So yesterday C calls me from school "I dropped a desk on my foot." I replied "What am I supposed to do about that??" to which he responded "Here, talk to Rita." Rita is our school nurse. God love her. She is the go to woman at that school I think. So Rita says "Better come and get him and get this looked at. It's pretty bad."
If you want more....
Took him to the clinic where they x-rayed and we waited and waited and waited some more. I'm a good mother so I was very attentive. HA! You people know me better than that! I psyched him out by making him think I might touch it. I blew on it from across the room. I made really bad jokes about how expensive he was from head (braces) to toe (broken). I am really good at killing time and amusing at least myself.
I hear Doc #1 saying something to Doc #2 about it being broken and not being really sure what to do. They were coming down the hall towards the room when I heard Doc #1 say "Okay, how about you do it then" and Doc #2 said "You have to ignore what you are working on and just give it a good kkkkrrrrkkkkk". I worked with this guy in the ER a couple of times back in the day and it's never good when he makes that noise.
So they come in and start talking to me about how it's broken on the growth plate and need to get it "reduced" and lined back up and he might have one toe shorter than the other blah blah blah blah REACH DOWN IN MIDSENTENCE GRAB THAT TOE AND KKKKKRRRRRRRKKKKK. There it was.... The lesson in ignoring what you are working on and just yank, twist and then deliver the "Oh sorry bud but it's easier and less painful to just do it real quick and sudden like that then it is to give you three shots to numb it." My kid is made of tough stuff. Didn't cry a bit. Did suck in so much air so deeply that the room was depleted of oxygen but he did not cry.
More xrays and more waiting. Then I heard a phone call in the hall "Yes, I have a 13 year old boy with a fracture distal phalanx right great toe and we've tried reducing it. It is not anatomically correct and the fracture is on the growth plate." blah blah blah more medical jargon and me sweating bullets. I wrote my speech about the lack of Christmas right then and there. "Dear children and other relatives, for christmas you have all purchased Christopher a new great toe. Thank you for you cooperation and understanding in this most unexpected and untimely event."
More waiting and some pain pills... none for me dang it... and I'm suddenly in possession of prescriptions for pain meds, crutches, a special shoe, a note to the school, instructions for no weight bearing and directions to an orthopedic surgeon. We see him Monday. Doc #2 says we may be looking at surgery to pin this not-so-great toe back together. And he was doing sooo good at wrestling this year.
Dear children and other relatives, for christmas you have all purchased Christopher a new great toe. Thank you for you cooperation and understanding ....