A Bad Boo Boo

Chip didn't get his first and only cast until his senior year in high school. I had my first and only one in the fifth grade. Karlee reached the ripe ole' age of 3 before getting her first one.

I picked Karlee up from school Monday and was told she got her thumb caught in the door and they put a bandaid on it. Being the good mother I am, I just said okay and walked her out the door. We went to lunch and Karlee fell asleep in the car on the way home. I put her down for a nap and she didn't wake up until 4:30. I didn't really even look at the thumb until it was time for bath and I wanted to take the bandaid off to clean her thumb. Karlee is a drama queen when it comes to boo boo's. She wants a bandaid for ANYTHING even if nothing is there to need a bandaid. I just thought she asked for a bandaid for her thumb like she always does.

Well, there wasn't a scratch but there was a big swollen thumb. I called Chip in the bathroom to look at it and he said it was broke. He wanted me to call the doctor first thing in the morning to have it seen. Again, being the good mother that I am, I got Karlee dressed Tuesday morning and took her to school. She was saying her thumb hurt but I still just thought it was sore (the swelling had not gone down and it was now bruised!). I told her teachers to just be careful with her thumb because she was still saying it hurt. I was then told more detail of what happened on Monday.

Karlee was apparently standing behind the door playing hide and seek with another child (for what reason, I don't know). The little boy headed for the door and somehow the door ended up being shut. Karlee's thumb was stuck in the door hinge side of the door. I'm sure she screamed bloody murder. The teacher took her to the office to put ice on it and a bandaid. I was never called about the accident.

After hearing the trauma that occurred, I then called Orthopaedic Clinic and Karlee was picked up from school early for x-rays. She was such a brave little girl. I still questioned if anything was really wrong with it as I watched her play in the lobby and the room. After x-rays (which Karlee sat really still for and made me proud), Dr. Sheils gave us the report.



The bone is bruised and the joint is crushed. He said that was good news. If the bone had been broken, it would have required surgery for pins. Because Karlee is so tiny, he could not just put her in a splint. So, she is in a cast for at least 2 weeks.

Karlee picked out a green cast (I wanted pink to match her dress for the daddy/daughter dance). She sat so still and watched Joey work on her little hand. When he put the mesh on first, Karlee thought she had a sock on her hand! She is in love with the cast right now and wants to show everybody. We'll see how long that lasts (especially since she can't swim and play in the bath tub)!