It Wouldn't Be An Exciting Day Without A Trip To The ER!

It finally happened!! Zachary was a little TOO rough with his Baby Sister.

I was downstairs getting dinner and dessert prepared. The kids were upstairs in Sophie's room playing. This is something they usually do everyday. They really do play really well together (most times). They were being pretty quiet when Zach came out and said that Sophie hurt her arm. I didn't pay too much attention to it because I didn't hear Sophie crying about anything. A couple of minutes later, I hear a "boom" overhead and then I hear crying. I rush upstairs and she is laying on the floor beside her big bed. I immediately pick her up to make it all better and when she stopped crying, I put her down to continue finishing dinner. Sophie follows me into the kitchen and she is still kind of whining about being hurt. At first I just thought she needed more attention, but when I really looked at her, I could tell something was wrong. I just got this uneasy feeling. I started asking her questions, and poking and prodding her. I noticed that when I went to touch her left arm, she would get upset. And then she started telling me that it "hurt." So that's when I call on Zach. I needed him to tell me exactly what happened! He proceeds to tell me that they were "going to sleep" (pretend) and Sophie needed help getting on the bed. So he pulled her hand to try to help her up on the bed. Aha! I knew it had to be her shoulder or her elbow.
I then call Gabe to ask if it is possible for your elbow to pop out of socket. He says "yes, why?" I explain to him what is going on. Luckily, he was already on his way home.
While we waited for Daddy to get home, I sat with her on the couch consoling her. And I watched her to see what she would do. She would not use her left arm what so ever! And every once in a while she would complain about it hurting. My poor baby. I felt so bad for her.
When Gabe got home, we decided to take her to the ER clinic. There was obviously something seriously wrong. We arrived at the ER, signed in, and sat down to wait. We waited for maybe 10 minutes and were called back. Remember, Sophie does not like the doctor's office. She gets a little freaked out with the strangers, equipment, etc. We explained what happened, the nurse took her temp and listened to her heart and then the doctor came in. The doctor was really nice. She knew Sophie was upset, so she eased her way closer to her, trying to gain her trust, gave her a toy to distract her and when Sophie really wasn't paying attention, she grabbed her arm and bent it back (like she was going to arrest her- that's the only way I could explain it) and said, "There it is. It's back in place!" I couldn't believe it! That was it?? Sophie cried a little bit when she popped it back in, but that was it. No high pitch screaming/crying!!
The doctor then asked us to hang out for just a little bit to make sure she was all right and that she began to use that arm again. I mean, not even a minute later, Sophie was playing, banging on the toy box, lifting the lid, etc. It was night and day! Gabe and I couldn't believe it. We couldn't help but laugh! :)
What happened to her is called "Nursemaid's Elbow." This is a common condition which can come from pulling on the outstretched hand or forearm of a child, usually under the age of four. The doctor explained that the bone is like the end of a pencil, so it can slip out very easily when pulled on. As the child grows, the bone then begins to flare out so that it doesn't slip out as easily anymore. Since this did happen to Sophie, she will be prone for it to happen again. But she will outgrow this. Thank goodness!
So she was all better after the doctor's quick moves. We had a chat with Zachary afterwards. We couldn't be mad at him though. He was actually just trying to help his sister- this time! :)
Now, about this ER clinic... it was great!! Minimal wait time, friendly/helpful staff, clean, close to home... we couldn't have asked for a better experience. If you need emergency care, this is the place to go- 24 Hour Emergency Room on Tomball Parkway. My sisters have both had pleasant experiences there also.
Zach liked it too... he got to pick a toy out of the treasure chest and the nice nurse gave them juice boxes! He asked if we could go back again. Ummm, let's not hope for that one! :)