Broken Leg Trauma

Well, the Jack-man gave us quite the scare this week. It all started innocently enough. He wasn't feeling well early in the week and was extremely clingy and cranky (atypical for him). Of course, I was just informed by my pediatrician that babies go through a "cranky-clingy" stage betwee 16-18 months. Great. Just when I was really enjoying my "low-maintenance" baby. Anyway, what seemed like typical baby complaints escalated into some really scary possibilities. Here's the low-down, summarized.

-Monday: Jack feels bad. Has low-grade fever, stuffy nose, prodigious drooling. We attribute this to the fact that his molars are coming in.

-Tuesday: Jack is sent home from daycare with a fever. "He's just not his usual perky self", they said. Jeff takes him home. I notice, in the evening, that Jack is limping.

-Wednesday: Jack refuses to put any weight now on his right leg. We take him to the pediatrician. Pediatrician cannot determine what is wrong, but suspects either a) a break, b) a viral infection in the joints, or c) a bacterial infection in the joints (BAD!!!).

-a) is fixed with a cast, b) nothing can be done by wait for it to go away, c) only the pediatric orthopedists at TX Children's downtown can properly treat this....

-Thursday: Visited Woodlands orthopedist. X-rays taken (NO fun with a cranky 16 month old). He kicked and squirmed so much (while crying) that I was convinced nothing could possible be broken...

-No breaks were evident in Xrays.

-Doctor Shaw manipulates leg (after waiting 10 minutes for Jack to stop screaming) and isolates injury to the tibia. He suspects a hairline fracture.

-Cast from hip to toes is put on (while two of us held him down while he cried, and cried, and squirmed)

-Doctors orders: wait until after 9 p.m. for ibuprofen to wear off. If temperature stays low, then it is either the molars or a viral infection causing it. If temperature spikes to 102F or above, it is a bacterial infection. Get in car, drive FAST to Texas Children's Hospital Emergency Room downtown (don't call us or the pediatrician....just drive fast) and tell them to check/treat for a bacterial infection. Only they can treat it. (Sure, I won't panic!?)

-Took Jack to mom's so I could get off the emotional roller-coaster for a bit. Had a margarita with friends while I waited for Jack's ibuprofen to wear off.

-Held breath from 9 p.m. - midnight each time his temperature was taken.

-Midnight: NO FEVER at ALL!!! Hurray!!!!

-As predicted by orthopedist, it was a fracture and he is MUCH happier now that the leg has been immobilized. He even loves the sound the cast makes when he bangs it on the tile floor. ;)

-The cast will stay on for only 7-10 days. I wish I could bounce back from my injuries/illnesses as fast!!!!

On another topic. While drinking that margarita with friends waiting for Jack's fever to either make, or not make, its appearance, the topic of the product "Little Noses" came up. Since all nasal decongestants for infants and toddlers have been taken off the market (thanks to a few dense mothers who overdosed their kids because they couldn't follow the directions on the label), now millions of infants and toddlers (and their unfortunate mothers) are having to suffer scores of sleepless nights dealing with saline drops and bulb syringes (which are used so often that the mere sight of one triggers children to cry)and only work marginally (in my opinion). Anyway, after one particularly tedious night I was desperate enough to ask the pharmacist for advice on what to do since all products which had previously worked for me where taken off the market. She recommended "Little Noses", but then realized that it too had been taken off the shelves. To my good fortune; however, I found five boxes at HEB which had not been yet been confiscated from the shelves. I bought ALL of them. I even made sure I paid for them in the "self-checkout" line to avert any chance of an astute cashier taking them from me. They worked like a charm. I now swear by them. They are back in the market now, but without the words "infant" and "toddler" off the label. Anyway, last night after I thought I had imparted what I thought was an exciting and useful discovery with said friends at the table over margaritas, I was told that the product only contained saline. I felt like an idiot at the time, so when I got home I googled the product. As it turns out, we were all right. It seems there are two products made by "Little Remedies" called "Little Noses". One only contains saline drops, while the other are nasal decongestant drops with "Phenylephrine Hydrochloride" as its active ingredient. I've put a link on the sidebar with a review of the decongestant drops with information about ingredients and effects. I highly recommend them. At least, they work great for Jack and since he is about 24 pounds now (the minimum recommended weight), I don't feel guilty using them.