Okay, So I Didn't Mean to Tease
It's true, Ana broke her collar bone today at school. On the playground. She was just walking along and she tripped. She landed on her shoulder on some hard packed ground.
I..
I am...
I am just not so okay.
She's in great pain, despite the pain medicine.
And she was SO BRAVE--really, I can't say that enough --all day. You know, when I got the call, I kind of rolled my eyes. I was all set to pooh-pooh her usual drama but when I saw her face, I knew something was really wrong. I wish you could have seen her at the clinic--it was heartbreaking. She was terrified so she kept manically cracking jokes, just like I do. Just like her dad does. And the doctor--I could have cooked him alive. He kept touching her so roughly--his assumption was that it wasn't a break because there wasn't any swelling or bruising. But the X-Ray showed it as plain as day.
Cooked. Him. Alive.
Anyway.
It's her right arm and she can't even use the computer. She can't write. She can't do Tae Kwan Do or piano or much of anything else. I don't know how we should go about doing homework and so forth when she can't really write.
Unfortunately, this just sort of took the wind out of my sails. I was on a roll toward getting our house ready to sell. I have moved roughly a third of our stuff to the garage. I had finished painting the master bedroom and was painting in Ana's room when the nurse called (I still haven't even had lunch). (As an aside, it is taking three coats of paint to paint over the green on Ana's walls. I thought I'd blogged about it but I can't find it so just bear with me--about a year ago, I painted her room green (neon green) and (hot) pink. She asked for it. No, really. She really did. Kill me.) The movers are coming to give bids tomorrow. The painters are coming back to do the back of the house and turn the shutters back right side up --maybe I'll just have them do Jane's room, too. I don't know.
It's amazing to me that one thing will just... well, set us all back and remind us of what's really important. She'll be in a sling for six weeks. For six weeks, none of her usual activities will be okay.
Should we move early?
I seem to have lost some equilibrium.
Although, frankly, that might be the wine talking.
I'm going to keep her home tomorrow and blatantly spoil her. And try to continue "staging" my house.
But it all seems sort of... well, silly, when you think about your kid in pain.
PS: Syd came home. Came right up to the front door as if she'd been invited to tea. And Jane? Jane cried herself to sleep because she was so worried about her sister. Sometimes...you know? Sometimes you can feel the hand of God right on you showing you what's important.
I..
I am...
I am just not so okay.
She's in great pain, despite the pain medicine.
And she was SO BRAVE--really, I can't say that enough --all day. You know, when I got the call, I kind of rolled my eyes. I was all set to pooh-pooh her usual drama but when I saw her face, I knew something was really wrong. I wish you could have seen her at the clinic--it was heartbreaking. She was terrified so she kept manically cracking jokes, just like I do. Just like her dad does. And the doctor--I could have cooked him alive. He kept touching her so roughly--his assumption was that it wasn't a break because there wasn't any swelling or bruising. But the X-Ray showed it as plain as day.
Cooked. Him. Alive.
Anyway.
It's her right arm and she can't even use the computer. She can't write. She can't do Tae Kwan Do or piano or much of anything else. I don't know how we should go about doing homework and so forth when she can't really write.
Unfortunately, this just sort of took the wind out of my sails. I was on a roll toward getting our house ready to sell. I have moved roughly a third of our stuff to the garage. I had finished painting the master bedroom and was painting in Ana's room when the nurse called (I still haven't even had lunch). (As an aside, it is taking three coats of paint to paint over the green on Ana's walls. I thought I'd blogged about it but I can't find it so just bear with me--about a year ago, I painted her room green (neon green) and (hot) pink. She asked for it. No, really. She really did. Kill me.) The movers are coming to give bids tomorrow. The painters are coming back to do the back of the house and turn the shutters back right side up --maybe I'll just have them do Jane's room, too. I don't know.
It's amazing to me that one thing will just... well, set us all back and remind us of what's really important. She'll be in a sling for six weeks. For six weeks, none of her usual activities will be okay.
Should we move early?
I seem to have lost some equilibrium.
Although, frankly, that might be the wine talking.
I'm going to keep her home tomorrow and blatantly spoil her. And try to continue "staging" my house.
But it all seems sort of... well, silly, when you think about your kid in pain.
PS: Syd came home. Came right up to the front door as if she'd been invited to tea. And Jane? Jane cried herself to sleep because she was so worried about her sister. Sometimes...you know? Sometimes you can feel the hand of God right on you showing you what's important.
Comments
Feed her lots of ice cream. She'll look back on the whole experience with fondness.
Hugs to the lot of you.
I must give you a quick story: 48 y.o. dad breaks collar bone falling off horse. 6 mo later, still in physical therapy, 12 y.o. daughter breaks collar bone falling off horse. 3 weeks later, I see daughter climbing a tree. I see Dad. He looks at me and just says "Aging sucks." and then gets in the car to go to physical therapy.
It might have been 2 weeks or 4, but it was well short of the 6 weeks the doc said.
I vote for ice cream (without the Magic Shell, unless ya'll like Magic Shell.) For all of you. Just drizzle kahlua on yours.
Lots of ice cream, and a special trip to Blockbuster to pick out 1/2 a dozen movies!
When I had a broken right arm, I did learn to mouse and type left-hand-only. And after some of the pain goes away, I bet Ana adapts.
Those strong colors have to have a strong primer over them first. Something like KILZ. Use a lot of ventilation.
Maybe, she'll learn to use her left hand as well as her right - I've heard of that happening before. She's certainly clever enough. Would you ask the teacher if, as far as homework goes, she could do the work and you could write it down for her? Would that be an option?
My heart is hurting for her and Mark must be beside himself.
I wish I could come over and help you pack?
Honey, I'm all for Ice Cream. With FUDGE (screw that cheap Magic Shell stuff). And vodka if you have it.
Maybe Ana can dictate her homework on a tape recorder? The teacher is going to have to make some accomodations for her if she can't write and she can't type. HUGS my friend.
I love that little reality check.
I hope Ana feels better soon!
A friend of mine broke his collarbone, and the thing healed all right--a full inch separates the bones from each other. If they had totally immobilized his arm/shoulder, it would have knit together.
Don't let them tell you otherwise. They might use terms like "job" or something like that...it's evidence of a quack. Take her to another doctor.