Harriet Vane Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 My grandmother passed away last night, late. I am glad she is at peace. My ds was ripsticking (like skateboarding) and fell onto his left arm. He was wearing full protective gear. My dh and a friend were both there at the time. No one told me about it until hours later when ds mentioned to me that his arm hurt and he is having difficulty moving it. Ds' left elbow is swollen in front and throbbing. He is actively in pain. I have had him ice it several times tonight, and wrapped it lightly with an Ace bandage bent in the position that is comfortable to him with some of the bandage slung around his neck and body to hold the arm. I also gave him some ibuprofen. As a side note, I am frustrated that ds is having all this pain. He was wearing elbow pads as well as other gear at the time. We have a fantastic bone and joint center nearby. My preference is to bring ds there in the morning if need be. We also have a pediatric ER nearby. My fear is that they will do nothing more than what I have done so far and tell me to take him to an orthopedic dr in the morning. Is there any advantage to taking ds to the ER right now? Or is it okay to wait? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I'd take him. If nothing else, they can give stronger meds to keep him comfortable over night. :grouphug: about your Gma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnTheBrink Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Call the ER and tell them what you've done already and see what they suggest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Call the ER and find out if they have an orthopedist "in house" all night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hana Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 What I would do: If I could control the pain, I'd wait until morning. When my daughter broke her wrist, and I took her in, they took an x-ray and said "Broken wrist. Take her to her own dr. tomorrow." We did, and he said, "Broken wrist. It's swollen. Take her to the orthopod tomorrow." So it took her two full days before they set it because of swelling. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 If he can handle the pain on Ibuprofin, I would wait. The only thing they will do for him, is x-ray, which may not do any good if there is too much swelling right now, and give him stronger pain meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jpoy85 Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 when I broke my ankle in high school, my mom took me to urgent care, they sent me to an ortho and then put me in a Boot. All in the same day. Now when I broke my rib in 08, I went to Er, they gave me Xrays and pain meds and said see ya. :glare: So IMO, Id wait if possible, but otherwise go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 They might be able to splint it better to stop the pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 I am going to wait until morning. The bone/joint institute has a great set-up. If I take him there then the xrays will be in their system, available to any of their doctors. Thanks for your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*LC Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I agree with your. I have done that with all broken bones at our house; unless a broken bone requires surgery, the ER almost always simply x-rays it/splints it/refers you to another doctor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I agree with your decision. My nephew did the SAME THING on a Rip Stick, my sis took him to the ER and it was a COMPLETE waste of time! The whole thing had to be redone *anyway*. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 I am going to wait until morning. The bone/joint institute has a great set-up. If I take him there then the xrays will be in their system, available to any of their doctors. Thanks for your thoughts. :iagree: I hope he can get some pain relief tonight and some rest. I am sorry for you too, what a rough couple of days. :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arstephia Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 My daughter broke her wrist, but we didn't know it. She just fell off her bike when on a bike ride with DH. He saw her fall, but she shook it off and it wasn't until much later in the evening that she mentioned it hurting. It was swollen, hurt to move, but she wasn't crying or anything. I gave her some ibuprofen, wrapped it in ice and tried to keep her comfortable. The next morning she couldn't move it so we went in to our doctor. Sure enough it was broken so it was set and cast. Found out if we'd gone to the ER, they would have like just wrapped it ice like I did so let the swelling go down, so I was glad I didn't waste her night's sleep in the ER. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reeciecup Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 When dd broke her leg we were uninsured, and it was on the weekend of course. I didn't take her to the ER, because of the cost, but I took her to our family doc on Monday. I told him about skipping the ER because of the cost, because I felt pretty bad about it, and he told me never to go to the ER for a broken bome unless it was a compound fracture. He said the the ER would take X-rays and refer me to an orthopedic doc and charge a couple thousand dollars. My dd leg was broken in 2 place, and we paid about $500 total for all the doctor vistis and x-rays. I'm glad we skipped the ER. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 My grandmother passed away last night, late. I am glad she is at peace. … :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: Hope your son is doing better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 He needs it stabilized checked, only because it is an elbow. Elbows can break in a way that the bone pinches the nerves and blood vessels, causing permanent damage. Until it is in a hard cast it needs to be checked and evaluated for nerve/blood vessel issues. When my son broke his elbow we couldn't get into an ortho for days, due to a hurricane that had wiped out power. Our ped put him in a splint and checked it every single day until we got into the ortho, again, to make sure the blood and nerves were ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teachin'Mine Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 Strider I'm so sorry for your loss. :grouphug: I hope your son's elbow is doing better today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 :grouphug:I'm so sorry for your loss, and sending prayers.:grouphug: Hope your ds is doing well this morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJ. Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 OP, how is ds' elbow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 I took ds to the ortho this morning. He did not see anything big and obvious on the x-ray but suspects there might be growth plate damage because of where and how much ds hurts. He's in a hard splint right now and will be evaluated again in two weeks. Thanks for your concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 I'm glad you got him to the pros. Praying he heals well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 I took ds to the ortho this morning. He did not see anything big and obvious on the x-ray but suspects there might be growth plate damage because of where and how much ds hurts. He's in a hard splint right now and will be evaluated again in two weeks. Thanks for your concern. I am glad he is okay. I hope he heals quick and that his pain fades fast. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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