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Snowstorm- and dd has broken her arm...Update!

I talk to the trees

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I talk to the trees

I talk to the trees

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...on the other side of the state. So W&M, even though they knew this storm was coming, and had plenty of time to prepare, decided not to clean or treat their roads and sidewalks until this evening. And dd, because the power was out in her dorm, and she had an exam first thing tomorrow and wanted to study somewhere not in the dark, went to the student center, where there was ice on the sidewalk and she slipped and broke her arm.

She is at the ER right now, and thankfully, there is a friend there with her. I am waiting for the full story. I think they are discharging her right now, but she texted and said that it is a broken ulna, they are giving her medication, and she has to follow up with an orthopedic surgeon for a cast in no more than 5 days. We have at least a foot and a half of snow on the ground here, and I can't take off tonight, or I would. I am beside myself with worry, furious at the campus for not preparing the sidewalks for a storm that we have known for days is coming, and all dh has to say is to calm down.

They wanted to transport her by ambulance to the ER, but I called the campus police and went a bit mama bear on them. (Really? Taking an ambulance- who knows if it is in network for us?- for a broken arm? Then they told me to have her call an Uber? WTF? You have made the recommendation that only emergency vehicles be out on the roads, then in the same breath you tell me to have my daughter to call an Uber?) After working my way up the food chain, I communicated very strongly to the campus police chief- who, after realizing that I was not backing down, was very nice- that they needed to find a way to help me get my daughter to the ER. To her credit, she called me back, and said that they would transport dd to the ER and back.

I know the arm needs a cast, but I don't want to send dd to just any old yahoo, kwim? So if anyone in the Williamsburg area has any experience or comments or opinions or just helpful information about orthopedic surgeons in the area, please post or pm me. I know people break arms and they heal, and that in the grand scheme of things, we should be happy that she didn't hit her head or break a leg. But I'm worried about her, and I'm irritated, and my dh is.not.helping. right now.

Sort of good-ish update: She has been discharged, and since her dorm is without power, she is staying tonight with a friend who lives right next to campus, and does still have power. Poor kid. She has had such a rotten semester. 😥

UPDATE: She saw the orthopedic surgeon this morning, and he was able to get a cast on the arm. (God bless the classmate that drove her to the appointment and sat with her!) He wants her to see someone over Christmas break to make sure the arm hasn't atrophied, and the cast is still secure, but for now, she is all set. And she is bound and determined to stay through exams, and get this terrible, no-good semester behind her! She's made of tough stuff, my kid! Last year, the week before Christmas, she had 2 wisdom teeth removed. This year, it's the arm. I told her that if she really doesn't want to participate in family activities over Christmas next year, she can just say so- no medical excuse necessary! 😊

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Farrar

Farrar

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The power they don't have control over - I'm sure they're working on it. But the sidewalks? Geesh. Everyone knew it was going to be a giant storm.

I'm sorry that happened! I hope she heals quickly and feels better soon. Not to mention gets her power back.

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I talk to the trees

I talk to the trees

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Thanks for the sympathy and well-wishes, guys. A little over an hour after she fell, the university sent out an alert telling everyone to be cautious and only use cleared pathways (which they were just getting around to clearing, according to dd. Great.) And bless her friends from her biology study group! They have taken on the task of emailing and calling the TA and the professor. One of the older bio students has taken her in for the night so that she doesn't get cold (still no power in her dorm) and have a Raynauds attack and wind up back in the ER for a totally different reason! And- good news at last! The provost has cancelled the 9am exam period! It will, of course, be rescheduled, but this at least buys her some time to rest and heal a bit.

In the original post, I listed the name of the orthopedic surgeon the ER wants her to see this week. Any info. any of you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I know I am being hyper-cautious, and it might sound silly, but it really is a case of one or two bad apples spoiling the whole bushel. There are just enough really bad doctors out there to make me wary of all of them!

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Lanny

Lanny

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OP In the USA, if you are looking for a Specialist M.D., the minimum requirement IMO is that they are "Board Certified" in their specialty.  If they are, probably one is in very good hands. 

Oh....   I googled him. He is not an M.D. he is a D.O.   

"Orthopedic Services - Jeffrey A. Levy, DO - Riverside Health System

Dr. Levy earned his medical degree from the Philadelphia College of ... His recent assignments included roles as Chief of the Department of Surgical Services for McDonald Army Health Center at Fort Eustis, Virginia, and ... Williamsburg, VA"
 
I suggest that your DD call his office for an appointment, this morning.  I hope she will heal quickly and completely. Sorry for her accident.
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Lanny

Lanny

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Follow-on:  I am a little surprised they did not put a Cast on it in the E.R.  Probably there was no Orthopaedic doctor in the hospital at that time and they didn't think it necessary to call one in. That makes me think the break is not terribly complex. I hope I am correct about that and that it is a simple fracture and will not require surgery.

