Let's be honest, no mom ever wants to write about a "Broken Arm," but that is the story I have to share today. On Friday, May 6th at 5:30pm we were getting dinner on the table. Roy was grilling the chicken, I was finishing folding some laundry, and Hudson and Greta were playing in the sandbox. The neighbor was outside playing catch with his dog when the ball came over the fence and Hudson fetched it and threw it back over. Our kids adore the neighbor dogs and we watch them daily, as they climb on the playground it their backyard and we can see them when we eat or work at the kitchen table. Hudson suggested we eat dinner out on the deck, since it was a nice night, so we made a last minute change of plans and starting cleaning the table and bringing food outside. Hudson came in the house to help and I suggested he ask the neighbor about helping to walk the dog sometime, as this is an idea we have discussed before. So being the friendly neighbor that he is, Hudson pushed the patio chair over to the side of the deck railing and got up on his knees on the railing so he could talk to the neighbor over the fence. Hudson lost his balance and fell, about 5 feet to the ground. Roy was in process of carrying food out to the deck and saw him go down. Hudson instantly started screaming and Roy knew right away his arm was broken, as it was badly bent. Greta was just chilling out in her high chair ready for dinner, sitting quietly and taking it all in. Roy grabbed the first aid kit and secured things. We called Roy's mom right away, as we thought she may still be at work, which she was. The plan was to have her meet us at the ER to get Greta. On the drive to the hospital we prayed for Hudson, the doctors and nurses, and Hudson's bravery during the situation. I assured him often that he would need to be brave and calm, and that would help things to go smoother. I texted close friends and family members, requesting their prayers. We got in to see an ER nurse right away, thankfully, and they gave him some pain medicine and took x-rays after that. He was so brave, so brave. I think most of his tears were because he was nervous and didn't know what was going to happen. The x-rays clearly showed that he broke both bones in his arm and there was also some bleeding, which indicated that one of the bones had punctured the skin. Boo... This news concerned the medical team and they said we needed to be sent to Blank Children's Hospital to have the specialized children's medical team take a look at him. This required an ambulance ride downtown. Boo... Roy and I were of course disappointed about this, but Hudson actually thought it was pretty cool. Hudson got to sit in the back with a friendly paramedic, he later told us they talked about farming, and he was given a stuffed animal, who Hudson named "Bear." Upon our arrival at Blank they inserted an IV and Hudson took it with ease. Have I mentioned before that he was SO brave?! A few different doctors assistants came in to take a look and a surgeon was looking at his x-rays. A friendly woman from Child Life came to talk with Hudson and provided books and an iPad to keep him busy. The options discussed is that they would sedate him in the room and put the bones back in place or they would take him down to the OR and do it there. We were of course hoping for the first option, as it would be less invasive, less expensive, and we could still go home that evening. We were first told they would be doing the procedure in the room, to which we gave a sigh of relief. Five minutes later the nurse came and said they were ready for him down in the OR. With that, I asked to talk to the surgeon and get the information first hand. He came in and explained that there was a last minute opening in the OR and it was his preference to do the procedure in the OR, as Hudson would be more comfortable under general anesthetic and they could better clean the bones, so there would be less risk of infection. After getting some more questions answered we signed our consent for surgery. Boo.... Hudson was happy with watching Mickey Mouse on the iPad and he was staying comfortable and calm. After what felt like forever and I sent countless more texts while we waited, they gave us the thumbs up that they were ready for him. We said some more prayers together, explained to Hudson that they were going to give him some medicine to make him go to sleep while they fixed his arm, and we would see him soon. After that they rolled him off....a feeling I will never forget. The next 45 minutes felt like forever. I did fine for the first 30 minutes of surgery, but was getting pretty anxious by the end of it. I was pacing and praying. The assuring arrival and words of the doctor after surgery were of great relief and thanksgiving. His words were, "he did great!" About 20 minutes later they came and got us, that he was awake and recovering. Even then, he had a brave smile on his face. I gave him countless kisses on the head and affirmed him for being so brave and assuring him that God's power would heal his arm. It was getting late, about 11:00pm and they brought us up to his room for the night. The doctor's checked in on him and by midnight he was asleep. I stuck around until about 1:00am and then headed for home to get some rest. Roy spent the night with Hudson at the hospital. Saturday morning he had an appetite for pancakes and chocolate milk for breakfast and chose to watch the movie Planes with Daddy. They visited with two doctors, including the surgeon, and got the green light for discharge. I arrived around 9:30am and after a bit we went up to the playroom to enjoy some playtime together. Greta was spending the morning at a friends house, which was a great blessing and allowed us to focus on Hudson's needs. If there was a highlight of our hospital visit, the playroom was it. There were lots of fun things to play with, that could have kept us busy for hours. Around 11:30am we were discharged and headed for home.
Scared and nervous about what was to come...
Taking x-rays...
Secure and ready for his ambulance ride...
Hudson thought the ambulance ride was pretty cool...
Being SO brave for his IV...
The post-surgery picture of the bones in his arm, back in place...
Seeing Mommy and Daddy after surgery...
Pancakes and chocolate milk for breakfast, along with the movie Planes made for a pretty good morning at the hospital.
Showing off his sling...
Enjoying some play time in the playroom at Blank Children's Hospital...
Ready to head for home...
As I reflect on this unfortunate situation, I see signs of God's goodness. Even though many things didn't go as we had hoped, and it turned into a pretty bad broken arm, it was covered with God's blessings. A few of them are...
*both Roy and I being home when it happened
*Roy responding quickly and calmly
*Sue being available to care for Greta
*Hudson showing bravery and remaining calm
*LOTS of prayers
*texts to friends/family asking for prayers and sending updates
*relief from pain, thanks to medicine
*ease of an IV because of the "numbing cream"
*snacks and water for the anxious parents
*skilled medical staff
*iPad with Mickey Mouse
*I Spy game in the ER
*pudding, chocolate milk, applesauce and pancakes
*"Bear," his new stuffed animal
*enjoying new toys in the playroom
*Hudson's consistent smile
*safety in surgery
*rest
