Nursemaid's Elbow

In "Lucy Fakes Illness", Lucy is convinced by "Dr. Stevenson" that she has the "Goldblatts" which "came across on the hind legs of the Booshoo bird..." and if she turns green, her "zorch" will need to be removed:)

Whenever I watch this episode, I'm reminded of far the general public has come in the past 60 yrs in their basic understanding of illnesses, medicine, healthcare etc.... 

All that to say that I was subjected to learning of a new ailment today: Nursemaid's Elbow.

My rough & tumble little boy was taken to the ER today with extreme pain in his left arm and upon admittance into the ER, the nurse said, "It looks like 'Nursemaid's Elbow' to me..."  Come to find out, that means a 'dislocation' in lay man's terms:)

Here are the facts:

"'Nursemaid's Elbow' occurs when one bone of the elbow joint is pulled out of place, and it gets stuck in that position.  This usually occurs when lifting or pulling the child by one of both arms.  Sometimes a playmate will tug hard enough on the arm to cause this injury.

The injury is due to a weakness in the ligaments of the elbow of some children at this age.  It's usually easy to correct by your doctor, but may recur if the arm is pulled again.  Ligaments strengthen by 5 years of age, and Nursemaid's Elbow will not occur after that.  It is important for parents to be aware of this, so they take care not to lift, pull, or drag the child by the arm during this age period.

After the bone is put back into position, it usually takes about 30-60 mins before the child will start using that arm normally again.  In some cases, it may take up to 24 hrs before the child starts using the arm again."

Jonah fell under the "...in some cases it may take up to 24 hrs before the child starts using the arm again..." or at least that's what we're awaiting to see!  We're off to see an orthopod in the morning with his sling in place and praying for a good report.

Lesson learned:  kids are not indestructible.  Duh.  And my little rough & tumble boy loves to swing off playground apparatus, his highchair etc... and 'Ricky' & I have not been duly diligent in containing Jonah's 'Tarzan' tendencies.  Just ask me how badly I feel, even knowing that we can't trace a specific occurrence for his injury today!  I still know of dozens of times when he could've injured himself and didn't...  So now Tarzan must become more civilized to avoid further 'Nursemaid's Elbows' as I'm NOT repeating today! 

Will Jonah still be allowed to play outside, at the playground etc...?  Yes, but we will be more diligent in helping him 'land' vs 'swing' to the ground:)  The trials of raising our little M's that continually break the mold and challenge & test 'Ricky' & I to the max...thank heaven for His angels. 

I used to listen to this song at bedtime as a young child: "They're all around me, beneath me, before me. They're all around me.  My Father's angels all around me, everywhere."  I found myself humming this as I tucked my big boy into his bed tonight, sling and all.

Be safe,
Tiffany