Elbow Room...A Visit to the ER

I was wrong when I speculated to Paul days ago that it would be Charlotte who would be the first recipient of splints and stitches and trips to the ER. Last night, as Paul and I sat in the dining room signing some papers, Harry and Charlotte were upstairs with Roxana playing in his bedroom. He likes to play hide-and-seek in his closet, bursting open the doors and squealing with delight. On what would be his last and final attempt he slipped on a book and tumbled to the floor. When Roxana helped him up he began to shiver and cry "boo boo!"

We thought maybe his wrist was broken. He was cradling his arm and using his non-dominant hand, his little face was covered in sweat. Tylenol was no use and he really wouldn't let us examine it. Clearly the kid was hurting. So mom and Harry headed off to the ER in the rain, Harry crying the whole way "I want to go hoooooome." Me too, sweetie, me too!

I packed the diaper bag with a juice box and the portable DVD player, prepared for a wicked sit in the flu-infested waiting room. But minutes after arriving they ushered us into the triage room and Harry saw a doctor. "I think it's broken," I explained. The doc has no trouble getting Harry to surrender to an exam (the power of the white coat! I wish I had one). "So It's not broken," I gulped. "I guess we shouldn't have come." But Dr. Smartypants knew better. "It's his elbow," he explained.

So now I'm just confused. Reaching up the doctor twisted Harry's arm, one, two, three and POP! the tendon and the bone snapped back into place. It wasn't dislocated, I was told, rather a condition called "nursemaid's elbow." Huh? It's pretty common in the 2-year-old set. Their elbows aren't totally developed yet and when playing or being pulled up (by say a nursemaid) the tendon can slide out and shift the bone. Frankly it should just be called "Tweaked Elbow" because anyone can cause it to happen.

So, five minutes after arriving at the ER, Harry was giving the doctor High-Fives and we were discharged (would you be surprised at ALL if I told you the discharge, which involved me paying zero, took 30 minutes?) OY. Pictured is a photo of Charlotte that Paul snapped for Harry as we waited to leave the hospital. But can you ask for a better outcome? Hardly. We went home and celebrated, as Harry told his father "I'm all fixed!" with an ice cream sandwich and an introduction to "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas." Just like the Grinch, I think my heart grew two sizes that day...thank you ER doc.