Today started with my normal Monday routine after a long weekend at work. I always feel pressed for time when I get home at 0300am and have to be back at 0300pm the same day, but it is my last shift this week. Hooray! It is finally sunny and warm in MN, so we hit the pavement with our bikes. Unfortunately, my 5 yr old literally hit the pavement:( We were 1 1/2 miles into a 2 mile loop around the house when he yard-sailed through an intersection and landed on his elbow. Blood-curdling scream, tears, and a brief assessment by mom, the nurse. “Looks like just a scrape. Turn your arm this way. Rotate your palm up. Now down. Straighen your arm. Ok, shake it off. Take a deep breath and let’s get back to pedaling home.” The rest of the way home I heard, “My elbow really hurts.” Sniffle. Cry. The ER nurse in me says, “Toughen up kiddo we’re almost home.” Then I start thinking of a story from a co-worker a few years back who told her daughter the same thing and 24 hours later was found to have a badly broken wrist. I don’t want to be minimizing his discomfort, but I most certainly don’t want to go to the MD for a “just a bruise.” UGH!
It’s not that I couldn’t make a life or death decision when it comes to my child’s health. I can tell when something is obviously fractured or displaced. I know when good colds go bad. It’s these little things, like a little swelling and tenderness at a joint (that has a growth plate mind you) that I am indecisive. I decided to be conservative and make an appointment with the pediatrician and get another opinion. I was just hoping they didn’t think, “Oh man, she brought her kid in for a bruise.” It’s not that I wanted him to have a fracture, because I didn’t. It’s just an ER nurses worst nightmare to be evaluated for something that didn’t need evaluation.
Luckily, the pediatrician we saw was amazing. She agreed that a x-ray should be done due to the swelling and potential for problems at the growth plate. Whew~! I wasn’t totally over-reacting. Yea~! The x-ray was normal. (Unless the radiologist calls in the morning saying otherwise.) Bike-0 Rowan-1
spinningitall 
Ok. So now I understand Kris’ mentality when it comes to situations that may require medical attention. When my temp hit 105.3 degrees last summer he had to take my temperature 3 times with different thermometers and take his own twice (the thermometers, he thought, were obviously broken), before he decided it was urgent enough to take me to the ER.
Us ER nurses are horrible to our own…not sure why?! I think we see too many people abuse the system.
Remember, last year William went for several days before it was learned his arm was broken. IMO, always better to be safe than sorry!