Broken

Some time ago I blogged about Liam's 8th birthday party.  Which was on the 15 of March but we had his friend party on Saturday the 16th. Now to tell about after party didn't turn out so good. I was putting away the leftover pizza and I ran out of gallon size zip bags. I know there was in the pantry. With me being so short I couldn't get the bags that were on the top shelve. I got on the two step foot stool. I must have not had it close enough. Before I knew it I fell, I hit the other set of shelves behind me. I don't remember but this is what I think happened, you know how it is automatic action to put your hand down to catch as you fall. I believe that is what happened to me. I was crying hard and yelling at the kids that were in kitchen to go get dad. Tyler came up found on the floor. I told him my back hurt. He lifted up my shirt to see if there was and visible damage.

This what he found.

After I stopped crying Tyler got me an ice pack. I stayed on the floor of the pantry for few minutes.  Tyler helped me get up slowly and into my bedroom. When I stood up my left hand was hurting. I put ice on my hand and my back. I tried to keep it iced all night, and I didn't sleep very good that night. Tyler told me I could stay home from church, but I wanted to give try. I even brought ice to keep on my hand. I did fairly good until the end of Sunday School, but the pain in my hand was shooting all the way up to my shoulder. Tyler told me that he could take me home, but I said no. I told him that if I just took some Tylenol, he reminded me that we didn't bring any. I told him that I'm sure there is at least one lady that has some in their purse. I can't remember who gave me some Tylenol but I took it and hoped it would kick in soon. I didn't make it very far into relief society before the pain got too much for me to hold back the tears. I went to go find Tyler to have him take me home. Once Tyler and kids got home I called my mother in-law Dawn to see what she thought. I ask if a sprain would be so painful, and she suggested that I go to an instacare to get it check out. Dawn even said there is one by us so come to that one and we can take the kids. It took longer to go because Tyler had to get his home teaching done (the families that he home teaches better realize how much he cares about you. He chose to visit you over taking his wife who might have broken her hand to the doctor...just saying). Once he got home we got the kids in the car and drove straight to the instacare. Our thought was Tyler would drop me off while I'm waiting he will take kids over to his mom and come back. We get to the instacare guess what? They aren't open on Sundays. We went over to Tyler's parents and I kept telling myself if it's broken it still be tomorrow. That night was long and painful night, but I made it. I thought if I called first thing when the doctor's office open and told them I was pretty sure my hand was broken they would get me in right way. Nope couldn't get in until Noon, can you believe it? Once I got there I had to wait for longer time than I was hoping.

Finally got into to see Dr. Shelton and told her what had happen. She looked at my hand and wanted x-rays and than looked at my back was really worried about how bad it looked and how sore I was. She said I should get x-rays of that to, Dr. Shelton was I think kind of joking when she said, "We need to make sure you aren't any shorter." Lucky our doctor office has x-rays right across the hall so I didn't have to go to the hospital. It was the most painful x-rays I have had since the we ended up the hospital on our honeymoon.

After I got back into the exam room Dr. Shelton said, "Your back looks fine but did anyone ever tell you have scoliosis?" I said, "No." She showed my x-ray and at the top of my spine where is shaped like S. But Dr Shelton said there isn't huge amount of things she would want to do with that right now with my age and how long it's gone untreated. Than when it came to my hand she said, "I've never seen a brake like this I need to have the radiologist look at it. In the mean time we will splint it. If I haven't called you by the end of the day you call us." This is what it looks like in the splint

I called back around 4:30 knowing they close at five. I got answer that the radiologist hasn't had time to look at it yet. Call back in the morning, did that still no looking at it, called in the afternoon still no looking, called evening still haven't looked. Finally late in the evening I got call, but it's by my nurse who has strong accent. All I got was bad, broken come first thing in morning. Went back in Wednesday morning mind you this happened on Saturday. I was told I had rare and painful brake on takes a long time to heal. Not the kind of news I was hoping for. I was told that the radiologist even had hard time seeing the brake in my x-ray but I broke my metacarpal bone on my thumb and my proximal phalanges on my index finger and my trapezium. Dr. Shelton put me in remove able cast that looks like the one above but the splint covering my thumb to make so I couldn't move it. I was suppose to be wear that for two week and come back to see how it's was healing. Over that two week period Tyler went out of town for week, and it was Easter weekend. It was harder than I thought having restriction on my left hand. I thought I'm right handed how hard can it be. It's hard, couldn't take things out of the oven, putting my seat belt on was difficult because I normally grab it with my left hand, washing my hair and body is difficult one handed, getting pants on was awful and than trying to undo them to use the restroom. Stopped wearing pants with snaps or buttons, couldn't do my hair even to put it in ponytail. With a removable cast was hard because I knew I could take it off. I took it off too much, like to paint Easter Eggs for our crack off. When I went back in it hadn't healed so I had to get a hard cast here is picture of it. 

All the things I just mentioned that were hard are worse with a hard cast. Plus when you are kid and brake your arm(Seth did on his 9th birthday) and get cast it's cool. Mother of four with cast not cool. I had been doing really good job not getting my arm wet even though I was told it was waterproof. I know how bad Seth's smelled I didn't want that or the itching that come after. Though the day of Liam's baptism I was trying to rush in the shower and wasn't being as careful. Next thing I know the removable shower head slipped and filled my whole cast with water. I was already bit stressed with speaking at Liam's baptism so I was hurried and got dressed and got my blow dryer out to start prevent my arm from smelling during the baptism. I bent my fingers and tried to pull them down so I could dry my cast as best as I could. Before I knew it I had pulled off my cast. Great, just what I need the day of Liam's big day. I made it through but it was another Saturday so I couldn't call the doctors office. I called on Monday went into get a new cast on. John, Dr. Shelton's nurse did my cast this time around. He wanted to make sure it this cast wouldn't come off by chance. He used two rolls on my hand and arm. I picked flagged for my cub scouts, it turned out being a club and I need to sling because it was so heavy.

Do you see what I mean? It was awful had to have that one on for three weeks. I did convince the Dr to let me get it off a week early. John the nurse who put it on had to take it off. It wasn't that easy, serves him right for putting this on me. Here are picture of the taking it off and it took 20 minutes for him to get this bad boy off.

 Finally came off. It took a few weeks to feel back to normal. I never want to do that again.