However, I do think an Orthopaedic doctor should look at the XRay(s) and then decide what to recommend, before putting a cast on.

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I talk to the trees

I talk to the trees

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1 hour ago, perkybunch said:

Former VA resident and W&M'er here... ((hugs)) and fyi, Virginia does not do snow well.  It's a known thing.  Sorry they didn't treat, but that's par for the course.  Have very low expectations on anything snow-related.

I'm a VA native, raised here, moved away for a decade and a half (in lake-effect land, so I know how to deal with snow!), moved back several years ago. The typical reaction to snow and ice is: Residents panic, rush to grocery stores, and buy every last gallon of milk, loaf of bread, and carton of eggs. Thick layers of salt are spread on sidewalks. You'd think a few flakes meant the end of the world. Local and state DOTs always seem to be whining that there is no money in the budget for snow removal. (Not certain why the PTB can't seem to work out that in the winter, we get snow. One need not be a meteorologist to grasp that basic concept.) That said, the city we moved into in August has a reputation for getting the roads clear asap. The roads were pre-treated, and the snow plow has been by half a dozen times or so in the past 48 hours, so that's a good thing!

 

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I talk to the trees

I talk to the trees

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3 hours ago, scbusf said:

I'm semi-local, so I just posted on FB asking for Ortho recommendations for her. I'll be back soon with a name, hopefully!!!

 

Thanks for the assistance!  The hive has been so thoughtful and helpful with all the garbage dd has been dealing with this semester! (And so patient with this whiney, anxiety-prone mama!) You all have no idea how much you are appreciated, even if you are my "imaginary friends!" :wub:

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Halftime Hope

Halftime Hope

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18 minutes ago, scbusf said:

Here are the names I got from some friends:

One friend said her family has seen several doctors at this practice and they've been happy with all of them. https://www.tidewaterortho.com

Another friend specifically recommended Dr. McCarthy at that same practice.

At the bottom of that page, it specifically lists the two docs that are their "hand doctors".   We had a similar situation with dd22 who broke her wrist on Christmas Day.  The ER had an ortho on call see her in the ER at the time (a Saturday), and he said to call his office on Monday morning to get on their surgery schedule.  But when I looked him up, he was a knee and shoulder replacement specialist.  Good God -- NO!!  She was a young lady, not finished growing, who had a complex fracture of the wrist.  We found her a marvelous hand doctor, and he took her into surgery on Monday night. How I thank God for that bit of research, and that the doctor made time for her.

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lavender's green

lavender's green

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7 hours ago, I talk to the trees said:

I'm a VA native, raised here, moved away for a decade and a half (in lake-effect land, so I know how to deal with snow!), moved back several years ago. The typical reaction to snow and ice is: Residents panic, rush to grocery stores, and buy every last gallon of milk, loaf of bread, and carton of eggs. Thick layers of salt are spread on sidewalks. You'd think a few flakes meant the end of the world. Local and state DOTs always seem to be whining that there is no money in the budget for snow removal. (Not certain why the PTB can't seem to work out that in the winter, we get snow. One need not be a meteorologist to grasp that basic concept.) That said, the city we moved into in August has a reputation for getting the roads clear asap. The roads were pre-treated, and the snow plow has been by half a dozen times or so in the past 48 hours, so that's a good thing!

 

Yep. Born and raised in lake-effect country, moved to NC. We get the same local reaction. And I get that it's not nearly as common as in a lake-effect area, so of course resources and response time will be different, but still, you guys, this only happens multiple times every year!  Every. Year.  All of the years.

Best wishes to your daughter, Trees!

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I talk to the trees

I talk to the trees

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I posted an update in the original post, but wanted to add another quick one: She was finally able to get in touch with someone who will let her file an incident report. She called the police to ask what she needed to do to file a report, and they told her she could only file a report if she had been in a vehicular accident. (???😠) Then the police told her to contact the office of risk management, who sent her a brush-off email and told her to send a claim and all supporting details of the incident to RIchmond. But there was no incident report filed, and according to what she was told by the campus police she can't file anything,  so what exactly is she supposed to submit? So I did some sleuthing through the W&M website, and found out that yes, in fact, there IS a department that deals with student/employee accidents. (Funny how the campus police has no knowledge of this department, nor did they advise her of the need to report the accident on Sunday night.) She was able to get the appropriate forms from the Student Accessibility Office, and will turn them in tomorrow.

On the plus side, the Student Accessibility Office has been very helpful, and has advised her professors that she may need additional time during her exams if she is having trouble writing. Ah, someone working to *help* the student, rather than give them the runaround! How refreshing!

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