floor. I got a call from work at about 4pm with Grace screaming in the background. I came over as quickly as I could; Grace was clutching Isabel, our daycare provider. To be honest I did not know what to do... I figured taking her to the pediatrician was the best bet (not thinking there was even a chance of a broken bone). After a long process of getting a screaming child into her car seat, I headed over to the doctor only to have her recommend we take her to the ER for x Rays. The good news was that she called them and we were seen a little bit faster than we would have had we gone straight there.
The ER! I can tell you I have been to the ER a number of times and I cannot stand the place! I was so uncomfortable waiting in the waiting room to be called. I didn't want to touch anything and I just wanted to be seen. Of course the 49ers were playing on and Todd was stuck in worse than usual traffic because of it.
After several hours of waiting, we got her X-Rays, and yes, she had a broken femur. I couldn't believe it! It did not make sense to us. How could a child break her femur from such a simple fall? They transported her to CPMC to the Children's Wing. Todd rode with her in the Ambulance while I followed with the car, frantically making phone calls to work and others.
It was like a completely new experience when we arrived there. They were expecting us...A team of doctors surrounded Grace. Everyone was so nice. They gave Grace Bubbles, a bear that had a little cast on his foot and lots of attention. This made me feel a lot better. The nurse pushed the hospital bed (which was meant for a potential patient that could share our room, not for parents staying the night) next to the crib and we were able to raise it up so that we were at her level during the night.
Thursday night was awful! They kept Grace in her car seat as it seemed to stabilize her break and caused her the least amount of pain. Grace would have muscle spasms every 1-2 minutes, so every time she would fall asleep, she would wake up screaming. Todd and I took shifts. It was really hard to hear her scream in pain like that and not be able to hold her.
We were told in the morning that her break was a 6-7 on a scale from 1-10. There were several things that could happen- from surgery, to a spica cast (a waistline double cast) to a hip brace. During all this, Grace still managed to smile and wave and flirt with the doctors and nurses. She played with her toys and clapped and talked.
We waited more than half the day to speak with the Pediatric Orthopedic Doctor, although the hospital and doctors were in contact with him. He ended up not coming in to see her and was able to look at the electronic slides. He had her put in a brace, and we are scheduled to see him on Wednesday. We were so relieved that she would be getting the brace, only to find out that this would not necessarily be "it". She could still need the spica cast if her bone doesn't begin to heal properly. However the fact that he thought she could heal in a brace is a good sign and he did think the break was "typical" and shouldn't need a cast. Nothing will be decided until they take more X Rays. The waiting game is tough.
Thing is, trying to locate an infant "Rhino Cruiser" is not the easiest thing. The technician had to call around all over the bay area. We kept asking, "When will we get to talk to someone who can answer the numerous questions we have?" They said that the technician would be able to answer questions about the brace.
He finally arrived at 4pm and immediately we all knew that he had never put on this brace before. Thank goodness the nurse had the foresight to take over.... he cut up a blanket to wrap in the inside of the brace so we would not have to put pants on her. We were so thankful for all the wonderful nurses and doctors we had during this stay. They were all fabulous.
Just getting her into this thing was painful. She was screaming and crying and it took 3 men to get her in. Then it was time to go- they gave her pain meds, and helped us out to the car. After all that waiting you do in the hospital when they are ready to get rid of you, they sort of throw you to the wolves. We stopped at the pharmacy to get Tylenol with Codine, Valium and Motrin. I can't believe my baby is getting all these drugs! Grace thankfully had a great night's sleep and woke up very happy and silly.
This is what the Rhino Cruiser looks like, expect she cannot stand up/sit up on her own as it is too painful for her.
Saturday was so much better. Todd and I worked hard at figuring out what kinds of things would work for her and how to make her the most comfortable. We set up a spot on the couch with the Boppy and pillows. We used her Britax Car seat (she no longer fits in the infant bucket seat with her brace) for feedings since she did not fit in her highchair. We even got her mobile so that she had something to look at while in the crib.
Diaper changes are the hardest. You have to undo the brace in order to take off the diaper, and she screams when you do it. She has become so sensitive and scared that whenever you remove her blanket and do not touch her legs, she cries, anticipating that you are going to hurt her. We gave her a sponge bath that went alright and learned that dresses are best to put her in as they cover the brace and are easy to get on. I am not sure how pants will work in this thing- having to take off pants, plus a diaper every time you need to change her seems silly and too painful.
All things considered Grace is handling things sooooo well. She is smiling and laughing and just as playful as she always is. Her appetite is great and she is sleeping really well. We took her out today and bought her some new toys. She loved getting out and made lots of friends in the store. We bought her some leg warmers, to help keep her legs warm and to take the place of pants.
I am so anxious for Wednesday. I am filled with worry and fret. I have so many questions. I pray and hope that she does not need to spica cast, but I know that we will deal with it if she does. I took Monday off work and Todd plans to stay home for 2 weeks (thank god for the furlough hours). We are playing the waiting game and will know much more on Wednesday whether I would need to take a leave of absence to take care of her.
I am so in love with Grace. She is just a special child, with an amazing spirit. She teaches Todd and I to be patient and flexible. We will keep everyone updated on Wednesday. Thank you for all the phone calls and emails of support. Keep Grace in your thoughts and prayers for quick healing!
Here are some pictures of Grace waking up this morning. You would not even know she is injured!
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