Got back from the hospital an hour ago. Two broken bones and a cast...

My 3.5 year old fell of a 4 ft high deck. It's a deck around an above ground pool and we never used it. This year we've decided to put one of those $500 pools inside. There is a sand filled space (2 ft) between the new pool and the old pool sides. My husband was standing on the sand when she jumped after a toy!!! He saw her go in the air and caught her but not before her leg hit the ground. After a trip to ER the verdict is: two broken bones in the lower leg (just above the ankle) . She has a cast going all the way up to her hip for 2 wks (and can't walk) and will have another one for 4 weeks. I am trying to get over my guilt of leaving the deck because her sister was calling me after waking up from a nap. I told her to stay away from the edge... We're in the process of building a railing that faces the pool/water (there is railing with a locked gate all around). I NEVER thought that would have done anything like this - falling by accident, yes, but JUMPING??!!!!

Anyway - enough venting. I'm so thankful to God that this is all there is - a break. It will be EXTREMELY inconvenient but somehow we'll manage.

Any suggestions how to deal with an active preschooler wearing a cast would be helpful

Thanks!

Ela

 

Ella,
So sorry about your daughter, the good thing is that bones on young ones heal well and fast. My nephew broke his leg, walking down a hill, at your daughter's age and after a very slow ambulance ride (so as not to hurt him more) he was put in a full cast for 6 wks. One thing my BIL did that helped a lot was cut a hole in an infant car seat, so you could use that as a potty because with the angle of the cast he couldn't sit on a toilet - he had just been potty trained. I don't know if your daughter will need something like that, but it helped him - he is now a very healthy active 10 year old, non- the worse for ware. He may read more then the average boy because his Mom read so much to him when he was in the cast. Hoping your daughter has a speedy recovery.

Debbi

DS - Daniel 7/12/95
DS - Andrew 8/13/97
DS - Samuel 10/14/04
DS - David 10/14/04

 

Awwww....the poor baby! I know exactly how this feels, especially the mommy guilt. Cole broke his femur just before he turned 3 - he just plain fell down while running on our deck, but he twisted his leg when he fell and it broke. (How I could have prevented this? I couldn't - you'll realize that later) He actually had a half-cast all the way up to his hip with an ACE bandage holding it on, but he still couldn't move for 4 weeks. Here are a couple of things we did to get through it:

-Moved his bed into the living room because he couldn't be moved around. This way, he was able to visit with everyone and watch cartoons all day, rather than being stuck in his room by himself

-Stocked up on lots of videos and DVD's borrowed from friends - it'll be a long 4-6 weeks. We also picked up a kids type TV tray he could eat off of while in bed.

-We put him back in diapers (he had just been potty trained) because he was unable to be moved to the bathroom let alone sit on a potty.

-For visits to the doctor, we actually contacted the local ambulance and they took us to and from our appointments. Our insurance picked it up. There was no way he could sit in a car seat.

Hope this helps!

 

Oh no I hope the time passes quickly and she isn't too uncomfortable. Unfortunately I don't have any suggestions!

 

Oh! I hope she heals fast! :hug99: My mom was working on the pool and our deck does have railing. Jazz climbed up the steps and was on the top step(theres a gste on the top step so you have to open it to get in the pool. My mom was coming around and Jazzy fell between the railing and landed on her butt. I scared her but she was fine. Decks are dangerous for little ones

 

Thanks! I am actually working on getting her a kids wheelchair for a couple of weeks, at lest until she gets the half cast. She is actually OK during the day. She did crafts yesterday while sitting on the floor, watched tv and of course a lot of reading But the nights get really uncofmortable for her. We did put her in her bed to sleep last night but she woke up after a few hours and was crying/very restless. We ended up taking her to our bed (mommy to the couch which is actually a treat compared to sleeping with her ). We could not settle her, she just moved around the queen bed but it took an hour for her to fall asleep. She eats less too....

So we're OK... I think by the time we get used to it, it will be over and the half cast will be a breeze...

Ela