Last Wednesday my mom came over to give me a chance to get out kid-free and run some errands. I was greatly looking forward to this brief amount of freedom and wondered how much I could squeeze into a small frame of time. It all started at good old Costco, where I had planned to meet my MIL and SIL. We were on a mission to pick out a 40th birthday present for another SIL. With that task done, I desperately needed to continue on with some grocery shopping, as I had been putting it off all week. As I started loading my cart with the essentials, my cell rang. It was my mom. My mom never calls my cell, so I thought it was a bit odd. She was calling to say that she thought Connor had broken his arm after falling from the monkey bars. Now a few months ago, Connor had done the same thing, fell from the monkey bars, but his arm in the end hadn't been broken. Needless to say I ditched my cart and drove home. Once I got home, he was lying on the front grass in shock. Our wonderful neighbour had wrapped and iced his arm and said it was pretty bad.
I rushed him to Emergency where we sat for 7 hours. Nothing really prepared me for what his arm looked like though. I literally felt sick to my stomach when the nurse took his sling and ice off. During that time he had an IV put in him and was pumped full morphine and gravol. He drifted in and out of sleep all afternoon. They brought in a portable x-ray machine because they didn't want to move him. He had dislocated a bone as well as fractured three others. The ER Dr. said he had never seen anything like this. At that point it was decided he needed surgery. I spent the rest of the afternoon in the ER with him waiting for the Orthopedic surgeon to come and take a look. He came in and said it was pretty bad and he definitely needed surgery that night. I have to admit, by this time I was both physically and emotionally exhausted. I hadn't eaten anything all day aside from a smoothie that morning, and Joel was away on business. They had to cut off his shirt and put him in a little gown. He was then wheeled up to the OR where I had to get scrubs on as well. I sat with Connor in this little curtained off room waiting for them to come and get us. I looked down at his little body. His arm looking so wrong and so painful. He had an IV in his other arm. He looked up at me with his big brown eyes and said "Jesus is in the room right mom?" I had been strong for him all day, but when I heard him say that I began to weep. I thought of all the other mothers who had been in this same situation. The fear that had gripped them before sending their precious babies into the unknown. I said a prayer through my tears with him. He told me he loved me. They came to get us, and it was time. They hooked him up to all sorts of monitors and put a mask on his face. He went out really fast, kind of scary. Now it was a waiting game.
I waited alone for over an hour. My SIL came and sat with me for a bit since she had just finished her shift on a different floor. It was nice to have company. She left and I was alone again. It was a rather lonely day, even though I had been surrounded by nurses and Dr's. Another SIL came just as I was allowed to go be with Connor. I sat with him and waited for him to wake up. He gradually came to. The surgery had gone well. Connor seemed okay, but had some trouble breathing. They had put a tube down his throat during surgery and it seemed to hinder his breathing a bit. We were then taken to the Pediatric ward where he spent the night recovering. It had been a long couple of days. Joel did finally arrived late Wednesday night, which was a relief.
Connor is adjusting well, but is still on Tylenol 3 at night.
It was quite the experience, one I hope to never re-live.
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