My 12 year old daughter broke her ankle 2 days ago. Poor thing. I know it really hurt at first. Still does but not as much. She had a splint - practically a cast - put on at the ER. Today she has to see a specialist.  She is getting a cast put on and I will find out if she needs surgery. The ER Dr. thought she might. The problem is , we do not have insurance , due to a low income this last year.

This was  the result of an accident  on the trampoline. A neighbor boy did a flip and landed on her. Ugh.

 If it wasn't for books to read she would be extremely bored. She really likes Nancy Drew books and has been able to get quite a few from here.

Sherry

Here's an update.

We are back from the specialist. I am so happy to say that she does not need surgery. The Dr said if she were younger - like 5 - she would need it - but at 12 1/2 years old she doens't, for this type of fracture. The reason surgery was considered is because a growth plate is involved in one of the two fractures.

The Dr was surprised at how the injury happened, because it took a lot of force. How that much force happened to cause this kind of an injury was a little odd he seemed to think. I didn't see it happen and haven't gotten a lot of info out of the kids. But the boy that did a flip and fell on her is quite a bit heavier than she is. I hope there is not any significance to him wondering how this happened - like her bones are not dense enough or something. She doesn't drink milk or eat milk products because she has a milk allergy. When she was younger she couldn't even get a drop of milk on her skin or it would break out in welts. We found that out when my friends baby shook his bottle on her  and all the places on her skin that she got drops of milk on got a welt. We also had to take her to the ER once when she got into some sour cream and one side of her head swelled up real big.

P.S. She has a pink cast on now and will be going back to the DR in two weeks. She has to use crutches and cannot put any weight on her right foot. I wonder how many Nancy Drew and other books she will read in the next 6 weeks or so. I am so glad we can get her some more books through PBS.  : - )

Oh--poor thing!  I hope it heals quickly.  I'm so glad she doesn't need surgery.

My 13-year-old daughter broke her elbow this winter ice skating--mine picked out purple for her big cast.  God was good--it healed pretty fast--but she was crushed that the break ruined her first season with a new swim coach.  Yay for kids who love to read!  We didn't know about this site yet, but our house is always full of books, and we're "frequent fliers" at our local library.

Side note:  The silver metallic Sharpie markers look really cool on colored casts....  :)

P.S.  When I ran out of Nancy Drew books to read as a kid, I moved on to Trixie Belden and Hardy Boys books.  Happy reading!

Sherry I'm glad you had good news. our daughter had a 4 wheeler accident a couple of years ago and fractured her pelvis she was on crutches for a while but healed up quickly and was back to her old self. I was grateful she was homeschooled so she could heal in peace not trying to hobble around school all day. I wish I had some books to offer but my kids are all into fantasy books right now.

angel

OH I am so sorry - please do take care of it as best you can - and ASK YOUR DOCTOR about proprioception activities that she can do at home.  For instance, I know a good one is to pick up like beanie babies with your toes and put them in a pail.

The reason I mention this is because I had a terrible ankle injury years ago - people think - Oh, it is just an ankle. 

Wrong.  Mine was not cared for properly and 6 years later started giving me trouble.  I ended up going doctor to doctor and spending a fortune before someone sent me to a ankle specialist.  I became totally lame and could not walk and ended up in a wheelchair.  

 I had reconstructive surgery finally last year and it was 6 months of laying on the couch before I could walk more than to the bathroom - very rough surgery and they won't let you get up!

PLEASE take ankle injuries seriously.  I know my doctor told me - and he is one of the very best with ankles - that he sees a lot of patients with bad sprains or breaks that never get proprioception training after a fall and it causes problems.  That wasn't my particular problem but he was trying to impress on me the need to do it.

Sherry, my big, strapping teenage son chose pink for his cast when he was 16!  As a swimmer, he needed to stay in shape and therefore worked with a trainer recommended by the ortho.  The trainer said exercising the muscle on the other arm helped keep the muscles of the broken arm in better shape.  Sounds strange, but apparently the muscles still "fire" because they think they should both be working!  Near the end of the time with the cast, he could even strap on a light weight for workouts. 

Now, about the books, this would be a great time to do a series or trophy book.  War and Peace?  The complete Sherlock Holmes?  Jane Austen?  JA on tape?

Let us know how you are both doing.

My 14 dd broke her tibia three years ago May 1.  She is still in a cast.  It has been a total nightmare.  We are going to try  to get her out of the cast again next week.  She will be going into a clamshell AFO and then we will try to work on regaining the use of her ankle. 

She was diagnosed a year ago as having oestoporsis and will start on medication this week.  She lives with a variety of disabilites, but none of them explain the problems she's had.  Now genetics thinks that she may have another, undiagnosed disorder as well.

I'm thrilled that your daughter got such great news today.  We certainly wish her a sppedy recovery!

Your poor DD!  I hope she's better soon!  At least she likes reading!  Hopefully, that will keep her from going totally insane!