Broken Bones and Broken Streaks

We've had a pretty eventful week.  

Lillian was concert master with the Utah Valley Symphony last night and the concert was amazing.  The conductor of the Philharmonia group (the more advanced group) was the most flamboyant conductor I'd ever watched.  He jumped up and down, moved through space like a dancer, and energized the entire concert.  He must work out a lot to be able to keep up that energy as long as he did.  

Michael went on his first Klondike campout in the cold and came home excited and happy. He's not a huge camping or outdoors guy, so the fact that he enjoyed camping in below-freezing temperatures? Huge.

Oh, and then there was this . . .



Yeah, so not fun.  Allison and her roller blades had a little argument with the sidewalk on Saturday. From the above, you can probably tell the sidewalk won.

After sixteen years of parenting and nine kids, would you believe this is our first broken bone?

She was in a lot of pain and pretty distressed.  Sarah was with her and called us from a nearby house, then DH took her over to Urgent Care, where they said they couldn't do anything for her and sent her on to the ER (DH's comment?  "What good is Urgent Care if they can't even take care of a broken bone?").

After they'd been there about a half hour, Sarah called to ask me to come over, saying Allison really wanted me there.  Sarah was as upset as Allison.  So I went over and DH took Sarah home. I rubbed Allison's feet to take her mind off her throbbing wrist, then after a bit, they came and gave her an IV before taking her in to get X-rays. The IV went right in her elbow and she hated that and complained more about it than the broken wrist, which by then wasn't hurting as much. Her arm was a wavy line at the wrist rather than a straight one, and the X-rays showed both bones broken clear through. After more time waiting, they gave her zofran and morphine, then put her to sleep and I watched, cringing, as the doctor pushed and pulled her arm to set the bones back in place. They were in a large room with four or five people assisting. They had an X-ray machine they used to check to see their progress along the way and when it was close enough, they splinted the whole thing. I waited another hour as she groggily came out of the anesthesia and then anxiously wanted to go home. I applied a bit of pressure to get them to remove the IV as soon as possible, and she ate a cracker and drank some Sprite before we headed home. She was super hungry, so Sarah and DH had driven to Dairy Queen and got her a burger, fries, and a pecan cluster Blizzard. She devoured them last.  We had her sleep in the guest bedroom last night and Sarah wanted to sleep right next to her and help.  DH slept on the couch so he could help her. She had a really hard time sleeping, even though her pain was managed pretty well. She finally fell asleep around 2 a.m. on the couch, where she could lean her arm up without feeling so strange.

She's been doing great since then.  We see a doctor tomorrow and probably will get a cast at that point.  In the meantime, she's had such a great attitude.  She's been cleaning up her room and helping with laundry, all one-handed.  She seems determined not to claim helplessness, though she did ask her teacher if she could get out of assignments.

* * *
Speaking of broken streaks, I'm almost 15 weeks pregnant, which in past pregnancies has marked the gradual dividing line between horrible, awful, no-good, very bad days, and feeling great.  Usually, my first trimester is an endurance game, where I force myself off the couch through sheer willpower, get the basics done, and feel rotten through at least every afternoon and evening and often mornings too.

The first trimester has never been my friend.  I've usually endured it by counting down the days and weeks and just doing the best I can.

But not this time.

This time, I have felt awesome.  I'm a little more tired than usual, but otherwise, I've felt great.

My secret?  A new anti-nausea drug called Diclegis that is actually working.  I was skeptical because I've tried Zofran in the past with disappointing results.  But this stuff is amazing, I tell you.  I know because there have been days when I forget to take my second dose and around 3 p.m. I am suddenly overcome by overwhelming nausea.  The kind where you want to lie down in a dark room and not emerge for a few days.  But I take the medicine and within an hour, I feel great again.  Magic.

The drug itself is a slow-release combination of Unisom and B6.  I've had friends who have told me they've used Unisom in the past with good anti-nausea effects but it made them tired.  The nice thing about this stuff is that it doesn't make you sleepy.

It's been pretty awesome to feel great, especially when my first trimester encompassed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and all the rest.

I've kept up my 6-day exercise habit through the pregnancy, running three days a week, doing weights one day, and then doing the elliptical, hiking, or yoga the other days.  It's been a while since I've done yoga and I'm happily adding it back to my life.  I've missed it.

Despite the exercise, I've gained a little more weight than usual in my first trimester (it's hard to gain a lot of weight when the smell of food makes you gag).  But on the bright side, I'm finally looking pregnant instead of just fat!



Comments

Your girl's break looks an awful lot like the break I endured when I was 11. I had to have it re-set twice. Here's hoping your girl heals correctly the first time!!!! I'm feeling lots of empathy for her right now.

I'm also glad you have happy news about your pregnancy. :)
Tasha said…
Ok, love the pregnancy update! I am expecting #8! his is my first time with the prescription and it is such a blessing!!! When you have a big family you can't quit working! I am 12 weeks pregnant and let's just admit that you start showing really early when you have been pregnant several times!