OWIE!

Thurs the 14th was an ordinary day. Wake up early to get the kids out the door to catch the bus then do housework while I wait to get the kids from the bus at 2:30. Just like every school day I waited at the bus stop to walk Jaco and La-La home. They got off the bus and I was surprised to see La-La limping. I asked her what happened and she said she was running on the field during morning recess and her ankle gave out and down she went. She said it hurt really bad. I will admit, I was a little skeptical as to how bad it really hurt because she has been known to cry wolf in the past. I tried to get her to walk home but she insisted it hurt too bad. Jaco was a really sweet brother and tried to carry her home but being only 15 lbs heavier than La-La, it would have been a really long walk. I put her on my back and every time her foot jiggled she cried out. As soon as we got home, I took off her tights to see what was going on. Her poor ankle was so swollen! I could not believe that the school didn't call me! Plus knowing she got hurt during morning recess really made me mad because that meant she had been hurting most of the day. La-La told me she had gone to the office 3 times because of the pain and that her friends helped her hobble around. I called the school to find out what had happened. The secretary took full responsibility because the district nurse was not there that day. She told me they iced La-La's foot right away and let her rest. Then La-La told them she was OK so they sent her back to class. It started hurting again so she got more ice and the 3rd time she went to the office they told her school was almost over so she may as well stick it out. The secretary said they didn't know if it was OK to take off La-La's tights and they could not see any blood or visible injury. In today's world I can completely understand why they didn't take off her tights. The playground helper said she saw La-La fall and that it didn't look bad. I guess she didn't cry or carry on a lot so they believed her when she said she was OK. La-La told me she was too embarrassed to cry. Her teacher also said she didn't realize it was a bad injury because La-La didn't cry very much. I can understand their side but if a child goes to the office 3 times and has her friends help her walk, wouldn't that say she was in more pain than she was letting on? Both the secretary and her teacher said they felt terrible and that they were so sorry. Forgive and forget, right?!


Waiting for the x-ray and loving the wheelchair!

I gave La-La advil, iced her foot, and elevated it while we waited for Dr Daddy to get home. He decided we better x-ray it so first thing Friday morning we went to Daddy's work. La-La was so excited to go. I think she was loving all the extra attention she was getting. I figured all along it was a sprain and the x-ray showed no fractures so the little patient was sent home with an ace wrap. Daddy had let her ride around the office in a wheelchair and she was mad that we didn't get to take it home. Then she was really mad when she found out she wasn't getting "sketchers" (crutches) because no one had any small enough. By that afternoon she was already doing better and walked on it a little when she didn't know anyone was looking. She has been extra emotional and not her usual bubbly self so I know it is hurting her and it is hard for her to not be as active as she is used to. It is still swollen and puffy today and now the bruising is showing up more. I hope she isn't destined for a life of sprained ankles like me. She is half the age I was the first time I had a bad sprain. Maybe it is good we haven't gotten her in any dance or gymnastic classes. I don't think her little ankles could take it!



Notice the bumpy bones in the healthy foot and the one big bump in the swollen one. This was day two and some of the swelling had gone down. When I first saw it, it looked like a round ball sitting on her ankle bone.

This is how it looked today. Swelling is going down but it is still really tender to the touch and sore. Poor girl! :-( (1-17-2010)

This is the bruising Monday the 18th. OUCH!

Not better yet. One week after the fall and this is how bruised it is. It just keeps getting darker as it comes to the surface. (1-20-2010)
2 weeks in and it is looking better but still causing problems. She was standing on a thick book and it slid out from under her and her weakened ankle twisted all over again. She screamed and screamed and said she felt it pop again just like with the original injury. We iced it again, more advil, and went on a hunt for a better, more supportive brace. (1-27-2010)
Dr Daddy contacted an orthotics company in town and they had this pediatric ankle sleeve with metal bars on each side to hold her ankle in place and keep her from rolling it. The brace was still too big even though it was made for kids so we added some extra padding and made it fit. Tiny petite seven year old girls are not supposed to sprain their ankles! In fact, I read that it is quite rare for kids under the age of 8 to sprain their ankles (Justin has never had a patient as young as La-La with a bad sprain) because usually the bone gives before the tendons and ligaments resulting in a break. Breaks also tend to heal quicker and more completely. Now I am on the hunt for a small elastic wrap that she can wear once she is done with the bigger brace to allow her ankle to heal all the way and hopefully keep it from happening again. I really hope she is not going to struggle with sprains for the rest of her life!


This brace works but it does not fit well with her shoes!