Thursday 1 July 2010

Broken Collarbone or Clavicle in child


I’m sad, and I’ve broken Erbie.

I have been rushing around like idiot, trying to fit in one last this and one last that before leaving W1. One of last time excursions on my agenda was taking Erbie to Corams Field (on what happened to be an event and therefore very busy day) to play in the sandpit and have a swing. I’d just managed to change him out of wet, sandy clothes and we were on our way to the swings when he ran ahead, towards them completely overexcited. I grabbed at the sandy items and ran after him shouting ‘Stop! Stop!’, which he always has done previously, only this time he didn’t and the father pushing his child on one of the swings didn’t see him. The swing hit Erbie full on and knocked him flying.

I comforted him and he cried a bit longer than is usual but seemed okay, we had a swing and left. He seemed very quiet on the way back and when we got home I sat him in front of the telly and studied him, I noticed his eyes flutter and he shivered. Worried that he may have a head injury I whisked him up, out and into a taxi to Accident & Emergency. The taxi driver didn’t even switch his meter on, bless him. A and E at the UCH on Euston Road is the same as any A and E the length and breadth of this country, ie a couple of bleeding drunks and a full waiting room. A paedriatrician spotted Erbie on the monitor whilst I was signing in and ushered us straight through to the childrens ward. 

Erbie kept touching his shoulder and lay his head against me in silence. He had gone very pale. They checked his head for bumps and were very worried by the size of one until I mentioned it was always there, as my family are predisposed to corners on our craniums. I got asked routine head injury questions, like: ‘Was he knocked out or did he cry right after? Has he vomited?’ He was still very pale and hadn’t eaten anything and as he kept touching his shoulder they suggested an Xray to be sure nothing was wrong.

The Xray was the hardest part, I had to put on a large green insulated apron so that I could help hold him down on the bed. He didn’t like that. We had to lay him on his back, he didn’t like that. A male nurse had to hold down his legs, he didn’t like him. He cried out over and over: ‘No, no, don’t like it, don’t like it.’ He went red in the face and squirmed with all his might. They managed to get one Xray image and didn’t try for the obligatory second one. When I eventually scooped him up his bottom lip quivered and he said: ‘Bye, bye, bye, bye over and over until we had left the Xray room.

After about 5 minutes they came to me and said what Erbie had been trying to tell us all along, he had cracked his clavicle. I saw his Xray showing a fine white line running through his right collarbone. I felt sick, I’d just picked him up using his arms - twice, no wonder he had winced. The reason his little eyes had fluttered and he had been so pale was due to the pain he was encountering. 

They gave me a bag of painkillers for him and we tried to get him in a sling which caused him to wave his arm around more than not wearing one. I’ve since bought some arnica cream and pilules to help the healing process and the bruise come out. I have to watch him like a hawk and try to stop him using his right arm, luckily he is left handed. 

It happened 6 days ago and I haven’t been able to write about it until now. He is much better but still needs help getting up from laying down.

I feel like a very bad mother.

10 comments:

Helen Brocklebank said...

oh poor little lamb :((
i do hope he's on the mend soon xx

Katy G said...

you are absolutely, 100% not a bad mother. Children fall, sometimes they break, sometimes they bump.....thats just what they do. i do hope your little boy is on the mend....and you too.

Liberty London Girl said...

oh darling girl: thes things happen. It's so not yr fault. (I have a 45 degree bend to my arm from a green stick fracture when I was about 8...)

LLGxx

Betty M said...

Absolutely not a bad mother. Breaks and bumps are so common - I know a good few kids who have broken arms falling off sofas whilst playing. Hope he is feeling better soon. And you too.

Victoria | Hibiscus Bloem said...

Sorry to hear about poor Erbie. What a brave little guy. Hope he's feeling a little better now, and that you are too.

teawithonesugarplease said...

don't feel bad Curly haired beauty broke her arm last summer we didn't know how or when - she's right as rain a few weeks later kids bounce back

Waffle said...

Not even a tiny bit your fault. Poor Erbie and poor you. My eldest has a season ticket for Casualty so I know how it is..


(The CFO dislocated eldest's elbow swinging him round when he was 2, he was sick with guilt for weeks about it, but totally not his fault either )

Marie said...

Oh poor Erbie, and to echo all the previous comments, totaly not your fault. Hope he recovers soon. Until then you both take care, M x

Style At Every Age said...

Bless him! You are not a bad mother, these things happen. Broken collarbone is difficult. Uni girl broke hers just before she left for uni, but she was pissed and fell off a boys shoulders! but she was in a lot of pain and got taken straight to A&E as she cried everytime the taxi turned a corner, so it must have been awful for dear little Erbie. It heals quickly in the young.xx

redfox said...

NOT a bad mother in any way! Poor both of you. He will feel better much sooner than you, I suspect. xox

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