Yesterday afternoon was pretty scary. Jacob, our six-year-old grandson (and part-time Superman) fell off the monkey bars at a park near his home and broke his arm. It was one of the worst compound fractures I’ve seen, broken in two places leaving his arm in a sort of “S” shape.
There was lots of blood, often the case with compound fractures, and he was in tremendous pain. The Fire Department responded quickly and Jacob was rushed by ambulance to Methodist Hospital where we waited for what seemed like an eternity for the orthopedic surgeon to arrive. Dawn took this iPhone image during the wait (click to enlarge.)
There aren’t many things that tear at your heart more than seeing your child or grandchild hurt. But Jacob is such a little soldier! His biggest concern, aside from the pain, was that the firemen, the first responders, had cut away his favorite “pirate” shirt! (Oh yeah, besides being Superman, he’s a pirate!)
The surgery took more than an hour, twice what the surgeon had originally estimated. There was difficulty realigning the bones, and an artery ruptured when the tourniquet was removed. The surgeon “capped” the artery and had to use a screw to reconnect one of the broken bones.
We all waited in a designated “lounge” for word of how the surgery had gone. The anesthesiologist joined us first to tell us how complex everything had been but that all had gone well. He said that the first thing Jacob had said when he awoke was, “They cut my pirate shirt!”
The surgeon brought X-rays and an assortment of ultrasound images showing how the fracture had looked before surgery and how the repair looked afterward. He said he had never before had to insert a screw on a child, but this was a particularly difficult situation. He left the ultrasound images with Jacob’s parents; I’m sure he’ll enjoy showing them to his friends.
When they rolled him down from surgery on the way to his room (they kept him overnight) he was in much better spirits. And when the nurse told us that Jacob had said he planned to be a fireman some day, he corrected her and said he now wants to be a doctor! We all told him we could certainly use one in the family!
Rick, Jacob’s dad, spent the night at the hospital with him and if things go as planned, they’ll be taking him home sometime this afternoon. Dawn and I will visit this evening after work.
Keep the little guy in your thoughts and prayers. I’ll try to keep you all posted on Superman’s Jacob’s recovery.